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1、论个人主义对美国家庭教育的影响The Influence of Individualism on American Family Education摘 要 美国的核心价值观是个人主义,它是美国传统价值观的集中体现。其内容为追求个人自由、机会均等和实现物质上的成功。这种价值观伴随美国的形成、独立、成长逐步成熟并影响美国社会生活的方方面面。家庭教育作为教育的基础，是美国社会生活的一个缩影。美国教育哲学中的个人主义和实用主义不仅是美国文化核心价值观，而且是美国家庭教育的基础、宗旨和发展动力。本文分共为四部分，第一部分为简介，介绍本文的研究主题和研究意义。第二部分介绍论文的理论基础，主要介绍美国个人之
2、一及其在美国社会的价值观中的体现。第三部分写个人主义对美国家庭教育的影响。第四部分总结，总结在个人主义影响下美国家庭教育的影响。关键词：个人主义；美国家庭教育；中国家庭教育；跨文化交际AbstractAs one of American mainstream value, individualism influences every aspects of American society.The ideas that developed from this, such as equality and freedom have spread out through the country by
3、the Puritans, and became the idea that influences American daily life.The influence of individualism on politic, economy, and religion also appears in American family. The huge changes that happened in American have also changed the method of American family education. The thesis begins with an intr
4、oduction to the research significance and method. Part1 is concerned with some theoretical issues, such as terms and concepts relevant to the individualism and family education, the influence of individualism on American society. Part2 is the influence of individualism on American family structure,
5、which is an important reason for the change of family education. Part3 is the comparison of Chinese and American family education, lay special emphasis on the individualism of American family education. Finally draw a conclusion that individualism not only give people freedom, but also make people f
6、eel less responsibility to family and society. Key words: Individualism; American family education; Cross-culture communication Contents摘 要IAbstractIIContentsIII1Introduction12Individualism12.1Individualism12.2American Individualism22.2.1The unique development of American individualism22.2.2Manifest
7、ation of Individualism in America Society43Influence of the Individualism on American Family education83.1The results of American family education83.2Educational purposes83.3Educational content93.4Educational manners94Reasons114.1Historical background114.2Economic structure114.3Social conditions114.
8、4Cultural traditions125Conclusion12References131 Introduction Individualism is the main value of western society, to research American society, individualism is the one that must be understood, and also, family education is one of the earliest and most important forms of education. It plays a vital
9、role in the formation of childs thinking mode and world view. Since the Reform and Opening-up, the worldwide concerning with education has been up to an unprecedented level The increasing practice of family education offers the rich experience to its theoretical study and puts forward higher require
10、ments as wellUnder the society with rapidly economic development and a large scale of onlychildfamilies，in China many problems about family education have been emerging. Meanwhile exploring the educational theories, many educators attempt to solve these problems by referring to the family education
11、systems of developed countriesMany Chinese educators have achieved much in the Chinese and American family education comparative field. The comparisons are detailed on economy, politics，culture, history, geography and religion etc. On these scholarsshoulders，this thesis is concerned with the charact
12、eristics of American family education which was influenced by individualism. To make it easier to learn from American family, to improve our family education2 Individualism2.1 Individualism Individualism is the core of the American culture. It focuses on the satisfaction of ones own desire and inter
13、ests through self-reliance. The word individualism was first promoted by the French political reviewer Alexis de Tocqueville in his classical book Democracy in America published in 1835. In this book, Tocqueville expounded clearly the difference between “Individualism” and “egoism”. Individualism, a
14、s a social and political philosophy, emphasizes personal independence and creativity. It holds that personal value was the most lofty, attaching great importance to the notion of self-control and personal development without any form of intervention and obstruction against individual from absolutely
15、 power especially the tyranny in a nations history, the nation itself, society or any other external factors. 2.2 American Individualism2.2.1 The unique development of American individualismThe origin of American Individualism can be traced back to the beginning years in its history, when first Amer
16、ican immigrants came to the North American continent looking for better life and shaking off them yoke of European feudal tradition and the oppression from all kinds of powerful classes. It is determined that there were elements of anti-oppression and searching for freedom in American peoples charac
17、ter. This was the original explanation of American Individualism. Although the term “Individualism” was not in general use until the 1820s, the foundational principles behind the concept were established by the mid-eighteenth century. Enlightenment philosophers like Newton and Locke argued that the
18、universe is arranged in an orderly system, and that by the application of reason and intellect, human beings are capable of apprehending that system. This philosophy represented a radical shift from earlier nations that the world is ordered by a stern, inscrutable God whose plans are beyond human un
19、derstanding and who can only be known through religious revelation. Enlightenment philosophy encouraged thinkers like Franklin and Jefferson to turn to Deism, a religion that privileges reason over faith and rejects traditional religious tents in favor of a general belief in a benevolent creator. By
20、 privileging human understanding and the capacity of the individual, these new ideas recorded the way people thought about government, society and rights.Thus the Declaration of Independence is taken as the embodiment of the eighteenth-century regard for the interests of the individual. Taking as un
21、questionably “Self-evident” the idea that “all men are created equal”, the Declaration of Independence made the rights and potential of the individual the cornerstone of American values. The fact that these lines from the Declaration of Independence are among the most quoted in all of American lette
22、rs testifies to the power of this commitment to individual freedom in American culture.The second continental congress affirmed the Declarations privileging of the individual by making the signing of the document an important occasion. That is, by using the representatives signatures as the means of
23、 validating this public document, they attested to the importance of individual identity and individual consent to government. These famously large signatures are thus the graphic emblems of the revolutionaries commitment to individualism. “Of course, the Declaration of Independence conspicuously le
24、ft out women and did not even seem to include all men”. When America achieved independence, many individuals found that their rights to liberty were not considered self-evident. For African American slaves, Native Indian Americans, and many others, the New Nations commitment to individual rights was
25、 mere rhetoric rather than reality.But even though slavery and systematic inequality were an inescapable reality for many Americans, the nation embraced the myth of the “self-man” as representative of its national character. According to this myth, Americas protection of individual freedom enabled a
26、nyone, no matter how humble his beginnings, to triumph through hard work and talent.One of the earliest and most influential expressions of this version of the “American Dream” is Benjamin Franklins narrative of his own rise from modest beginning to a position of influence and wealth. It is not exce
27、ssive to say that the earliest embodiment of American Individualism was Franklin. He promoted the notion of “God helps those who help themselves”. He not only said so but also acted like this. Franklin self-consciously used the autobiographical form to foreground his narrative self-construction as a
28、n ideal American citizen. He repeatedly played on the potential for self-making that print and authorship offer the individual likening his own life to a book that can be edited, amended, and corrected for “errata”. Franklins conception of self thus hinges on the idea that the individual is the auth
29、or of his own life and destiny, with full power to construct as what he wills. Franklins presentation of himself as the ideal American individual was widely accepted. While he lived in France, he was celebrated as the embodiment of the lived in France, he was celebrated as the embodiment of the virt
30、ue, naturalism and simplicity that supposedly characterized the new world-an image he carefully maintained by shunning French fashion to dress plainly and wearing a primitive fur hat around Paris. So effective was Franklins physical self-presentation, he became a kind of cult finger in France. Paint
31、ings, prints, busts, medallions, clocks, vases, plates, handkerchiefs and even snuff-boxes were manufactured emblazoned with Franklins portrait. His American Individualism had become a popular commodity.2.2.2 Manifestation of Individualism in America Society As what discussed before, American Indivi
32、dualism affected almost every aspect of peoples life. As a Chinese famous professor Qian Mansu concluded there are nine manifestations of Individualism. They are: personal privacy, self-reliance, self- expression, independent thinking, personal freedom, Independent determination, personal equality,
33、free competition, personal lifestyle. Among these nine manifestations, independent thinking, independent determination and personal lifestyle can be considered as the branches of personal freedom. Thus, the main manifestation of Individualism can be concluded like Personal privacy, Self-reliance, Se
34、lf-expression, Personal freedom, Personal equality and free competition. 2.2.2.1 Personal PrivacyAs we all know Chinese people always ask ones age, marriage, job or salary when they meet with each other. But Americans do not. These greetings that are considered very common in China are cultural tabo
35、o in America, because Americans believe all these are personal privacy. For instance, one must telephone before he pays a visit to another even including his friends or relatives. Anybody mustnt step into anothers house without permission. No one has the right to read any others letter even parents
36、mustnt read their childrens private letters. In the fast-food shop, everyone hold their own plates enjoying their own meal without any interference to other person. Those greetings are very popular in China such as “where are you going?” “Have you eaten your meal?” would lead to Americans anger beca
37、use he believes that this is his own privacy but not any others business.In America, personal privacy is respected highly and protected by the law. Anyone who infringe upon any others personal privacy with motivate of profit, curiosity or malice will be punished. But the public have the right to kno
38、w the salary, possessions, personal style of national civil servants. Simultaneously, this kind of right is protected by the Privacy Law. In addition, peoples right of privacy can be found in daily life. 2.2.2.2 Personal Freedom and Personal EqualityIn Americans social values, liberty and equality h
39、ave the tightest link with Individualism. Equal opportunity and personal freedom are the basic foundation for every member of the society to achieve their self-fulfillment. Individualism will be an unrealistic thought without these two principles. There is no feudal tradition without these two princ
40、iples. Those early immigrants who came to this continent in order to escape from all kinds of suppression on the European continent planted the seeds of equality and free thoughts. After that immigrants in every section of American history took these two principles as their common goal. It is no exa
41、ggeration to say that the 300 years of American history was the process of redefining the equality and freedom.The equality and freedom in Americans eyes are largely different from that in the Europeans. The equality in American social values does not mean the equal position of wealth and treatment,
42、 but equal rights and equality of different ability and background. However, the equality of rights and opportunity couldnt bring equalitarianism on power and wealth, American obviously will take more attention to the former. American scholars have pointed out that Equalitarianism was a narrow theor
43、y of distribution existed in the traditional peasantry society in which people believed in the opinion that social wealth was limited. On the contrary, Equal opportunity is the basic condition by which every member of the society can realize his or her own goals. These two have fundamental differenc
44、es.The concept of advocating freedom is also affecting Americans attitude to life which will be clearly seen from their closing style. Americans closing conception is free with their individual character. Clothing was not the measure of ones social position but the means one complexly display their
45、personality. Everyone could choose their own color and style of clothes, dressing up at their will. In the past, men wore European subunits in the office was a conventional regulation. But at the middle of 1990s, there was a trend of “dress down” swept through offices. Clerks especially those worker
46、s in the field of height-technology changed their reserved European swats into plain clothier, steeped into busy task with a relatively light mood.Although, equality and freedom provided the fertile soil for the development of Individualism, the final achievement of it will be impossible without fre
47、e competition.It is important to understand what most Americans mean when they say they believe in equality of opportunity. They do mean that each individual should have an equal chance for success. Americans see much of life as a race for success. For them, equality means that everyone should have
48、an equal chance to enter the race and win. In other words, equality of opportunity may be thought of as an ethical rule. It helps to ensure that the race for success is a fair one and that a person does not win just because he or she was born into a wealthy family, or lose because of race or religio
49、n. This American concept of “fair play” is an important aspect of the belief in equality of opportunity.At the same time, American must keep competition to sustain his equality of opportunity. If much of life is seen as a race, then a person must run the race in order to succeed; a person must compete with others. If every person has an equal
