I think one of the most notable American values is that of individualism. The lack of reliance on the family unit and the hyper-independent behavior exhibited by American individuals is quite distinct from many cultures. America’s youth is encouraged to fully support themselves between the ages of 18 and 22 years old and the elderly are often not considered the responsibility of the family when they are in their most fragile years. In other cultures, the multi-generational household is much more common. In addition to the financial and care-taking roles being less common in American families, goals for Americans are more geared toward individual betterment or advancement, instead of familial security or advancement. Rather than thinking of how a life choice may affect the entire family or what type of assumptions a profession may bring to the family, large decisions are only influenced by the individual’s ideals and values. For example, in America, the decision to make a cross-country move is often influenced by the cost of living of the two area options, job prospects, personal safety, or other area-specific and personal preference-related factors. In other countries decisions as large as a cross-country move will more likely include the ability to communicate with or commute back to family, or the message the move is making about the family to the wider community. I think that American individualism is something that carries both shame and pride. While American individualism does empower individuals to go further for themselves, the idea also can damage the family unit and prevent a sense of community. The aspect of success for individuals is definitely something that Americans can be proud of related to their individualism value. That being said, the comparative lack of familial connection is not something Americans should not boast about. Depending on the origin of other individuals, they may have a positive or negative view of American individualism. For example, someone from the Japanese culture may be very skeptical and offended by Americans’ value of individualism. The Japanese culture is much more inclusive and family-based than Americans. The Japanese have multicultural households, value the elderly, and make decisions based on community perceptions, making American individualism a strange and seemingly wrong way of life. That being said, an individual from a country such as Australia may be more accepting of the American way of life due to similarities in their own culture. Australia has a similar view of individualism and values the individual over the community, meaning they would approve of America’s individualist ideas. This activity helps to prepare me for my time abroad because it helps me both think critically about my own culture and think about other cultures. It is not until I have begun the study abroad journey that I thought about how I may appear different from those in the UK. In addition, it was not until I began this lesson that I thought about how natives in my host country will think about me as an American and perceive my foreign customs. Keeping these aspects in mind while I am abroad will most definitely keep me safe and help me better adapt to my life in London!
