American Individualism & Social Commitment In H

In Habits of the Heart, Bellah et. al. perform an interdisciplinary study of American cultural traditions and beliefs to conclude that modern American individuals constantly struggles with contradictory beliefs about individualism and social commitment. They contend that these contradictions are based on moral foundations that have been shaken by social norms that have evolved to become more inclusive of a diverse society while simultaneously trying to maintain some core belief that links that entire society together.

Bellah et. al. maintain that American cultural traditions define personality, achievement and the purpose of human life in ways that leave the individual isolated (1996, p. 6). The collective data for their analysis are numerous interviews conducted with Americans from various walks of life. They analyze the content of these interviews through an interdisciplinary reading of sources of information about American culture and tradition, including philosophers such as Tocqueville and Emerson, fictional characters from film, television and literature, sociological child development studies, and a variety of other sources. They use these sources to examine and explicate the interview responses and to arrive at a theory of what may be necessary for a truly successful American individualism.

Reading into businessman Brian PalmerÆs responses in his interview, the authors argue that Brian refers to his changing person

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hose who take on the dirty work of society, but who cannot fully be part of society because they cannot serve society and be a part of it at the same time (Bellah et. al., 1996, p. 146). This heroic selflessness and quest for moral excellence does not result in moral redemption for the hero. Rather, he has seen too much and has become too acquainted with the dark corners of the heart. But the authors find a happy ending for an isolated hero in the figure of Abraham Lincoln. Increasingly isolated during the war, Lincoln was able to reinsert himself into society by identifying himself with the death and rebirth of the nation that symbolically occurred during the Civil War. The authors argue that it was LincolnÆs deep biblical understanding of the Civil War that allowed him to perform the individualistic actions that created a new community. The question for the authors then becomes larger than whether an individualism based on the self as the man form of reality can sustain itself (Bellah et. al., 1996, p. 143). Rather, they question whether this type of American individualism can ever provide a satisfying public or private life for people who practice it. In particular, they contend that AmericansÆ public activities, based
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Approximate Word count = 1430
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)