Full Description
Rugged Individualism and the Misunderstanding of American Inequality explores and critiques the widespread perception in the United States that one's success or failure in life is largely the result of personal choices and individual characteristics. As the authors show, the distinctively individualist ideology of American politics and culture shapes attitudes toward poverty and economic inequality in profound ways, fostering social policies that de-emphasize structural remedies. Drawing on a variety of unique methodologies, the book synthesizes data from large-scale surveys of the American population, and it features both conversations with academic experts and interviews with American citizens intimately familiar with the consequences of economic disadvantage. This mixture of approaches gives readers a fuller understanding of "skeptical altruism," a concept the authors use to describe the American public's hesitancy to adopt a more robust and structurally-oriented approach to solving the persistent problem of economic disadvantage.
Contents
Chapter 1The Problem with American Individualism
PART I: Social Science Perspectives
Chapter 2The American Inequality Palette
Chapter 3Social Psychological Functions of Inequality Beliefs
Chapter 4In Conversation
PART II: Individualism on the Ground
Chapter 5Cleaning the Ivory Tower
Chapter 6Paved with Good Intentions
PART III: The Big Picture
Chapter 7Inequality Beliefs and Social Justice
Afterword
References
Index
About the Authors
