In 1970,
sociologist Robin Williams identified twelve core values in American society. These twelve
values include personal achievement, work, individualism, humanitarianism, efficiency and
practicality, progress, material comfort, science and rationality, equality, democracy, freedom,
and racial and group superiority.
People in the US strive to become
successful and accomplished and surpass others through personal achievement. Work is valued in
the US as a way to be productive and contribute to achievement and society. Individualism is
described as promoting and relying on a person's own strength and sense of self, or having one's
own identity even while being part of a group or nation. Helping others in need and having
sympathy for fellow human beings is expressed through humanitarianism. The ability to get things
done quickly and efficiently while not wasting resources is practiced through efficiency and
practicality. Americans value progress, the effort to move forward and make improvements in many
different areas of life. Material comforts are important in the US: having basic needs met, such
as food and shelter, and the ability to live in relative comfort. Adapting science and
rationality to promote improvements in the world of scientific discovery and technology is a
part of American life. Many Americans strive to promote equality within opportunity, culture,
and society. Democracy has been a value of the United States since the founding of the country;
it ideally allows for the expression of personal opinions and the making of decisions based on
majority vote. The ability to conduct one's own life with few limitations gives Americans the
value of freedom. On the negative end, racial and group superiority is the belief that some
groups of people are superior to others.
As a note of interest, Robin
Williams added three more values to his revised list of core values of US society in 1975. These
were education, religiosity, and romantic love.
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