文献综述(美国个人主义文化论文)
英美概况论文美国个人主义
浅析美国文化中的个人主义及其社会影响摘要：在美国文化中，有一种早已形成的文化现象，那就是个人主义，个人主义构成了美国文化模式的基本特性和主要内容，是美国文化的核心。
本文将从个人主义的含义、个人主义的本质以及个人主义对美国社会的影响三方面进行分析论述，从而有助于客观地了解美国文化中的个人主义传统。
关键词：个人主义；美国文化；含义；本质；积极影响；消极影响一、个人主义的含义英语中的个人主义与汉语中的个人主义不同。
从汉语的角度来看，个人主义带有浓厚的贬义色彩，即一切从个人的所得利益出发，是赤裸裸的个人物质利益与个人权利的追求。
然而英语中的个人主义的内涵却是积极的，肯定的，即认为个人价值至高无上，强调自我支配和自我控制，反对权威、宗教、国家、社会及其他任何干涉和阻挠个人发展的外在因素。
同时，个人主义又是一种价值体系，一种人性理论，甚至成了对某种政治、经济、社会和宗教行为的一种态度和倾向。
二、个人主义的本质美国文化中的个人主义，能真正表述美国思想。
它源自清教主义的理性原则，源自清教主义对个人自主的追求，是一种典型的西方资本主义政治和社会哲学。
在英语世界里首先使用“个人主义”一词的是美国哲学家爱默生，他对个人主义大加渲染和推崇，认为它有益于个性的发展和社会的进步，其“没有政治者的政府才是牢不可破的政府”的观点，早已渗透到美国民众的思想意识之中。
如今，美国成了个人主义价值观的典型代表，这种植根于早期殖民时期及在开拓边疆时期得到发扬光大的自立精神一直延续至今，成为美国精神的重要组成部分。
基督精神，自由主义与个人主义共同构成美国文化的三大支柱。
但代表美国文化模式基本特征的个人主义却是直接、真实地涵盖了美国思想。
个人主义成了美国人的最高理想及社会理想和世界观。
对美国人来说，个人主义等于其生命攸关的身份认同。
在美国文化的发展过程中，它成了美国思想的起点和归宿，构成美国文化的精髓。
三、个人主义对美国社会的积极影响个人主义的独立奋斗、开拓进取精神成为美国人的生命基调，是美国社会发展的内在驱动力，对美国物质文明和精神文明有巨大的推动力。
浅谈《肖申克的救赎》中的个人英雄主义--文献综述
毕业设计（论文）文献综述1 研究背景美国是一个崇尚英雄的国度，所以如果我们要研究其文化,其英雄主义意识是一个不应避免且必须予以高度关注的课题.美国人热爱英雄，也缺少英雄。
有一种论调那就是在现实生活中，真正的英雄越来越少,如果说英雄在美国生活中消失了,你却不会在看过好莱坞的电影之后得此结论.电影是一个国家文化的载体，电影中的英雄们是最易被现代人感受到和崇拜的偶像.即使美国并不像其它西方国家一样有着许多历史悠久的英雄原型，比如荷马史诗或亚瑟传奇中的英雄文化，但是它在古典和史诗英雄的基础上用自己的民主方式形成了特有的英雄主义意识。
在19世纪，新式的美国民主英雄在缺少法律的边疆上充当民主的忠诚守护者。
皮袜子故事集创造了美国第一个拓荒者形象一纳蒂.班波。
好莱坞的电影把西部牛仔文化推向了世界舞台,所以在谈及拓荒者，西部电影就毫无疑问的成为分析美国边疆英雄精神最贴切的例证；另一种现象可以非常鲜明地支持本文的观点是美国政治领袖的牛仔效仿热潮，它显示了在美国社会中英雄精神的巨大影响。
随着科技的发展以及牛仔、军事英雄的声誉日趋失去往日的光彩，美国人倾向于在虚幻世界中寻找他们的偶像，所以在第六章中本文描写和分析了太空历险和科幻题材电影中的英雄们,被称为最后的拓荒者的英雄们在与黑暗势力顽强斗争中，以一种特定的美国方式体现他们的个人英雄主义。
在那些电影中无论灾难发生在何方,假想的美国英雄们都会最终从邪恶中拯救世界，当然,看过电影人们可以缓解现实生活的焦虑，但是也有一些评论家认为这是一种“文化帝国主义”美国人有着强烈的自我中心观念，他们信奉个人主义，并始终将追求个人幸福和自由放在核心地位,努力使其成为一种社会的共识.不仅如此，美国人崇尚个人奋斗、冒险，崇尚不屈不挠的抗争精神。
个人奋斗或个人主义的逻辑是美国文化的重要组成部分，以追求个人利益与个人自主为目的的个人主义在美国几乎具有神圣的意义.这种独特的价值观却在美国的社会发展史上发挥着重要的作用。
关于美国个人主义研究文献综述
关于美国个人主义研究文献综述陈可珂引言：众所周知，美国原来是英国的殖民地。
独立后，具有开发精神的美国人以其惊人的毅力完成了西部大开发，并在19世纪末完成了工业化，跨进了世界大国并一跃成为头号强国。
美国的经济实力在世界上首屈一指，其通讯设备、航天与航空、计算机与软件、医药、科学仪器在世界上上独占鳌头；美国还凭借去军事实力扮演着国际警察的角色。
美国的经济为什么会这么强盛？其背后的推动力是什么？很显然，美国文化在其现代化的过程中有着不可替代的作用。
本文总结了对美国文化中个人主义的研究及成果，阐述了美国文化的重要根源并针对其提出了本人的观点。
摘要：个人主义是美国文化三大根源中最重要且影响最广的信条，美国人的最高理想是个人主义。
同时个人主义也随着美国社会的时代变迁发生了变化，经历了早期、拓荒、工业、新式和自我个人主义五个阶段，但一些核心的精髓仍然被保留并越来越多的影响着美国人的政治、文化、生活。
对于作为社会主义国家的我们，美国式的个人主义对我们有何作用，我们是否应该吸收个人主义以作为我们的行为方式，值得思考。
1.个人主义的产生法国社会哲学家托克维尔在他的《美国民主》一书中认为美国人的习性或者心灵习性是美国人得以维持的自由体制的关键。
他所谓的心灵的习性便是那种塑造概念、意见和思想习惯的东西，便是社会中人的道德与智慧习性的总和。
他对于社会中人和社会性格的塑造中的至关重要的作用给予了充分的肯定。
美国文化源于盎格鲁-撒克逊传统，但又不同于盎格鲁-撒克逊文化。
在两百年来的演变中，它向一座大熔炉吸收了世界诸多文明的精华，成了一个独立的、具有自己鲜明特点的开放性的文化体系。
个人主义构成了美国文化模式的基本的特征和主要没内容，它最雄辩的、实在的、真正的表达了美国思想。
托克维尔于1835年首次提出了“个人主义”一词。
他认为：个体的存在先于社会的秩序，自身利益既是个体的行为的目的，而社会制度则起源于个体间的互动礼仪中。
他完全不同于利己主义，个人主义有民主的根源，随着条件的平等愈益普遍，它也会愈益普遍。
浅谈美国文化中的个人主义_骆越虹
2007年5月佳木斯大学社会科学学报May,2007第25卷第3期JOUR NAL OF SOCI AL SCIENCE OF JIA MUSI UNIVERSI TY Vol.25No.3浅谈美国文化中的个人主义①骆越虹(哈尔滨学院外语学院,黑龙江哈尔滨150080)[摘 要]个人主义是美国文化的核心。
本文从个人主义的概念、个人主义在美国文化中的体现等方面进行了论述,并粗略地探讨了个人主义产生的根源。
了解个人主义与美国文化的关系有助于我们深刻理解美国文化,提高我们的跨文化交际能力。
[关键词]个人主义;美国文化;根源;体现[中图分类号]G112 [文献标识码]A [文章编号]1007-9882(2007)03-0087-02 在美国文化中,有一种早以形成的文化现象,那就是个人主义(Individualism)。
个人主义构成了美国文化模式的基本特性和主要内容。
美国文化中的个人主义,能真正表述美国思想。
我们学习英语的同时,也在了解和学习英语国家的文化。
个人主义(Individualism)是美国文化的灵魂所在,因此,对美国个人主义的正确理解,能够帮助我们更好地了解美国文化。
一、个人主义的涵义个人主义,一般来说有广义和狭义之分。
广义的个人主义,是泛指西方从文艺复兴以来,随着资本主义生产关系的发展,随着反封建压迫和神权统治的斗争而形成的以个人为中心的思想。
狭义的个人主义,主要是指个人主义(Individual-ism)这一概念出现以后的个人主义思想体系及其理论,它是一种典型的西方资本主义政治和社会哲学,其主要内容是相信每个人都具有价值,高度重视个人自由,强调个人的自我支配、自我控制、自我发展,是以个人为本位的人生哲学。
个人主义(Individualis m)一词最早是在19世纪以法文形式出现的。
它在现代不同的辞典中有不同的注释。
在朗文现代英语辞典(Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English)中是这样定义的“the belief that the rights and freedom of individual people are the most important rights in a society;the behavior or attitude of someone who does things in their own way without being influenced by other people.”(认为个人的权利和自由是一个社会里的最重要的权利的信仰;个人的做事方式不受其它人的影响的行为或态度);在英语语言字典中它被定义为:“belief in the importance of the individual and the virtue of self-reliance and personal indepen-dence”(对个体的重要性和自立、个人独立的信仰)二、个人主义的根源个人主义在美国的盛行有着深刻的历史根基。
个人主义文献综述
个人主义文献综述在整体主义盛行的社会，个人主义一直被极端地视为落后腐朽的思想，把个人主义简单地等同于狭隘的一切以自我为中心的思想，这样的扭曲既不利于个人主义思想的发展，也未必有利于集体主义的发展。
个人主义在历史上逐步地发展，期间不断出现不同的流派，百花齐放，渐趋成熟。
一、传统个人主义的危机与进步主义的挑战在古代希腊，民主主体论基本上是整体主义的。
柏拉图的《理想国》贯穿了整体主义的精神，亚里士多德更是坚定不移地认为，“活人由于本性或由于偶然而不归属于城邦的，他如果不是一个鄙夫，那就是一位超人。
”这种整体主义的个人观把城邦视为个人的福祉，认为个人只有在国家中才能实现自身的价值。
随着城邦的没落，这种个人观念亦逐渐发生了变化；到了近代，西方社会出现了个人主义的观念。
史蒂芬·卢克斯（Steven Lukes）将这一转变归于宗教个人主义（religious individualism），认为宗教改革推动了个人精神的兴起。
从基督教个人主义（christian individualism）到原子个人主义（atomic individualism），个人主义形成了一整套与自由竞争阶段的资本主义相适应的政治价值，甚至出现了绝对个人主义（absolute individualism）的表现形式。
19世纪，美国的个人主义深受斯宾塞（Herbert Spencer）理论的影响。
1860年到1903年间，斯宾塞的著作在美国发行达368,755册。
约翰·菲斯克（John Fiske）和威廉·萨姆那（William Graham Summner）不谋而合地结成联盟，用斯宾塞的社会达尔文主义征服了美国。
社会达尔文主义将生物进化论引入人类社会，用生存斗争、自然选择理论解释人类社会现象，在经济上重弹“自由放任”的老调；在政治上强烈反对任何形式的政府干预。
在个人与社会、国家关系上，社会达尔文主义强调“物竞天择、适者生存”，将传统个人主义推向了顶峰。
浅析美国文化中的个人主义
浅析美国文化中的个人主义摘要：个人主义是美国价值观念的核心，它的产生有其思想和现实来源，其渗透到美国生活的方方面面。
对个人主义的推崇和奉行，对美国社会有利有弊。
关键词：美国个人主义独立基督精神，自由主义与个人主义共同构成美国文化的三大支柱。
但代表美国文化模式基本特征的个人主义却是直接、真实地涵盖了美国思想。
个人主义是美国价值观的核心，在美国的文化思想中占有举足轻重的地位。
它对美国历史的发展道路起着决定性的作用。
对个人主义的分析有利于加深对当代美国社会的了解。
一个人主义的内涵个人主义在西方文化特别是在美国文化中起着举足轻重的作用。
“个人主义”这个术语最早的用法是法语形式的“individualism”，个人主义作为一种个人主义思想体系及其理论，也即是西方的一种政治哲学和社会哲学。
其主要内容是：尊重个人空间，强调个人利益和个人奋斗，尊重人权。
强调人是价值的主体，相信每个人都具有价值，高度重视个人的自我支配，自我控制，自我发展。
个人主义是以个人为本位的人生哲学。
个人进步，全在于自己的艰辛努力和不息奋斗；个人进步，也是自我价值实现的主要标志。
反对权威，反对任何形式“不合法的”对个人的强制，尤其反对国家对个人不必要的控制。
二个人主义产生的原因：（1）历史渊源。
在美国，“个人主义”最早从法国启蒙运动得到启发，最初是唱着对资本主义和自由主义民主的颂歌而出现的。
它成了一种具有巨大意义形态的象征性口号。
最早的一批移民包括了来自欧洲的清教徒，他们认为上帝判断其选民的标准时个人在世俗世界中取得的成就，不希望遭到上帝的遗弃就应该通过个人努力获得成功。
随后，伴随着西进运动和二战，个人主义实用性的优越性不断被证实，这一传统也被新一代和新移民不断得继承了下来。
（2）长久以来的独立意识传统。
首先，这源于东西方家庭观念的不同。
东方人——尤其是中国人受伦理思想和传统的影响，家庭成员之间的纽带更为紧密。
代系之间教育和赡养义务往往持续终生。
美国文化论文
美国文化美国文化的主要内容就是强调个人价值,追求民主自由,崇尚开拓与竞争,讲求理性与实用,其核心就是个人中心主义:个人至上、私欲至上、追求个人利益与个人享受,强调通过个人奋斗、个人自我设计,追求个人价值的最终实现。
这种刻意塑造自我,追求个性化的个人主义有其积极的一面,也有消极的一面。
它调动了个人的积极性,使许多人的智慧与潜力得以充分发挥,从而促进整个民族与国家的振兴与发展。
然而,人人以自我为中心,人际关系就难以融洽,整个社会也会缺乏凝聚力。
个性自由起源于美国祖先追求宗教信仰自由的传统。
包括自主动机,自主抉择,自力更生,尊重她人,个性自由,尊重隐私等层面。
美国的自由观"不仅指免除对肉体的约束,而且指个人有权签订契约;有权从事任何一种普通谋生职业;有权获取有用的知识;有权结婚、建立家庭与抚养孩子;受自己良心的支配崇拜上帝,以及普遍地享有历来被认为就是自由与平等地追求幸福所必不可少的那些特权。
美国公众注重成就,仰慕英雄,有深厚的成就崇拜与英雄崇拜的心理积淀。
个人成就就是所有美国人价值观中评价最高的价值之一。
美国人有很强的成就(或成功)意识。
成功就是所有美国人的追求,就是诱人的前景,前进的动力。
她们坚信,一个人的价值就等于她在事业上的成就。
一些事业有成的企业家、科学家、艺术家与各类明星,成了新时代的英雄。
她们个人奋斗的过程与结果,成了社会文化价值取向的参照系,父母教育子女的活教材。
美国就是流动性很大的社会。
这种流动体现在两个方面:地域性流动与社会性流动。
美国相对的开放自由、发达的交通与冒险好动的传统使许多美国人从乡村流到城市,又从市中心流向郊区;从北方流到南方阳光地带,从一个城市流到另一个城市。
美国社会阶级不像欧洲国家那样固定,加上公共教育的普及,使沿着社会阶梯向上流动成为可能。
许多生活在美国的人,无论就是土生土长的美国人,还就是漂洋过海来到美国的外国移民,都有一个梦,即通过自己的努力,改变自己的社会地位,实现自己的人生梦想,这就就是人们常津津乐道的“美国梦”。
美国文化论文
浅谈美国文化中的个人主义摘要：美国文化的特点很多，集中体现在文学、绘画、建筑、电影等方面，其核心的便是个人主义，个人主义体现在人们的日常行为、文化语言、教育婚姻、竞技电影等方面。
美国文化有精华，亦存在糟粕，那么我们在面对美国文化的时候应该批判的吸收，从而使我们国家的传统文化得以继承与发展。
关键词：美国文化、个人主义、批判的吸收美国文化的特点体现在各个方面，如：文学、绘画、建筑、雕塑、舞蹈、电影……我在这里就美国文化中的个人主义进行浅析。
所谓个人主义，一般来说有广义和狭义之分。
广义的个人主义，是泛指西方从文艺复兴以来，随着资本主义生产关系的发展，随着反封建压迫和神权统治的斗争而形成的以个人为中心的思想。
狭义的个人主义，主要是指个人主义这一概念出现以后的个人主义思想体系及其理论，它是一种典型的西方资本主义政治和社会哲学，其主要内容是相信每个人都具有价值，高度重视个人自由，强调个人的自我支配、自我控制、自我发展，是以个人为本位的人生哲学美国文化的主要内容是强调个人价值，追求民主自由，崇尚开拓和竞争，讲求理性和实用，其核心是个人中心主义。
美国公众注重成就，仰慕英雄，有深厚的成就崇拜和英雄崇拜的心理积淀。
个人成就是所有美国人价值观中评价最高的价值之一。
美国人有很强的成就（或成功）意识。
成功是所有美国人的追求，是诱人的前景，前进的动力。
他们坚信，一个人的价值就等于他在事业上的成就。
一些事业有成的企业家、科学家、艺术家和各类明星，成了新时代的英雄。
他们个人奋斗的过程和结果，成了社会文化价值取向的参照系，父母教育子女的活教材。
个人主义体现在美国人的口常行为中。
强调每个人作为个体,每个人都有他的自然权利，平等和自由。
在美国，个人的隐私权是受到尊重和保护的。
而那些对年龄、婚恋、宗教信仰、经济状况等有关方面的问题，美国人认为是隐私性问题，通常采取回避的态度。
个人主义强调对个人私生活的保护和尊重，不允许对之进行刺探、干涉和侵扰。
个人主义在美国的胜利
摘要：个人主义是美国文化中的核心和精髓内容。
从第一批殖民者的到来开始，就影响着一代又一代的美国人。
不管是在经济、文化还是教育，都印有个人主义深深的烙印。
可以这样说，如果没有个人主义，就没有独特的美国文化。
但值得注意的是：个人主义并不是美国独有的文化现象，甚至个人主义也不是在美国开始的。
但相比其它存在个人主义的国家，它却对美国文化影响最大。
也许这正是美国文化独特的地方。
关键词：个人主义、独特、美国文化Success of Individualism in AmericaAbstract:Individualism is core of American culture. From the first settlement, it has affected many generation of American people including economy, culture education and education. We can say that where there is no individualism, there is no special American culture. But something we have to focus on it, which is individualism, is not particular phenomena, also doesn’t begin from America. However, compared with another country, individualism is the essential part of American culture. This is the particular part in American culture.Key words:Individualism Particular American Culture引言：个人主义并不是美国独有的文化现象，而且个人主义最初也不是在美国产生的。
美国文化与个人主义
美国文化期中作业美国文化与个人主义李超杰金融二班136330943说到美国的的个人主义就不得不谈它的起源：一是犹太基督教传统，尤其是传统最终融入现代新教主义的方式，犹太教和基督教把上帝看作是全能的、超然的立法者, 对上帝的责任超过了对所有社会权威的责任，上帝的戒律是普遍的标准。
而基督教的良心运动则使个人主义有了积极的内涵。
后来的新教运动和启蒙运动都是个人主义的支持来源。
二是深深扎根于《独立宣言》和《美国宪法》中基于权力的政治理论。
1776 年7 月4 日, 杰弗逊在《独立宣言》中宣布：“人人是生而平等的”，此后美国就使自己献身于这样一种理论。
人人平等就把人看成了单个有思想独立的人，把个性强调了出来，个人主义因而有了政治依据；三是三权分立学说在美国的理论建立和政治实施。
美国发展健全了三权分立的政治体制，所以用权力来制约权力提上了日程。
相互制约并非不信任的体现，恰恰是为了更好地保障人民的基本权利。
个人权力可以在此平衡政府的权力，因为个人有了说话的场所和公正的听众，还有国家公正的法律来保障，个人主义的盛行也就不足为奇了。
个人主义是法国历史学家和政治家亚历克西.德.托克维尔创造的术语，指竭力强调个人自由、不受外来约束的一种政治和社会哲学, 包括利己主义的成分。
它是一种典型的西方资本主义政治和社会哲学, 认为个人价值至上, 强调自我支配和自我控制, 反对权威、宗教、国家、社会及其他外在因素以任何方式干涉和阻挠个人的发展。
但是，在英语世界里首先使用“个人主义”一词的却是美国哲学家爱默生，他对个人主义大加渲染和推崇，认为它有益于个性的发展和社会的进步，其“没有政治者的政府才是牢不可破的政府”的观点，早已渗透到美国民众的思想意识之中。
家爱默生的个人主义进行了系统的梳理和分析，指出超验主义是理解其个人主义的关键之处。
从某种意义上说，爱默生的个人主义是美国本土个人主义的起源，它标志着美国文化和美国精神的独立。
爱默生个人主义在美国哲学史上扮演着举足轻重的角色，他开创了美国文化，影响了美国文化的进程，自他以后，美国的本土文化才开始真正独立。
美国文化中的个人主义
美国文化中的个人主义摘要：在跨文化交际中，一定要紧紧把握价值现这一核心来了解中西文化差异。
以自我为中心的个人主义价值观是美国文化的核心，是美国文化的灵魂所在。
个人主义价值观在美国日常交际中有着十分广泛的体现。
关键词：个人主义价值观；跨文化交际；价值观；日常交际；美国文化语言既是文化的载体，又是文化的写照，它们有着水乳交融的关系。
语言的使用脱离不了产生这种语言的社会环境。
不同的语言要素反映不同的文化属性，不了解语言中所蕴涵的社会文化就无法真正掌握这门语言，也就无法进行成功的跨文化交际。
价值观是跨文化交际的核心。
价值观的差异是中西文化差异的精髓所在，不理解价值观方面的差异就不能真正理解跨文化交际。
价值观与交际是支配和反映的关系，价值观决定人们如何进行交际，交际反映出人们的价值观。
一、个人主义价值观与美国文化以自我为中心的个人主义价值观是美国文化的核心，是美国文化的灵魂所在。
美国社会遵循个体价值至上的原则，提倡个人利益为最高利益，强调主动进取，追求自由平等，自立自强，注重个人自由和权利，并把它视为实现自我价值的积极表现。
英语中有不少谚语很好地阐释了这种重视自我、依赖自我和强调个体独立的价值观。
“Every man is nearest himself”(每个人都最亲近自己)。
“Every man is the architect of his own fortune．”(每个人都是自己命运的设计师)，“God helps them that help themselves．”(天助自助者)，由此可见。
作为美国文化核心的个人主义价值观，深深植根于美国的民族语言中，且在日常交际、词汇、谚语、文学作品中都有广泛体现。
二、个人主义价值观在日常交际中的体现1．称呼语在英语所有的人称代词中，“you”(你，你们)，“she”(她)，“he”(他)，“we”(我们)，“they”(他们)，“it”(它)，只有当它们位于句首时，才大写第一个字母。
美国个人主义英文论文
A Study on American IndividualismI IntroductionIndividualism is the very core of American culture and the main value in America.We can say that individualism has been influencing all the fields of politics,economics and society,even the character of the nation. The self--reliance, Individual freedom, equal competition which are emphasized is different from the concept of individualism in China. Individualism is a western concept, and the origin can be traced back to the period of Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. In the period of immigration and Westward movement, Individualism was intensified. Although over self--centered canbring negative effect, from the whole historical point of view, there is no big social events which violate the stable situation, thisis because the concept of commitment has been in the heart of Americans for a long time.Individualism supplied the nation with a rationalization of its characteristic attitudes,behavior patterns and aspirations. It endowed the past, the present and the future with the perspective of unity and progress. It explained the peculiar social and political organization of the nation—unity in spite of heterogeneity and it pointed toward an ideal social organization in harmony with American experience. Above all, individualism expressed as the universalism and idealism most characteristic of the national consciousness. This concept evolved in contradistinction to socialism, the universal and messianic character of which it shared.Individualism, the love of enterprise, and the pride in personal freedom have been deemed by Americans not only their choicest, but their peculiar and exclusive possession. Individualism, the love of enterprise, and the pride in personal freedom have been deemed by Americans not only their choicest, but their peculiar and exclusive possession.Individualism is perhaps the primary concept that, transcending such categories as race, gender, class, age and region, unites Americans across time and space to give coherence to the national experience. From the earliest beginnings of the republic to the post-modernist present, the rights of the individual citizen and his or her place in the scheme of things has been of primary importance to American philosophers, artists, political theorists, theologians and others concerned with articulating national values and principles. Communitarian ideas rise from time to time to challenge individualism, but none have yet been successful in seriously weakening its hold on American culture. Incorporated into American "common-sense thinking," the philosophy ofindividualism becomes in the popular mind the very essence of what being an American means. In this course we will examine with a critical eye the philosophical basis and social consequences of the primacy of the individual in American intellectual, legal, and political traditions.There are five parts of this paper. The first part is the brief introduction of the paper, mainly introduce the important position of American Individualism in American. The second part summarize the Individualism, including origin, development, evolvement and the development fundemental. The third part is the most vital one, in this chapter, this paper talk about the performance of American Individualism in various areas. The fourth part is the evaluation of Individualism and the conclusion of the whole paper.II On the Term——American Individualism2.1Concept of the IndividualismBelief in the primary importance of the individual and in the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence.Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that stresses "the moral worth of the individual". Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and so independence and self-reliance while opposing most external interference upon one's own interests, whether by society, or any other group or institution.Individualism makes the individual its focus and so it starts "with the fundamental premise that the human individual is of primary importance in the struggle for liberation." Natural rights and freedom are the substance of these theories. Classical liberalism (including libertarianism), existentialism and individualist anarchism are examples of movements that take the human individual as a central unit of analysis.It has also been used as a term denoting "The quality of being an individual; individuality" related to possessing "An individual characteristic; a quirk." Individualism is thus also associated with artistic and bohemian interests and lifestyles where there is a tendency towards self creation and experimentation as opposed to tradition or popular mass opinions and behaviors as so also with humanist philosophical positions and ethics.Individualism encompasses a value system, a theory of human nature, and a belief in certain political, economic, social, and religious arrangements. According to the individualist, all values are human-centred, the individual is of supreme importance, and all individuals are morally equal. Individualism places great value on self-reliance, on privacy, and on mutual respect. Negatively, itembraces opposition to authority and to all manner of controls over the individual, especially when exercised by the state. As a theory of human nature, individualism holds that the interests of the normal adult are best served by allowing him maximum freedom and responsibility for choosing his objectives and the means for obtaining them. The institutional embodiment of individualism follows from these principles.2.1.1 The Misconception of IndividualismIsolationThe first misconception is that individualism means isolation---being alone, being outside society. This misconception is reflected in the popular images of ―individualism‖, images that stress being isolated, such as those of the lone cowboy, the fearless gumshoe, and the isolated prairie family. Such images can be exciting and heroic, but isolation is not the essence of individualism.In fact, the concept of individualism does not make sense in the absence of other human beings. Individualism is called ―individualism‖ not because it exhorts the individual to seek a life apart from others, but because it asserts that the individual, and not the group, is the primary constituent of society. The belief that individualism means being alone leads people to say that individualism is incompatible with cooperat ion. If one is too much of an ―individualist‖, people say, one cannot ―get along with groups‖, one is not a good ―team player‖. Actually, a person who doesn't listen to others, the person who would rather do things an inefficient way as long as it's ―my way‖, is not being an ―individualist‖---he's being closed minded. A true individualist wants the best for himself, so he seeks out the best, no mater who is the source. To the individualist, the truth is more important than any authority, including himself. Living in society, cooperating with other people---these are tremendous benefits. Individualism does not deny this. But not all arrangements of living and working with other men are beneficial to the individual; the arrangement faced by American slaves is one example. Individualism is a theory of the conditions under which living and working with others is, in fact, beneficial.BalanceAnother widespread misconception about individualism is that it can somehow be mixed with or tempered by collectivism. In this view, neither ―extreme‖ individualism nor ―extreme‖collectivism are correct. Rather, wisdom and truth lie somewhere in the middle. Individualism andcollectivism are contradictory positions---there is no middle ground between them. Collectivism maintains that the group is an entity in its own right, a thing that can act upon people. Individualism denies this. Collectivism sees us being influenced by the group; individualism sees us being influenced by other individuals. Collectivism sees us cooperating with the team; individualism, with other people. Collectivism sees us building on the ideas and achievements of society; individualism, on the ideas and achievements of individuals. These are contradictory positions; it's either-or. To accept the ―balance‖point of view is to accept collectivism. No collectivist has ever said that every single need of every individual must be frustrated for the sake of the society---if so, there wouldn't be any society left to serve. Collectivism is the balance point of view; it is a matter of fine-tuning here and there, constraining individuals when their interests get out of line with the ―good of society‖. Indeed, the main debate between the ―left‖and the ―right‖ today is not a debate over collectivism and individualism---its a debate over two forms of collectivism. The ―left‖ holds that the needs of society lie in the materialistic realm, so they are into regulating that aspect of individual affai rs. The ―right‖ holds that the needs of society lie in the spiritual realm, so they are into regulating the spiritual aspect of individual affairs.2.1.2 The Conception of American IndividualismThe embodiment of American Individualism can be depicted in four aspects, from which we put emphasis on there of them.Self-relianceOne of the most attractive characters of most American people is their self-reliance, which is generally considered as the basic of individual freedom, another essential character of individualism of America. Children in the United States, as long as they are18-year old, have to earn their daily bread by themselves, while senior citizens are also quite used to living alone instead of sharing the same ceiling with their children. No wonder that we may hear people always s ay ‗Thanks, but I can manage it throughout the country in the America.Individual FreedomMuch unlike the Europeans‘ thoughts on ‗freedom‘—just as what Tocqueville went after, an entire free without any strings attached [3]—the equivalent in America seems to be more reasonable, not meaning that one can do anything at will, but entitling people the right ‗to education‘, ‗to work‘, ‗to freedom of thought, conscience and religion‘, ‗to freedom of peacefulassembly and associ ation‘, etc. [4] The basis of all of these rights are ―Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness‖, declared by The Declaration of Independence . Of course, all of these freedoms and rights should be under the control of the States‘ legal system.Personal selectionAmerican people‘s personal selection is particularly embodied in the Presidential Election. Every voter feels absolutely free to vote the prospective President without a single string attached. In a book named The People’s Choice: How the Voter M akes Up His Mind in a Presidential Election, written by Paul F. Lazarsfeld, we found no special factor having a critical influence on which candidate they will vote for but socio-economic status, religious faith, occupation, and age. When educating their children, most American parents encourage their kids to make their own decisions, and this helps greatly during the formation one‘s character especially to self-reliance and confidence.Individual equalityIn general, most Americans are fairly indifferent to the identity of social rank and belong themselves to the middle class. ―We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.‖And we can‘t get a more valuable heritage from Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King. Quite different from Europe, the idea of equality in the United States assumed that everyone has equal opportunities rather than social positions. That is to say, each person has equal chance to achieve his success; however, the results of their work vary greatly from person to person. Based on personal equality, individual competition then has evolved into a life attitude throughout the daily life of the American people. In the United States, a fair social competition is protected by both political principles and organizational structures, ensuring an advantageous environment for personal equally competition.2.2 The Origin of American IndividualismThe origin of American individualism can be traced back to the beginning years of its history, when first American immigrants came to the North American continent looking for better life and shaking off the yoke of European feudal tradition and the oppression from all kinds of powerful classes. It is determined that elements of anti-yoke and searching for freedom should be the Ameri can people‘s character. This was the original explanation of American individualism. Concerning this, what American people are always proud of is the Declaration of Independence:―we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.‖2.3 The Development of American IndividualismThis has not always been the state of affairs in America, and we are reminded of just this fact by much of the best scholarship in colonial and early national history in recent years. The crucial role of Protestant Christianity in making the early American social and political ethos has been repeatedly emphasized. For example, the political scientist Barry Alan Shain has made the case that it was not Enlightenment liberalism but a very constrained form of communitarian Reformed Protestantism that best represented the dominant social and political outlook of early America. The political theorist Michael Sandel has argued that, until the twentieth century, America's public philosophy was based largely on the "republican" assumption that the polity had a formative, prescriptive, "soulcraft" function to perform in matters of the economy, the family, church-state relations, personal morality, free speech, constitutional law, privacy, productive labor, and consumption.In retrospect, however, it is hard not to see those earlier perspectives as fatally fragile. Certainly by the middle of the nineteenth century, figures such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman—romantic American nationalists and prophets of the unconstrained self—were already trumpeting the note that would have the most lasting resonance in the American imagination. It was Emerson who declared famously that a society is a "conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members," and that "nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind." And it was Whitman who declared that "the Great Idea" is "the idea of perfect and free individuals," and that "nothing, not God, is greater to one than one's-self is." One could hardly deny that such driving, self-interested ambition was itself a logical corollary to the spirit of unrestrained self-development, although both men would live long enough to be disappointed in the crass materialism that seemed to take hold of American society in the post–Civil War years. So, too, there is the irresistible story of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, the semi-noble, semi-savage boy who lit out for the territory rather than enduring the phony rigors of civilization. Indeed, one sure index of the hold that individualism has had on American thought and expression is the culture'srichness in figures of heroic individuality—and its relative poverty in providing convincing representations of community or social obligation.There have always been a few important countercurrents, however, to this pervasive celebration of individuality. One such current emerged from women writers, both inside and outside the nascent feminist movement. Individualism being a game still reserved largely for males, the fiction and "domestic economy" literature produced by such nineteenth-century writers as the sisters Catharine Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe often had a very different tone, emphasizing the satisfactions of settlement, family life, nurture, and human connectedness—all the things that Henry David Thoreau and Huck Finn sought to escape. Such arguments were carried to a high pitch by the southern anti-suffragist Louisa McCord, who urged women to stand at a critical distance from the coarse individualism of the male public world. To be sure, the works of northern feminists such as Margaret Fuller and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were nothing if not individualistic in tone, testifying to the fact that some women were eager to get in on the game. Various forms of that same tension between equality and difference have persisted into the twenty-first century and continue to color our discussions of individualism and gender.The immense human suffering and social dislocation wrought by industrialization was another stimulus to anti-individualistic thinking. One can see some elements of this critique emerging idiosyncratically in the antebellum years—for example, in the fascinating career of the anti-capitalist Catholic convert Orestes Brownson, who railed against individualism for destroying the grounds of human solidarity; or in the works of pro-slavery apologist George Fitzhugh, who presented slavery as an organic and patriarchal institution, far preferable to the inhumane and predatory institution of "wage slavery." But the best example could be found in one of the most widely read books of the nineteenth century, Edward Bellamy's 1888 fantasy Looking Backward, an effort to imagine a perfected postindustrial Boston, reconstituted as a socialist cooperative commonwealth in the year 2000. Bellamy openly reviled individualism, proposing in its place a post-Christian "religion of solidarity," which would radically de-emphasize the self, and instead emphasize social bonds over individual liberty (and traditional Christian doctrine).The popularity of Bellamy's book showed that there was a market hungry for such ideas, and many of the most "progressive" forces of the day—ranging from the cooperation-minded Knights of Labor, the theological advocates of a modernist "social gospel," to Progressive reformers suchas Herbert Croly, Jane Addams, and John Dewey—unreservedly admired and emulated its spirit. Indeed, the Progressive movement itself, at least in some of its manifestations, advanced a new corporate ideal that sought to downplay individualism and instead to defend and preserve "the public interest" in the face of industrial capital's power. In the hands of a sophisticated thinker like Dewey, a case was made that the values of community and individuality, far from being in opposition, are mutually supporting and mutually sustaining, particularly in an age dominated by large industrial combinations, immense asymmetries of wealth and power, and vast impersonal networks of communication. It was pointless, in their view, to restore the small-scale community of days past. Economic and social forces had rendered such community, with its personal bonds and face-to-face business transactions, impossible. The task ahead was the creation of something new, which Dewey called "The Great Community," a systematically reconstituted social order that, it was hoped, would adapt the best features of the old community forms to the inexorable realities of the new economy and society, and thereby preserve the possibility of a healthy form of individuality as well.2.3.1 The Evolvement of American IndividualismThe cultural changes of the 1990s (including multiculturalism, the advances of feminism, a growing rejection of moral relativism, new forms of spiritual self-expressiveness and greater attentiveness to children and childcare) can only be understood in the context of how the revolution in social values that took the nation by storm in the 1960s and 1970s has subsequently evolved.The transformation in values from the mid-sixties to the late-seventies confronts Americans with one of the sharpest discontinuities in Americans‘history as a culture. Observers have attached a variety of names to the changes. Journalist Tom Wolfe famously labeled the period as the "me generation". More academically, Ron Inglehart referred to the new values as "post-materialist" and documented their spread from the United States to the other industrialized democracies. A label for the new ethos that I and others prefer is "expressive individualism."It is not a crisp sound-bite, but it has the virtue of precision: the value changes revolve around the twin issues of the roles that "expressiveness" and "individualism" are to play in people‘s lives. The new ethos gave priority to the expressive side of life even at the expense of economic benefits. By the end of the 1970s, the majority of Americans had decided that self-expressiveness was tooimportant for artists and writers to monopolize: everyone should have the opportunity to develop their own inner potential for self-expression.A belief in individualism is, of course, as old as the nation itself. But prior to the 1960s, American individualism focused mainly on the political domain -- freedom to speak their minds, to pursue their own religious beliefs, to live where we chose to live. In the 1950s we were a nation of political individualists but social conformists. The 1960s ushered in a radical extension of individualism, broadening it from the political domain to personal life styles.By the 1980s the ethos of expressive individualism had grown into a national preoccupation. Now, in the late 1990s, after more than three decades of radical experimentation, Americans find a new conception of individualism evolving.2.3.2 The Understanding of Individualism Development Fundamentalwe have to admit that basic to any understanding of the development of the American individualism is the process of the industrialization, urbanization and modernization.Generally considering, the Industrial Revolution started in the late 1800‘s, which appeared to be a gradually accelerating procedure for mass production instead of a dramatic transformation. In the first half of the seventeenth century or even earlier in Europe, the idea of a market-orientated production had already sunk deep into people‘s minds. In the order the newly established industrial system, the manufacturing process had been decomposed into several tiny sections without much manual labor as before. This great transformation, according to Karl Max, finally made the industrial worker be severely alienated in Germany, Max used the word ―entaeusser‖ instead—which he thought was based both on wage labor and industrialism, causing by the products and themselves in the acts of production.The second trend providing fertile soils to individualism is urbanization. Roughly speaking, the definition of urbanization is a process in which the proportion of popularity in cities has been constantly incr easing. As an immigrant country, the United States‘ procedure of urbanization appeared to be more complex but manifest. People from Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe, as well as from Asia and Africa, have been voluntarily poured into the Big Melting Po t. The final product was ―a multitude of separate corporations‖. During the progression, social differentiation then arose and people were not so liable to be connected together by loyal,trusts, or somewhat of this kind as before. A new era has come, in which contracts replacing handshakes have become so general to keep the relationship between people.Another factor helping to accelerate the development of individualism is modernization, which is characterized as hundreds, even thousands of technologies and inventions having been putted into service. So we draw the conclusion that the Industrial Revolution liberated people from their farmland, enabled them to seek their fortune in cities, and provided them with a grate deal of newly invented articles which met their self-needs varying from one person to another. Here we pay little attention to academic theories, though some of which actually had great influence on the trend of individualism in America, such as Social Darwinism sponsored by Herbert Spencer, Corporative Individualism by Herbert Croly. And also, Religious Individualism, Christian Individualism, Atom Individualism, etc. had all played remarkably prominent roles in shaping the whole concept of Individualism as well.III The Performance of American Individualism in Various Areas3.1 The Performance in PoliticsPolitical individualism in its most common, though not its only meaning—is a fundamental belief in the protection of the rights of the individual against the incursions of the state and of political power. However, there are many dimensions of individualism and it is possible to be an ‗individualist‘ in several different fields. In general usage, an ‗individualist‘ denotes a person with a distinctive or unusual personal style, who stands out from the mass. In metaphysics or ontology individualism is a belief that the universe consists fundamentally of individual particulars, separable entities. The opponents of individualism in this sense are holists or monists. The typical holist belief is that the relations (usually systematic relations in some sense) between entities have a more fundamental existence than the entities themselves.Within the Christian religion individualism is closely associated with Protestantism and the belief in the human capacity for personal contact with God rather than the necessity of instruction through a hierarchy. ‗Economic individualism‘ is usually taken to refer to a faith in the capacity of individual action and ambition, working through the market, to create wealth and to bring about progress. Political individualism, as defined above, is a more ambiguous idea.The central question about individualism per se concerns the connections between these different dimensions. To what extent are they associated and what is the form of the association?Margaret Thatcher is often quoted as saying, ‗There is no such thing as society, but only individuals‘, an overtly ontological statement which is ethically and politically suggestive. She actually added the words ‗and families‘, which two words can be taken as the thin end of a more collectivist philosophical wedge. The connections between many of these dimensions is not logical entailment: there is no contradiction in being a philosophical monist, yet believing that individual initiative is the chief engine of economic progress or that persons possess rights which should be protected from the power of the state. But a desire for ideological consistency creates an association between the different dimensions of individualism.There is also an important paradox at the heart of individualism. John Stuart Mill offers one of the most morally appealing images of the individualist society, in which people are unconstrained by conformity and are able to advance civilization by the freest possible development of their own ideas and forms of expression. But how is this individualist society to be achieved? The society which most clearly embodies a belief in economic individualism in its norms and institutions, and the protection of individual rights in its constitution, is the United States. But the United States has often been criticized for its tendency to homogenize people, products, and places, and to require conformity from individuals. In the field of education, it has often been remarked that the withdrawal of authoritarian requirements for conformity in schools is often replaced by a more effective pressure for social conformity which arises from the pupils themselves. Many people believe that the ‗totalitarian‘ Soviet Union produced greater individual artists and political thinkers than many more free societies. In extremis, the paradox implies that an element of despotism is required to produce the full flowering of the individual, that authoritarian political structures can serve to protect individuals from social and economic pressures to conform.3.2 The Performance in EconomicThe doctrine of economic individualism holds that each individual should be allowed autonomy in making his or her own economic decisions as opposed to those decisions being made by the state, or the community, for him or her.Classical liberalismClassical liberalism is a political ideology that developed in the 19th century in England, Western Europe, and the Americas. It followed earlier forms of liberalism in its commitment to。
美国个人主义评述
美国个人主义评述□仲恺农业工程学院外语系熊学军摘要：美国是世界上最具个人主义色彩的国家，个人主义更是美国文化的核心价值观，决定着美国人行为的方方面面。
文章先探讨个人主义的概念及内涵，接着详细阐述了美国个人主义的来源、个人主义在美国的继承、发展及现状，最后对个人主义对美国社会的影响进行了简要的历时性评价。
关键词：美国个人主义价值观极端个人主义一、引言个人主义是美国文化的核心，是美国人最主要的价值观，不了解美国个人主义就不可能理解美国人的行为(胡文仲,1992)。
显然，深入研究个人主义对了解美国人的价值观举足轻重。
文章将探讨美国个人主义的定义、历史渊源、其发展与现状，并简要评价美国个人主义价值观。
二、美国个人主义基本内涵“American Heritage Dictionary”对“individualism”的定义包括：(1)Belief in the primary importance of the individual and in the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence;(2)A doctrine of freedom from government regulation of personal economic or social goals;(3)The doctrine that the interests of the individual should take precedence over the interests of the group.美国学者萨姆瓦指出广义的个人主义认为：个人利益是或应是至高无上的；一切价值、权利和义务都来源于个人；作为一个人应具有独立性、责任心和自尊心(王锦瑭,1997)。
可见，美国个人主义有一些“自私”的地方，如强调个人利益高于群体的等，但它更强调个人独立性，不依赖他人；尊重他人；强调个性自由，并尊重他人自由；强调个人隐私权应受到尊重和保护(袁永和,2005)。
美国文化的精髓
美国文化的精髓——个人主义作者：陈曦文章来源：《读与写》0804期时间：2008-6-11摘要：个人主义作为典型的西方资本主义政治和社会哲学，认为个人价值至高无上。
美国是个人主义价值观的典型代表，个人主义是美国精神的重要组成部分。
美国的个人主义源自基督精神的理性原则及对个人自主的追求。
在美国文化的发展过程中，它成了美国思想的起点和归宿，构成美国文化的精髓。
关键词：个人主义文化精髓1、“个人主义”的内涵及主要内容“个人主义”在西方文化特别是在美国文化中起着举足轻重的作用。
“个人主义”这个术语最早的用法是法语形式的“individualism”, 来自欧洲人对法国大革命及其所谓根源——启蒙运动思想——的普遍反应。
但首先系统地使用“个人主义”这个术语的是19世纪20年代中期圣西门的追随者。
也许是因为圣西门主义的广泛影响，“个人主义”这个术语在19世纪得到了非常广泛的使用，发展成为一种个人主义思想体系及其理论，也即是西方的一种政治哲学和社会哲学。
其主要内容是：强调人是价值的主体，相信每个人都具有价值，高度重视个人的自我支配，自我控制，自我发展。
个人主义是以个人为本位的人生哲学。
2、“个人主义”含义的不同理解然而，个人主义的真正含义因人而异。
在法国，它通常带有一种贬义，甚至至今仍然如此，意味着强调个人就会有害社会的更高利益。
对某些人来说，个人主义是一种危险的思想；在另一些人看来，个人主义是一种社会或经济的无政府状态，缺乏必要的制度和规范；还有一些人认为，它是指普遍的个人自私自利的态度。
社会主义者则干脆将“个人主义”等同了“社会主义”和“共产主义”的对立物。
法国自由主义者也谈个人主义，但把它看作是对国家干预最少而政治自由度最大的多元社会秩序的威胁。
与在法国形成鲜明对照的是，“个人主义”这个术语在德国却贴上了浪漫主义的标签。
德国人对“个人主义”的理解是个人的自我完成和个人与社会的有机统一。
东西文化存在深刻的差异，大多数东方国家，尤其是中国，日本和韩国把“个人主义”理解为与“集体主义”相悖的价值观导向。
美国梦中的个人主义
美国梦中的个人主义摘要】个人主义在美国社会文化中起着至关重要的作用。
个人主义强调人是价值的主体，相信每个人都具有价值，高度重视个人的自我支配，自我控制，自我发展。
在美国梦中处处渗透着个人主义，激励着美国人民前进。
然而个人主义也有一定的消极意义。
【关键词】个人主义；美国梦；自我控制；自我发展；个人价值；消极意义300年前，当英格兰移民乘坐着五月花号横穿大西洋来到马里兰，寻找一块清教徒能居住的“净土”时，“美国梦”已开始悄然萌芽——美国给了全世界每一个人均等的机会，只要努力奋斗，都可以实现自己的梦想。
美国作家朗·梅勒指出“美国梦”包含几个要素：美国提供了人人都能成功的机会；成功取决于自己的才能和努力，而不是家世和背景；人人都拥有平等的权利；人人都有信仰的自由。
“当奥巴马以第一位黑人美国总统的身份站上世界舞台的时候，“美国梦”这个词再一次引起了广泛的关注。
奥巴马被认为是美国梦最好的演绎。
身为一位黑人，在美国没有背景，没有家世，甚至没有钱，单单凭借着个人的奋斗与努力一步一步站在了世界之巅。
我认为在他成功的过程中，处处渗透着美国个人主义。
个人主义的内涵，一般来说有广义和狭义之分。
广义的个人主义，是泛指西方从文艺复兴以来，随着资本主义生产关系的发展，随着反封建压迫和神权统治的斗争而形成的以个人为中心的思想。
狭义的个人主义，主要是指"个人主义"这一概念出现以后的个人主义思想体系及其理论，也即是西方的一种政治哲学和社会哲学。
其主要内容是：强调人是价值的主体，相信每个人都具有价值，高度重视个人的自我支配，自我控制，自我发展。
一句话，个人主义是以个人为本位的人生哲学。
在这里，我主要想阐述的是以人为本的狭义的个人主义。
关于美国文化中个人主义价值观的内容，美国学者萨姆瓦认为，其应当包括自主动机、自主抉择、自力更生、尊重他人、个性自由以及尊重隐私等层面。
下面通过几部电影阐述一下笔者对于美国梦中的个人主义的认识。
【美国文化】文献综述
文献综述1．文献综述：结合所选论文题目情况，根据所查阅的文献资料，撰写2500-3000字左右的文献综述，文后应列出所查阅的文献资料。
论美式英语的文化特色语言与文化有着十分密切的关系。
早在本世纪20年代，美国语言学家萨皮尔（E．Sapir）在他的《语言》（Language）（1921）一书中就指出：“语言的背后是有东西的，而且语言不能离开文化而存在。
”语言学家帕尔默也曾在《现代语言学导论》（An Introduction to Modern Linguistics）一书中提到“语言的历史和文化的历史是相辅而行的，他们可以互相协助和启发。
”语言是文化的一个十分重要的组成部分。
语言是文化的符号，文化是语言的管轨，好比镜子或影集，不同民族的语言反映和记录了不同民族特定的文化风貌（刑福义，2002）。
语言与文化是不可分割的，他们在相辅相承中共同发展、共同完善、共同进步（王丹，任自峰）。
语言是文化的最重要的载体。
说它是最重要的载体，是相对于其他载体而言。
其他载体只能向人们显现文化的一个部分，甚至是文化的一个角落，而语言则全面地储存着文化的整体信息。
语言由语音、词汇、语法三大要素组成，特别是词汇承担着负载文化的主要任务。
文化对语言系统的影响首先集中体现在对三大要素形成与发展的制约作用上。
语言是在不断发展变化的，那是因为其所承载的文化在不停的发展变化。
文化，是人类在社会历史发展过程中所创造的物质财富和精神财富的总和，她包含一个民族长期积累形成的深层的心理积淀（任京生，2008）。
美国文化具有她独特的地方特色。
美国学者斯图尔特认为，“美国文化通常指主要由白人男性中产阶级成员构成的美国主流社会的思维和行为模式。
”美国文化是以“个人主义为核心、以基督宗教为主流、以种族关系为基础、以多元化为特色、以大众文化为主宰的文化。
”美国的主流文化是WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, 盎格鲁 - 萨克逊白人新教徒)文化，其核心是崇尚人人平等自由和个人奋斗的价值观（林畅畅，2008）。
- 1、下载文档前请自行甄别文档内容的完整性，平台不提供额外的编辑、内容补充、找答案等附加服务。
- 2、"仅部分预览"的文档,不可在线预览部分如存在完整性等问题,可反馈申请退款(可完整预览的文档不适用该条件!)。
- 3、如文档侵犯您的权益，请联系客服反馈,我们会尽快为您处理(人工客服工作时间：9:00-18:30)。
个人主义体现在教育中。美国 人从小就培养孩子的个性，鼓励和激 发孩子自立。美国的教育非常注重学 生个性的发展，注重培养学生的创造 力、想象力，鼓励学生有自己的个性。 美国的课堂是不主张填鸭式的教学的， 学生被鼓励质疑教师所讲的东西，学 生善于思考，老师提问时，学生争先 恐后的回答，所以课堂气氛非常活跃。 个人主义体现在体育竞技中。 正是由于个人主义的存在，所以才塑 造了一个个体坛的神话，也可以说是 偶像。
个人主义体现在美国人的日常行为中。强调每个 人作为个体，每个人都有他的自然权利，平等和 自由。在美国，个人的隐私权是受到尊重和保护 的。而那些对年龄、婚恋、宗教信仰、经济状况 等有关方面的问题，美国人认为是隐私性问题， 通常采取回避的态度。个人主义强调对个人私生 活的保护和尊重，不允许对之进行刺探、干涉和 侵扰。若一个人出于获利、好奇或恶意的动机而 侵犯别人的隐私权，要受到惩罚。美国人如果对 别人的私事爱讲闲话，不仅没有好处，有时还会 卷入民事诉讼中去。崇尚自由、张扬个性的观念 对美国人的生活态度影响颇深，从其着装便能得 知一二：美国人的服装观念是自由的、个性化的， 衣服不是显示生活地位的标尺，而是展现个性的 方式。每个人都可根据自己的喜好选择服装的颜 色和样式，穿衣打扮自行其事，随心所欲。
浅谈美国文化中的个人主义
第二小组： 成员： 解说： 制作：
摘要：
美国文化的特点很多，集中体 现在文学、绘画、建筑、电影等方 面，其核心的便是个人主义，个人 主义体现在人们的日常行为、文化 语言、教育婚姻、竞技电影等方面。 美国文化有精华，亦存在糟粕，那 么我们在面对美国文化的时候应该 批判的吸收，从而使我们国家的传 统文化得以继承与发展。
摘要： 摘要：
美国文化的特点很多，集中体现在文学、绘画、建筑、电影等方面， 其核心的便是个人主义，个人主义体现在人们的日常行为、文化语言、 教育婚姻、竞技电影等方面。美国文化有精华，亦存在糟粕，那么我们 在面对美国文化的时候应该批判的吸收，从而使我们国家的传统文化得 以继承与发展。 所谓个人主义，一般来说有广义和狭义之分。广义的个人主义，是 泛指西方从文艺复兴以来，随着资本主义生产关系的发展，随着反封建 压迫和神权统治的斗争而形成的以个人为中心的思想。狭义的个人主义， 主要是指个人主义这一概念出现以后的个人主义思想体系及其理论，它 是一种典型的西方资本主义政治和社会哲学，其主要内容是相信每个人 都具有价值，高度重视个人自由，强调个人的自我支配、自我控制、自 我发展，是以个人为本位的人生哲学
论文概述：
这篇论文主要讲述了美国文化中的个人主 义产生的原因及其表现形式。美国文化的主要 内容是强调个人价值，追求民主自由，崇尚开 拓和竞争，讲求理性和实用，其核心是个人中 心主义。个人主义深深植根于美国的社会历史 中，它也是一把帮助我们更好地了解美国文化 的钥匙。随着世界经济全球化，国际间的联系 越来越密切，正确理解个人主义和美国文化之 间的关系，有助于我们深刻理解和看待美国社 会和文化，深刻地了解美国的历史、传统、风 俗习惯和生活方式，有利于我们更好地学习英 语语言。
个人主义是美国文化的核心，它深深植根于美国的社 会历史中，它也是一把帮助我们更好地了解美国文化的钥 匙。然而个人中心主义：个人至上、私欲至上、追求个人 利益和个人享受，强调通过个人奋斗、个人自我设计，追 求个人价值的最终实现。然而，人人以自我为中心，人际 关系就难以融洽，整个社会也会缺乏凝聚力。美国是一个 民主的国家，公民来自于世界各地，可以说是世界上有着 最复杂民族的国家。各个民族之间能够和平相处，共同生 活、发展与提高，与其个人主义的普及是分不开的。作为 新一代的中国年轻人，对于美国所奉行的个人主义，应该 取其精华，吸收其中个人努力的方面，应用在生活中的方 方面面，为实现自己的理想而奋斗，为中国的强大而努力。
研究问题的原因： 研究问题的原因：
随着经济的不断发展，美国作为经济龙头，其文化融入 也十分抢眼。美国文化有精华，亦存在糟粕，那么我们在 面对美国文化的时候应该批判的吸收，从而使我们国家的 传统文化得以继承与发展。
研究和分析的方向
一、分析什么事个人主义。 二、美国人个人主义的体现： 1、个人主义体现在美国人的日常行为中。 2、个人主义体现在美国人的文化语言中。 3、个人主义体现在教育中。 4、个人主义体现在体育竞技中。 5、美国个人主义的利弊，及如何借鉴美国个人主义。
个人主义体现在美国人的文化语言中。语言与 文化的关系是相互关联、相互依存的。首先，语言 反映了文化。其次，文化支配着语言，即不同民族 的文化结构会导致各民族语言之间的差异。谚语是 与文化关系最为密切的语言形式之一，最能反映— 个民族的价值观，是一个民族智慧的结晶。如：God helps those who help themselves．(天助自助者)它 themselves ( ) 强调了人人必须靠自己，要自力更生。除了谚语外， 美国人还创造了许多词汇。美国文化中，与“自我” 相关的观念可以说是根深蒂固、无所不在的。如: self—made man(靠自我奋斗成功的)，美国的亚伯 拉罕林肯出生卑微，生活艰难，通过自强不息，艰 苦创业，最终荣登总统宝座，从此被首推为self— made man的典范。
结论与作者的期望
个人主义是美国文化的核心，它深深植根于美 国的社会历史中，它也是一把帮助我们更好地了解 美国文化的钥匙。然而个人中心主义：个人至上、 私欲至上、追求个人利益和个人享受，强调通过个 人奋斗、个人自我设计，追求个人价值的最终实现。 美国是一个民主的国家，公民来自于世界各地，可 以说是世界上有着最复杂民族的国家。各个民族之 间能够和平相处，共同生活、发展与提高，与其个 人主义的普及是分不开的。作为新一代的中国年轻 人，对于美国所奉行的个人主义，应该取其精华， 吸收其中个人努力的方面，应用在生活中的方方面 面，为实现自己的理想而奋斗，为中国的强大而努 力。