Ways of Thinking...: 2021-02-21

Thursday, February 25, 2021

3SocStructure, Lesson 4b: Cultural values and anxiety

One of the aspects of culture that has a strong emotional impact on individuals is values. Cultural values have a large impact on culture; they shape the material culture, norms and language. Sociologist Robin Williams studied American Values and wrote about them in his 1970 book American Society. In 1985, L. Robert Kohl published a similar examination of values written for immigrants and refugees coming to the United States. Although the emphasis on values has varied in the decades since then as noted by Viktor Gecas, Karen Cerulo (2008) notes the importance of values and the multifaceted way that Williams wrote about them. Here is a chart depicting the values that Williams and Kohl cite:

Which of these values are true for you? Which are most influential in your life?

For more about American values, see this post

Values are a vast part of American culture which is even larger. So, we can't possibly cover all of American culture in our class even if we wanted to. However, I want students to be aware of how they are influenced by culture, especially in ways that might help students live a more meaningful and fulfilling life. Americans' emphasis on individualism, work, competition, and achievement puts them at risk for anxiety (while ignoring happiness as a value). As a side note, I believe that the more developed a country is, the more specialized it is which leads to more pressure on individuals.

Look at the data below detailing the ways that American culture puts Americans at risk for mental illness:

This graph is from The Equality Trust and they explain their data here.

The map below shows worldwide anxiety disorders from ourworldindata.org which also has graphics on numerous mental health issues including: substance abuse, depression, bipolar, eating disorders and schizophrenia. All data comes from The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), an independent global health research center at the University of Washington.

OurWorldInData explains the risk factors here and includes this chart:

Anxiety from statista.org

Psychologist Madeline Levine's book The Price of Privilege,

In recent years, numerous studies have shown that bright, charming, seemingly confident and socially skilled teenagers from affluent, loving families are experiencing epidemic rates of depression, substance abuse, and anxiety disorders—rates higher than in any other socioeconomic group of American adolescents. Materialism, pressure to achieve, perfectionism, and disconnection are combining to create a perfect storm that is devastating children of privilege and their parents alike.
In this eye-opening, provocative, and essential book, clinical psychologist Madeline Levine explodes one child-rearing myth after another. With empathy and candor, she identifies toxic cultural influences and well-intentioned, but misguided, parenting practices that are detrimental to a child's healthy self-development. Her thoughtful, practical advice provides solutions that will enable parents to help their emotionally troubled "star" child cultivate an authentic sense of self.

Chapter 1 is previewed at Amazon here.

The Culture of Affluence: Psychological Costs of Material Wealth by Suniya S. Luthar provides an overview of the myriad research related to mental health and affluence.