american in society

american in society.

I need help with a Psychology question. All explanations and answers will be used to help me learn.

In every society we use symbols to make sense of our lives and attach ourselves to — or disattach ourselves from — being oriented towards acting one way or another. These actions and our orientations toward them are called “values” and “attitudes.” In the United States there are many symbols to orient us to the importance of “individual freedom of choice.” But there are also symbols that orient us towards “community,” those with whom we

form
a group of shared effort and benefit. You can see writings about that in the the supplemental readings. One important symbol of community is the “neighbor.” And with whom do we wish to be “neighbors?” In America, it is almost always people who we “like,” and who we like because they are “like” us. (I have a presentation on “Like” as a key symbol in the supplemental material.) Social analysts have, for decades, suggested there is an increasing tension in the U.S. over the value of “shared community” as compared to “individual freedom.” Use the debate over “Stay-At-Home” orders, making sure to look at the full set of American responses, not just the noisy ones, to write an essay that agrees or disagrees with this claim: The symbolic importance of individual freedom of choice has grown to such an extent that most Americans are unable to recognize the value of shared action when it is “for the good of the community.”

american in society