GroshLink

Along with the pervasive rise in expectations, American culture has also become more individualistic than it was, perhaps as a by-product of the desire to have control over every aspect of life. To be less individualistic -- to tie oneself tightly into networks of family, friends, and community -- is to be bound, to some degree, by the needs of amily, friends, and community. If our attachments to others are serious, we can't just do whatever we want. I think the single most difficult negotiation that faces young people who marry in today's America is the one in which the partners decide where their individual autonomy ends and marital obligation and responsibility take over.

Our heightened individualism means that, not only do we expect perfection in all things, but we expect to produce this perfection ourselves. When we (inevitably) fail, the culture of individualism biases us toward causal explanations that focus on personal rather than universal factors. That is, the culture has established a kind of socially acceptable style of causal explanation, and it is one that encourages the individual to blame himself for failure. And this is just the kind of causal explanation that promotes depression when we are faced with failure.

As a corollary,

the modern emphasis on individual autonomy and control may be neutralizing a crucial vaccine against depression: deep commitment and belonging to social groups and institutions -- families, civic associations, faith communities, and the life (The Paradox of Choice, pp.211-2)

I couldn't stop typing. What a helpful statement. After the above paragraphs, Schwartz touches on the comparatively low rate of depression among the Amish to the American society in general. Let this above words sink in . . . they speak for themselves.

Previous posts in this series include:

Paradox of Choice

Students as Customers

Satisficing