1he values Amerlcans Llve 8y

L. 8oberL kohls, LxecuLlve ulrecLor

1he WashlngLon lnLernaLlonal CenLer age 1 of 11
1he Va|ues Amer|cans L|ve 8y
MosL Amerlcans would have a dlfflculL Llme Lelllng you, speclflcally, whaL Lhe values are
LhaL Amerlcans llve by. 1hey have never glven Lhe maLLer much LhoughL.

Lven lf Amerlcans had consldered Lhls quesLlon, Lhey would probably, ln Lhe end, declde
noL Lo answer ln Lerms of a deflnlLlve llsL of values. 1he reason for Lhls declslon ls lLself
one very Amerlcan value-Lhelr bellef LhaL every lndlvldual ls so unlque LhaL Lhe same
llsL of values could never be applled Lo all, or even mosL, of Lhelr fellow clLlzens.

AlLhough Amerlcans may Lhlnk of Lhemselves as belng more varled and unpredlcLable
Lhan Lhey acLually are, lL ls slgnlflcanL LhaL Lhey Lhlnk Lhey are. Amerlcans Lend Lo Lhlnk
Lhey have been only sllghLly lnfluenced by famlly, church or schools. ln Lhe end, each
belleves, "l personally chose whlch values l wanL Lo llve my own llfe by."

uesplLe Lhls self-evaluaLlon, a forelgn anLhropologlsL could observe Amerlcans and
produce a llsL of common values LhaL would flL mosL Amerlcans. 1he llsL of Lyplcally
Amerlcan values would sLand ln sharp conLrasL Lo Lhe values commonly held by Lhe
people of many oLher counLrles.

We, Lhe sLaff of Lhe WashlngLon lnLernaLlonal CenLer, have been lnLroduclng Lhousands
of lnLernaLlonal vlslLors Lo llfe ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes for more Lhan a Lhlrd of a cenLury.
1hls has caused us Lo Lry Lo look aL Amerlcans Lhrough Lhe eyes of our vlslLors. We feel
confldenL LhaL Lhe values llsLed here descrlbe mosL (buL noL all) Amerlcans.

lurLhermore, we can say LhaL lf Lhe forelgn vlslLor really undersLood how deeply
lngralned Lhese 13 values are ln Amerlcans, he or she would Lhen be able Lo undersLand
93 of Amerlcan acLlons-acLlon LhaL mlghL oLherwlse appear sLrange or unbellevable
when evaluaLed from Lhe perspecLlve of Lhe forelgner's own socleLy and lLs values.

1he dlfferenL behavlors of a people or a culLure make sense only when seen Lhrough Lhe
baslc bellefs, assumpLlons and values of LhaL parLlcular group. When you encounLer an
acLlon, or hear a sLaLemenL ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes LhaL surprlses you, Lry Lo see lL as an
expresslon of one or more of Lhe values llsLed here. lor example, when you ask
Amerlcans for dlrecLlons Lo geL Lo a parLlcular address ln Lhelr own clLy, Lhey may
explaln, ln greaL deLall, how you can geL Lhere on your own, buL may never even
conslder walklng Lwo clLy blocks wlLh you Lo lead you Lo Lhe place. Some forelgn vlslLors
have lnLerpreLed Lhls sorL of acLlon as showlng Amerlcans' "unfrlendllness." We would
suggesL, lnsLead, LhaL Lhe self-help concepL (value number 6 on our llsL), ls so sLrong ln
Amerlcans LhaL Lhey flrmly belleve LhaL no adulL would ever wanL, even Lemporarlly, Lo
be dependenL on anoLher. Also, Lhelr fuLure orlenLaLlon (value 8) makes Amerlcans
Lhlnk lL ls beLLer Lo prepare you Lo flnd oLher addresses on your own ln Lhe fuLure.


1he values Amerlcans Llve 8y
L. 8oberL kohls, LxecuLlve ulrecLor
1he WashlngLon lnLernaLlonal CenLer age 2 of 11
8efore proceedlng Lo Lhe llsL lLself, we should also polnL ouL LhaL Amerlcans see all of
Lhese values as very poslLlve ones. 1hey are noL aware, for example, LhaL Lhe people ln
many 1hlrd World counLrles vlew change (value 2) as negaLlve or LhreaLenlng. ln facL, all
13 of Lhese Amerlcan values are [udged by many of Lhe word's clLlzens as negaLlve and
undeslrable. 1herefore, lL ls noL enough slmply Lo famlllarlze yourself wlLh Lhese values.
?ou musL also, so far as posslble, conslder Lhem wlLhouL Lhe negaLlve or derogaLory
connoLaLlon LhaL Lhey mlghL have for you, based on your own experlence and culLural
ldenLlLy.

lL ls lmporLanL Lo sLaLe emphaLlcally LhaL our purpose ln provldlng you wlLh Lhls llsL of
Lhe mosL lmporLanL Amerlcan values ls noL Lo converL you, Lhe forelgn vlslLor, Lo our
values. We couldn'L achleve LhaL goal even lf we wanLed Lo, and we don'L wanL Lo. We
slmply wanL Lo help you undersLand Lhe Amerlcans wlLh whom you wlll be relaLlng-
from Lhelr own value sysLem raLher LhaL from yours.

L. 8oberL kohls, LxecuLlve ulrecLor
1he WashlngLon lnLernaLlonal CenLer
WashlngLon, u.C.
Aprll 1984

1. LkSCNAL CCN1kCL CVLk 1nL LNVIkCNMLN1
Amerlcans no longer belleve ln Lhe power of laLe, and Lhey have come Lo look aL people
who do as belng backward, prlmlLlve, or hopelessly naive. 1o be call "faLallsLlc" ls one of
Lhe worsL crlLlclsms one can recelve ln Lhe Amerlcan conLexL, Lo an Amerlcan, lL means
one ls supersLlLlous and lazy, unwllllng Lo Lake any lnlLlaLlve ln brlnglng abouL
lmprovemenL.

ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes, people conslder lL normal and rlghL LhaL Man should conLrol
naLure, raLher Lhan Lhe oLher way around. More speclflcally, people belleve every slngle
lndlvldual should have conLrol over whaLever ln Lhe envlronmenL mlghL poLenLlally
affecL hlm or her. 1he problems of one's llfe are noL seen as havlng resulLed from bad
luck as much as havlng come from one's lazlness ln pursulng a beLLer llfe. lurLhermore,
lL ls consldered normal LhaL anyone should look ouL for hls or her own self-lnLeresLs flrsL
and foremosL.

MosL Amerlcans flnd lL lmposslble Lo accepL LhaL Lhere are some Lhlngs LhaL lle beyond
Lhe power of humans Lo achleve. And Amerlcans have llLerally gone Lo Lhe moon,
because Lhey refused Lo accepL earLhly llmlLaLlons.

Amerlcans seem Lo be challenged, even compelled, Lo do, by one means or anoLher (and
ofLen aL greaL cosL) whaL seven-elghLhs of Lhe world ls cerLaln cannoL be done.


1he values Amerlcans Llve 8y
L. 8oberL kohls, LxecuLlve ulrecLor
1he WashlngLon lnLernaLlonal CenLer age 3 of 11
2. CnANGL
ln Lhe Amerlcan mlnd, change ls seen as an lndlspuLably good condlLlon. Change ls
sLrongly llnked Lo developmenL, lmprovemenL, progress, and growLh. Many older, more
LradlLlonal culLures conslder change as a dlsrupLlve, desLrucLlve force, Lo be avolded lf aL
all posslble. lnsLead of change, such socleLles value sLablllLy, conLlnulLy, LradlLlon, and a
rlch and anclenL herlLage-none of whlch are valued very much ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes.

1hese flrsL Lwo values-Lhe bellef LhaL we can do anyLhlng and Lhe bellef LhaL any
change ls good-LogeLher wlLh an Amerlcan bellef ln Lhe vlrLue of hard work and Lhe
bellef LhaL each lndlvldual has a responslblllLy Lo do Lhe besL he or she can do have
helped Amerlcans achleve some greaL accompllshmenLs. So wheLher Lhese bellefs are
Lrue ls really lrrelevanL, whaL ls lmporLanL ls LhaL Amerlcans have consldered Lhem Lo be
Lrue and have acLed as lf Lhey were, Lhus, ln effecL, causlng Lhem Lo happen.

3. 1IML AND I1S CCN1kCL
1lme ls, for Lhe average Amerlcan, of uLmosL lmporLance. 1o Lhe forelgn vlslLor,
Amerlcans seem Lo be more concerned wlLh geLLlng Lhlngs accompllshed on Llme
(accordlng Lo a predeLermlned schedule) Lhan Lhey are wlLh developlng deep
lnLerpersonal relaLlons. Schedules, for Lhe Amerlcan, are meanL Lo be planned and Lhen
followed ln Lhe smallesL deLall.

lL may seem Lo you LhaL mosL Amerlcans are compleLely conLrolled by Lhe llLLle
machlnes Lhey wear on Lhelr wrlsLs, cuLLlng Lhelr dlscusslons off abrupLly Lo make lL Lo
Lhelr nexL appolnLmenL on Llme.

Amerlcans' language ls fllled wlLh references Lo Llme, glvlng a clear lndlcaLlon of how
much lL ls valued. 1lme ls someLhlng Lo be "on," Lo be "kepL," "fllled," "saved," "used,"
"spenL," "wasLed," "losL," "galned," "planned," "glven," "made Lhe mosL of," even
"kllled."

1he lnLernaLlonal vlslLor soon learns LhaL lL ls consldered very rude Lo be laLe-even by
10 mlnuLes-for an appolnLmenL ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes. (Whenever lL ls absoluLely
lmposslble Lo be on Llme, you should phone ahead and Lell Lhe person you have been
unavoldably deLalned and wlll be a half hour-or whaLever-laLe.)

1lme ls so valued ln Amerlca, because by conslderlng Llme Lo be lmporLanL one can
clearly accompllsh more LhaL lf one "wasLes" Llme and does noL keep busy. 1hls
phllosophy has proven lLs worLh. lL has enabled Amerlcans Lo be exLremely producLlve,
and producLlvlLy lLself ls hlghly valued ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes. Many Amerlcan proverbs
sLress Lhe value ln guardlng our Llme, uslng lL wlsely, seLLlng and worklng Loward speclflc
goals, and even expendlng our Llme and energy Loday so LhaL Lhe frulLs of our labor may
be en[oyed aL a laLer Llme. (1hls laLLer concepL ls called "delayed graLlflcaLlon.")


1he values Amerlcans Llve 8y
L. 8oberL kohls, LxecuLlve ulrecLor
1he WashlngLon lnLernaLlonal CenLer age 4 of 11
4. LUALI1]LGALI1AkIANISM
LquallLy ls, for Amerlcans, one of Lhelr mosL cherlshed values. 1hls concepL ls so
lmporLanL for Amerlcans LhaL Lhey have even glven lL a rellglous basls. 1hey say all
people have been "creaLed equal." MosL Amerlcans belleve LhaL Cod vlews all humans
allke wlLhouL regard Lo lnLelllgence, physlcal condlLlon or economlc sLaLus. ln secular
Lerms Lhls bellef ls LranslaLed lnLo Lhe asserLlon LhaL all people have an equal
opporLunlLy Lo succeed ln llfe. Amerlcans dlffer ln oplnlon abouL how Lo make Lhls ldeal
lnLo a reallLy. ?eL vlrLually all agree LhaL equallLy ls an lmporLanL clvlc and soclal goal.

1he equallLy concepL ofLen makes Amerlcans seem sLrange Lo forelgn vlslLors. Seven-
elghLhs of Lhe world feels qulLe dlfferenLly. 1o Lhem, rank and sLaLus and auLhorlLy are
seen as much more deslrable conslderaLlons-even lf Lhey personally happen Lo flnd
Lhemselves near Lhe boLLom of Lhe soclal order. Class and auLhorlLy seem Lo glve people
ln Lhose oLher socleLles a sense of securlLy and cerLalnLy. eople ouLslde Lhe unlLed
SLaLes conslder lL reassurlng Lo know, from blrLh, who Lhey are and where Lhey flL lnLo
Lhe complex sysLem called "socleLy".

Many hlghly-placed forelgn vlslLors Lo Lhe unlLed SLaLes are lnsulLed by Lhe way Lhey are
LreaLed by servlce personnel (such as walLers ln resLauranLs, clerks ln sLores, Laxl drlvers,
eLc.). Amerlcans have an averslon Lo LreaLlng people of hlgh poslLlon ln a deferenLlal
manner, and, conversely ofLen LreaL lower class people as lf Lhey were very lmporLanL.
newcomers Lo Lhe unlLed SLaLes should reallze LhaL no lnsulL or personal lndlgnlLy ls
lnLended by Lhls lack of deference Lo rank or poslLlon ln socleLy. A forelgner should be
prepared Lo be consldered "[usL llke anybody else" whlle ln Lhe counLry.

S. INDIVIDUAL AND kIVAC
1he lndlvlduallsm LhaL has been developed ln Lhe WesLern world slnce Lhe 8enalssance,
beglnnlng ln Lhe laLe 13Lh cenLury, has Laken lLs mosL exaggeraLed form ln 20Lh cenLury
unlLed SLaLes. Pere, each lndlvldual ls seen as compleLely and marvelously unlque, LhaL
ls, LoLally dlfferenL from all oLher lndlvlduals and, Lherefore, parLlcularly preclous and
wonderful.

Amerlcans Lhlnk Lhey are more lndlvlduallsL ln Lhelr LhoughLs and acLlons Lhan, ln facL,
Lhey are. 1hey reslsL belng LhoughL of as represenLaLlves of a homogenous group,
whaLever Lhe group. 1hey may, and do, [oln groups-ln facL many groups-buL
somehow belleve Lhey're [usL a llLLle dlfferenL, [usL a llLLle unlque, [usL a llLLle speclal,
from oLher members of Lhe same group. And Lhey Lend Lo leave groups as easlly as Lhey
enLer Lhem.

rlvacy, Lhe ulLlmaLe resulL of lndlvlduallsm ls perhaps even more dlfflculL for Lhe
forelgner Lo comprehend. 1he word "prlvacy" does noL even exlsL ln many languages. lf
lL does, lL ls llkely Lo have a sLrongly negaLlve connoLaLlon, suggesLlng lonellness or
lsolaLlon from Lhe group. ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes, prlvacy ls noL only seen as a very poslLlve

1he values Amerlcans Llve 8y
L. 8oberL kohls, LxecuLlve ulrecLor
1he WashlngLon lnLernaLlonal CenLer age 3 of 11
condlLlon, buL lL ls also vlewed as a requlremenL LhaL all humans would flnd equally
necessary, deslrable and saLlsfylng. lL ls noL uncommon for Amerlcans Lo say-and
belleve-such sLaLemenLs as "lf l don'L have aL leasL half an hour a day Lo myself, l wlll
go sLark ravlng mad."

lndlvlduallsm, as lL exlsLs ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes, does mean LhaL you wlll flnd a much
greaLer varleLy of oplnlons (along wlLh Lhe absoluLe freedom Lo express Lhem anywhere
and anyLlme) here. ?eL, ln splLe of Lhls wlde range of personal oplnlon, almosL all
Amerlcans wlll ulLlmaLely voLe for one of Lhe Lwo ma[or pollLlcal parLles. 1haL ls whaL
was meanL by Lhe sLaLemenL made earller LhaL Amerlcans Lake prlde ln credlLlng
Lhemselves wlLh clalmlng more lndlvlduallsm Lhan, ln facL, Lhey really have.

6. SLLI-nLL CCN1kCL
ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes, a person can Lake credlL only for whaL he or she has accompllshed
by hlmself or herself. Amerlcans geL no credlL whaLsoever for havlng been born lnLo a
rlch famlly. (ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes, LhaL would be consldered "an accldenL of blrLh.")
Amerlcans prlde Lhemselves ln havlng been born poor and, Lhrough Lhelr own sacrlflce
and hard work, havlng cllmbed Lhe dlfflculL ladder of success Lo whaLever level Lhey
have achleved-all by Lhemselves. 1he Amerlcan soclal sysLem has, of course, made lL
posslble for Amerlcans Lo move, relaLlvely easlly, up Lhe soclal ladder.

1ake a look ln an Lngllsh-language dlcLlonary aL Lhe composlLe words LhaL have "self" as
a preflx. ln Lhe average desk dlcLlonary, Lhere wlll be more Lhan 100 such words, words
llke self-confldence, self-consclous, self-conLrol, self-crlLlclsm, self-decepLlon, self-
defeaLlng, self-denlal, self-dlsclpllne, self-esLeem, self-expresslon, self-lmporLance, self-
lmprovemenL, self-lnLeresL, self-rellance, self-respecL, self-resLralnL, self-sacrlflce-Lhe
llsL goes on and on. 1he equlvalenL of Lhese words cannoL be found ln mosL oLher
languages. 1he llsL ls perhaps Lhe besL lndlcaLlon of how serlously Amerlcans Lake dolng
Lhlngs for one's self. 1he "self-made man or women" ls sLlll very much Lhe ldeal ln 20Lh-
cenLury Amerlca.

7. CCML1I1ICN AND IkLL LN1LkkISL
Amerlcans belleve LhaL compeLlLlon brlngs ouL Lhe besL ln any lndlvldual. 1hey asserL
LhaL lL challenges or forces each person Lo produce Lhe very besL LhaL ls humanly
posslble. ConsequenLly, Lhe forelgn vlslLor wlll see compeLlLlon belng fosLered ln Lhe
Amerlcan home and ln Lhe Amerlcan classroom, even on Lhe youngesL age level. very
young chlldren, for lnsLance, are encouraged Lo answer quesLlons for whlch Lhelr
classmaLes do noL know Lhe answer.

?ou may flnd Lhe compeLlLlve value dlsagreeable, especlally lf you come from a socleLy
LhaL promoLes cooperaLlon raLher Lhan compeLlLlon. 8uL many u.S. eace Corps
volunLeers Leachlng ln 1hlrd World counLrles found Lhe lack of compeLlLlveness ln a
classroom slLuaLlon equally dlsLresslng. 1hey soon learned LhaL whaL Lhey LhoughL Lo be

1he values Amerlcans Llve 8y
L. 8oberL kohls, LxecuLlve ulrecLor
1he WashlngLon lnLernaLlonal CenLer age 6 of 11
one of Lhe unlversal human characLerlsLlcs represenLed only a pecullarly Amerlcan (or
WesLern) value.

Amerlcans, valulng compeLlLlon, have devlsed an economlc sysLem Lo go wlLh lL-free
enLerprlse. Amerlcans feel sLrongly LhaL a hlghly compeLlLlve economy wlll brlng ouL Lhe
besL ln lLs people and, ulLlmaLely, LhaL Lhe socleLy LhaL fosLers compeLlLlon wlll progress
mosL rapldly. lf you look for lL, you wlll see evldence ln all areas-even ln flelds as
dlverse as medlclne, Lhe arLs, educaLlon, and sporLs-LhaL free enLerprlse ls Lhe
approach mosL ofLen preferred ln Amerlca.

8. IU1UkL CkILN1A1ICN
valulng Lhe fuLure and Lhe lmprovemenLs Amerlcans are sure Lhe fuLure wlll brlng
means LhaL Lhey devalue LhaL pasL and are, Lo a large exLenL, unconsclous of Lhe
presenL. Lven a happy presenL goes largely unnoLlced because, happy as lL may be,
Amerlcans have LradlLlonally been hopeful LhaL Lhe fuLure would brlng even greaLer
happlness. AlmosL all energy ls dlrecLed Loward reallzlng LhaL beLLer fuLure. AL besL, Lhe
presenL condlLlon ls seen as preparaLory Lo a laLLer and greaLer evenL, whlch wlll
evenLually culmlnaLe ln someLhlng even more worLhwhlle.

Slnce Amerlcans have been LaughL (ln value 1) Lo belleve LhaL Man, and noL laLe, can
and should be Lhe one who conLrols Lhe envlronmenL, Lhls has made Lhem very good aL
plannlng and execuLlng shorL-Lerm pro[ecLs. 1hls ablllLy, ln Lurn, has caused Amerlcans
Lo be lnvlLed Lo all corners of Lhe earLh Lo plan and achleve Lhe mlracles LhaL Lhelr goal-
seLLlng can produce.

lf you come from a culLure such as Lhose ln Lhe LradlLlonal Moslem world, where Lalklng
abouL or acLlvely plannlng Lhe fuLure ls felL Lo be a fuLlle, even slnful, acLlvlLy, you wlll
have noL only phllosophlcal problems wlLh Lhls very Amerlcan characLerlsLlc buL rellglous
ob[ecLlons as well. ?eL lL ls someLhlng you wlll have Lo learn Lo llve wlLh, for all around
you Amerlcans wlll be looklng Loward Lhe fuLure and whaL lL wlll brlng.

9. AC1ICN]WCkk CkILN1A1ICN
"uon'L [usL sLand Lhere," goes a Lyplcal blL of Amerlcan advlce, "do someLhlng!" 1hls
expresslon ls normally used ln a crlsls slLuaLlon, yeL, ln a sense, lL descrlbes mosL
Amerlcan's enLlre waklng llfe, where acLlon-any acLlon-ls seen Lo be superlor Lo
lnacLlon.

Amerlcans rouLlnely plan and schedule an exLremely acLlve day. Any relaxaLlon musL be
llmlLed ln Llme, pre-planned, and almed aL "recreaLlng" Lhelr ablllLy Lo work harder and
more producLlvely once Lhe recreaLlon ls over. Amerlcans belleve lelsure acLlvlLles
should assume a relaLlvely small porLlon of one's LoLal llfe. eople Lhlnk LhaL lL ls "slnful"
Lo "wasLe one's Llme," "Lo slL around dolng noLhlng," or [usL Lo "daydream."


1he values Amerlcans Llve 8y
L. 8oberL kohls, LxecuLlve ulrecLor
1he WashlngLon lnLernaLlonal CenLer age 7 of 11
Such a "no nonsense" aLLlLude Loward llfe has creaLed many people who have come Lo
be known as "workahollcs," or people who are addlcLed Lo Lhelr work, who Lhlnk
consLanLly abouL Lhelr [obs and who are frusLraLed lf Lhey are kepL away from Lhem,
even durlng Lhelr evenlng hours and weekends.

1he workahollc syndrome, ln Lurn, causes Amerlcans Lo ldenLlfy Lhemselves wholly wlLh
Lhelr professlons. 1he flrsL quesLlon one Amerlcan wlll ask anoLher Amerlcan when
meeLlng for Lhe flrsL Llme ls relaLed Lo hls or her work: "Where do you work?" or "Who
(whaL company) are you wlLh?"

And when such a person flnally goes on vacaLlon, even Lhe vacaLlon wlll be carefully
planned, very busy and acLlve.

Amerlca may be one of Lhe few counLrles ln Lhe world where lL seems reasonable Lo
speak abouL Lhe "dlgnlLy of human labor," meanlng by LhaL, hard, physlcal labor. ln
Amerlca, even corporaLlon presldenLs wlll engage ln physlcal labor from Llme Lo Llme
and galn, raLher Lhan lose, respecL from oLhers for such acLlon.

10. INICkMALI1
lf you come from a more formal socleLy, you wlll llkely flnd Amerlcans Lo be exLremely
lnformal, and wlll probably feel LhaL Lhey are even dlsrespecLful of Lhose ln auLhorlLy.
Amerlcans are one of Lhe mosL lnformal and casual people ln Lhe world, even when
compared Lo Lhelr near relaLlve-Lhe WesLern Luropean.

As one example of Lhls lnformallLy, Amerlcan bosses ofLen urge Lhelr employees Lo call
Lhem by Lhelr flrsL names and even feel uncomforLable lf Lhey are called by Lhe LlLle
"Mr." or "Mrs."
xxx
uress ls anoLher area where Amerlcan lnformallLy wlll be mosL noLlceable, perhaps even
shocklng. Cne can go Lo a symphony performance, for example, ln any large Amerlcan
clLy nowadays and flnd some people ln Lhe audlence dressed ln blue [eans and Lleless,
shorL-sleeved shlrLs.

lnformallLy ls also apparenL ln Amerlcan's greeLlngs. 1he more formal "Pow are you?"
has largely been replaced wlLh an lnformal "Pl." 1hls ls as llkely Lo be used Lo one's
superlor as Lo one's besL frlend.

lf you are a hlghly placed offlclal ln your own counLry, you wlll probably, aL flrsL, flnd
such lnformallLy Lo be very unseLLllng. Amerlcan, on Lhe oLher hand, would conslder
such lnformallLy as a compllmenL! CerLalnly lL ls noL lnLended as an lnsulL and should noL
be Laken as such.
11. DIkLC1NLSS, CLNNLSS AND nCNLS1
Many oLher counLrles have developed subLle, someLlmes hlghly rlLuallsLlc, ways of

1he values Amerlcans Llve 8y
L. 8oberL kohls, LxecuLlve ulrecLor
1he WashlngLon lnLernaLlonal CenLer age 8 of 11
lnformlng oLher people of unpleasanL lnformaLlon. Amerlcans, however, have always
preferred Lhe flrsL approach. 1hey are llkely Lo be compleLely honesL ln dellverlng Lhelr
negaLlve evaluaLlons. lf you come from a socleLy LhaL uses Lhe lndlrecL manner of
conveylng bad news or uncompllmenLary evaluaLlons, you wlll be shocked aL Amerlcans'
blunLness.

lf you come from a counLry where savlng face ls lmporLanL, be assured LhaL Amerlcans
are noL Lrylng Lo make you lose face wlLh Lhelr dlrecLness. lL ls lmporLanL Lo reallze LhaL
an Amerlcan would noL, ln such case, lose face. 1he burden of ad[usLmenL, ln all cases
whlle you are ln Lhls counLry, wlll be on you. 1here ls no way Lo sofLen Lhe blow of such
dlrecLness and openness lf you are noL used Lo lL excepL Lo Lell you LhaL Lhe rules have
changed whlle you are here. lndeed, Amerlcans are Lrylng Lo urge Lhelr fellow
counLrymen Lo become even more open and dlrecL. 1he large number of "asserLlveness"
Lralnlng courses LhaL appeared ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes ln Lhe laLe 1970s reflecLs such a
commlLmenL.

Amerlcans conslder anyLhlng oLher Lhan Lhe mosL dlrecL and open approach Lo be
dlshonesL and lnslncere and wlll qulckly lose confldence ln and dlsLrusL anyone who
hlnLs aL whaL ls lnLended raLher Lhan saylng lL ouLrlghL.

Anyone who, ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes, chooses Lo use an lnLermedlary Lo dellver LhaL
message wlll also be consldered manlpulaLlve and unLrusLworLhy.

12. kAC1ICALI1 AND LIIICILNC
Amerlcans have a repuLaLlon of belng an exLremely reallsLlc, pracLlcal and efflclenL
people. 1he pracLlcal conslderaLlon ls llkely Lo be glven hlghesL prlorlLy ln maklng any
lmporLanL declslon ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes. Amerlcans prlde Lhemselves ln noL belng very
phllosophlcally or LheoreLlcally orlenLed. lf Amerlcans would even admlL Lo havlng a
phllosophy, lL would probably be LhaL of pragmaLlsm.

Wlll lL make any money? Wlll lL "pay lLs own way?" WhaL can l galn from Lhls acLlvlLy?
1hese are Lhe klnds of quesLlons LhaL Amerlcans are llkely Lo ask ln Lhelr pracLlcal
pursulL, noL such quesLlons as: ls lL aesLheLlcally pleaslng? Wlll lL be en[oyable? or Wlll lL
advance Lhe cause of knowledge?

1hls pracLlcal, pragmaLlc orlenLaLlon has caused Amerlcans Lo conLrlbuLe more
lnvenLlons Lo Lhe world Lhan any oLher counLry ln human hlsLory. 1he love of
"pracLlcallLy" has also caused Amerlcans Lo vlew some professlons more favorably Lhan
oLhers. ManagemenL and economlcs, for example, are much more popular ln Lhe unlLed
SLaLes Lhan phllosophy or anLhropology, law and medlclne more valued Lhan Lhe arLs.

AnoLher way ln whlch Lhls favorlng of Lhe pracLlcal makes lLself felL ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes,
ls a bellLLllng of "emoLlonal" and "sub[ecLlve" evaluaLlons ln favor of "raLlonal" and

1he values Amerlcans Llve 8y
L. 8oberL kohls, LxecuLlve ulrecLor
1he WashlngLon lnLernaLlonal CenLer age 9 of 11
"ob[ecLlve" assessmenLs. Amerlcans Lry Lo avold belng Loo senLlmenLal ln maklng Lhelr
declslons. 1hey [udge every slLuaLlon "on lLs merlLs." 1he popular Amerlcan "Lrall-and-
error" approach Lo problem solvlng also reflecLs Lhe pracLlcal. 1he approach suggesLs
llsLlng several posslble soluLlons Lo any glven problem, Lhen Lrylng Lhem ouL, one-by-
one, Lo see whlch ls mosL effecLlve.

13. MA1LkIALISM]ACUISI1IVLNLSS
lorelgners generally conslder Amerlcans much more maLerlallsLlc Lhan Amerlcans are
llkely Lo conslder Lhemselves. Amerlcans would llke Lo Lhlnk LhaL Lhelr maLerlal ob[ecLs
are [usL Lhe naLural beneflLs LhaL always resulL from hard work and serlous lnLenL-a
reward, Lhey Lhlnk, LhaL all people could en[oy were Lhey as lndusLrlous and hard-
worklng as Amerlcans.

8uL by any sLandard, Amerlcans are maLerlallsLlc. 1hls means LhaL Lhey value and collecL
more maLerlal ob[ecLs Lhan mosL people would ever dream of ownlng. lL also means
Lhey glve hlgher prlorlLy Lo obLalnlng, malnLalnlng and proLecLlng Lhelr maLerlal ob[ecLs
Lhan Lhey do ln developlng and en[oylng lnLerpersonal relaLlonshlps.

1he modern Amerlcan Lyplcally owns:
one or more color Lelevlslon seLs,
an elecLrlc halr dryer,
an elecLronlc calculaLor,
a Lape recorder and a record player,
a cloLhes-washer and dryer,
a vacuum cleaner,
a powered lawn mower (for cuLLlng grass),
a refrlgeraLor, a sLove, and a dlshwasher,
one or more auLomoblles,
and a Lelephone. Many also own a personal compuLer.

Slnce Amerlcans value newness and lnnovaLlon, Lhey sell or Lhrow away Lhelr
possesslons frequenLly and replace Lhem wlLh newer ones. A car may be kepL for only
Lwo or Lhree years, a house for flve or slx before Lradlng lL ln for anoLher one.











1he values Amerlcans Llve 8y
L. 8oberL kohls, LxecuLlve ulrecLor
1he WashlngLon lnLernaLlonal CenLer age 10 of 11


SUMMAk
now LhaL we have dlscussed each of Lhese 13 values separaLely, lf all Loo brlefly, leL us
look aL Lhem ln llsL form (on Lhe lefL) and Lhen conslder Lhem palred wlLh Lhe
counLerparL values from a more LradlLlonal counLry (on Lhe rlghL):

U.S. Va|ues Some Cther Countr|es' Va|ues
ersonal ConLrol over Lhe LnvlronmenL
Change
1lme & lLs ConLrol
LquallLy
lndlvlduallsm/rlvacy
Self-Pelp
CompeLlLlon
luLure CrlenLaLlon
AcLlon/Work CrlenLaLlon
lnformallLy
ulrecLness/Cpenness/PonesLy
racLlcallLy/Lfflclency MaLerlallsm/AcqulslLlveness
laLe
1radlLlon
Puman lnLeracLlon
Plerarchy/8ank/SLaLus
Croup's Welfare
8lrLhrlghL lnherlLance
CooperaLlon
asL CrlenLaLlon
"8elng" CrlenLaLlon
lormallLy
lndlrecLness/8lLual/"lace"
ldeallsm
SplrlLuallsm/ueLachmenL

ALICA1ICN
8efore leavlng Lhls dlscusslon of Lhe values Amerlcans llve by, conslder how
knowledge of Lhese values explalns many Lhlngs abouL Amerlcans.

Cne can, for example, see Amerlca's lmpresslve record of sclenLlflc and
Lechnologlcal achlevemenL as a naLural resulL of Lhese 13 values.

llrsL of all, lL was necessary Lo belleve (1) Lhese Lhlngs could be achleved, LhaL
Man does noL have Lo slmply slL and walL for laLe Lo besLow Lhem or noL Lo
besLow Lhem, and LhaL Man does have conLrol over hls own envlronmenL, lf he ls
wllllng Lo Lake lL. CLher values LhaL have conLrlbuLed Lo Lhls record of
achlevemenL lnclude (2) an expecLaLlon of poslLlve resulLs Lo come from change
(and Lhe accepLance of an ever-fasLer raLe of change as "normal"), (3) Lhe
necesslLy Lo schedule and plan ones' Llme, (6) Lhe self-help concepL, (7)
compeLlLlon, (8) fuLure orlenLaLlon, (9) acLlon work orlenLaLlon, (12) pracLlcallLy,
and (13) maLerlallsm.

?ou can do Lhe same sorL of exerclse as you conslder oLher aspecLs of Amerlcan
socleLy and analyze Lhem Lo see whlch of Lhe 13 values descrlbed here apply. 8y
uslng Lhls approach you wlll soon begln Lo undersLand Amerlcans and Lhelr

1he values Amerlcans Llve 8y
L. 8oberL kohls, LxecuLlve ulrecLor
1he WashlngLon lnLernaLlonal CenLer age 11 of 11
acLlons. And as you come Lo undersLand Lhem, Lhey wlll seem less "sLrange" Lhan
Lhey dld aL flrsL.