Through hundreds of conversations, observations of American behavior, research, and comprehensive reflection, Gary Althen compiled the book American Ways.
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| Gary Althen authored the book American Ways. |
Gary Althen is a longtime expert on international students at the University of Iowa. He has extensive experience explaining American customs not only to international students, but also to immigrants and visitors to the United States. He has lived abroad for considerable periods (particularly in Indonesia and Peru) to compare American culture with foreign cultures.
Through hundreds of conversations, observations of American behavior, research, and comprehensive reflection, he compiled *American Ways* (Intercultural Press, Inc., Yarmouth, Maine, 1988) - a guide for foreigners coming to the United States.
This work aims to analyze the characteristics of American behavior, while also suggesting appropriate behaviors for the American social environment and for Americans abroad. Below are some excerpts:
Many Americans consider themselves open, honest, and quite friendly. Ask them a question, and they'll answer immediately, with nothing to hide. They don't understand why other countries find them so difficult to understand. Of course, this excludes language barriers. But in reality, most foreigners find Americans difficult to understand. Even if they are fluent in English, they still find it somewhat confusing, not knowing what Americans are thinking or feeling.
Let me give you an example to illustrate how a misunderstanding of American morality can stem from a lack of socio-psychological understanding: Abidula, an Egyptian, came to America to study for an engineering degree. He befriended Wilson, a 49-year-old American engineer with a wife, a 22-year-old daughter, and a 19-year-old son. The family was hospitable, occasionally inviting Abidula over for meals or entertainment. Wilson's father had passed away two years prior.
One Sunday, the family invited their new friend to visit their widow at the nursing home. The home was quite crowded with elderly people; some slept in private rooms, others sat quietly in the common room, some playing cards or watching television. Wilson's mother, though old and hard of hearing, was very sharp and agile. He said he tried to visit her once a week, sometimes once every two weeks if he was busy with work. His wife occasionally accompanied him, but their children, being busy with school, rarely went.
Upon learning this, Mr. Apdula was surprised and indignant. Why not let the old woman live with her family? Perhaps Mr. Apdula judged Mr. Wilson this way: a selfish man, not fulfilling his filial duties, perhaps the old woman had some illness requiring special care and therefore couldn't stay home—this might not be true! Or perhaps his wife was a troublesome person. There was a reason related to American thinking that Mr. Apdula didn't consider: Americans are educated from a young age to live independently, not to be a burden to anyone. It's quite possible the old woman preferred being in a nursing home because she would have more freedom and wouldn't feel like a burden. Mr. Apdula misjudged his friend because he applied Egyptian family standards.
Generalizing about the psychology of a nation is difficult, sometimes even dangerous. This is especially true for the United States. American ethnicity is very diverse, due to the increasing number of immigrants, encompassing all skin colors: white, black, brown, yellow, and red. Religions are also diverse: Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, animism, and even atheism. Some people are highly educated, while others are illiterate. Political views are also very diverse. Given this complexity, we need to recognize that, from certain perspectives, all types of people are similar, or groups are similar, or each person is similar only to themselves… No two Americans seem alike; but if we compare a group of Americans with a group of Japanese, the similarities within each group become apparent.
"American character" primarily applies to white Americans belonging to the middle class, a class that has long held key positions in American society. They include leading politicians, businesspeople, university leaders, scientists , journalists, and writers. It can be said that "American culture" is heavily influenced by the characteristics of the white middle class.
What factors have driven Americans to behave in one way rather than another, unlike the Chinese or the Spanish? Finding the definitive cause for each case is impossible. Some researchers often propose the following factors to explain American culture: the course of American history in the 19th century, in a vast country with borders opening to the West; the ethnic origins stemming from social rebels against the European lower classes; the high level of technological development; the influence of Christianity and its decline; the capitalist economic system…
How do Americans perceive themselves and their culture? If you ask individuals, few would identify themselves as representative of the American nation, because they think of themselves in a personal way. Many dislike generalizations about Americans. Yet they quickly generalize about different community groups in America; they easily identify characteristics of North Americans, South Americans, rural and urban dwellers, coastal and inland people, ethnic minorities, New Yorkers, Californians... Parents, teachers, school textbooks, newspapers... have gradually shaped Americans' perceptions of foreigners, thus naturally shaping their self-perception.
"Americans often believe their country is superior, quite possibly the 'greatest' country in the world. Believing their country is better, Americans naturally often view other countries as inferior... Foreigners often find Americans in general to be condescending, viewing them (to a greater or lesser extent) as children, lacking experience and possibly having limited intelligence."
It is very right to remind foreigners that Americans treat them as inferior not out of malice or intent, but because they have been taught to act that way. There are exceptions, however, for Americans who travel abroad frequently or have extensive contact with foreign countries. Americans respect British writers, German scientists, Korean martial artists, Kenyan runners, and so on.
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