Top Three American Values: A Survey

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The top three values identified by the participants I interviewed tended to vary. The participant’s age may have been an influencing factor in determining what top three American traits participants perceived as important. The first participant reported his top value as freedom. This was in line with my top value. The second participant reported her top value as family. This may be attributed to her age and the likelihood that she has a family. The third participant identified his top value as peace. This was the oldest participant in the study (41 years old). Therefore, his previous life experience may have influenced his choice. Although my own personal top value was different from two of the three participants I interviewed, I can understand how these participants could have chosen these values. However, I still maintain that freedom should be the number one value reported by Americans, as it helps to characterize the country’s values. The next value I choose was intellect. I believe intellect is an essential attribute to becoming a successful individual. Furthermore, intellect helps individuals to adhere to different situations. From this standpoint, individuals with a stronger intellect can often find commonalities with other individuals in different situations. The second participant I interviewed believed that accomplishments was the next important variable. On some level, her thinking may be in line with mine. Yet I still argue that intellect is an essential element in obtaining accomplishments. The first participants believed that being ambitious was the second most important American value. I can understand his perspective as it takes ambition in order to succeed. I further believe that his answer may be influenced by his age. At the age of 18, many individuals feel ambitious about their futures. The third participant reported his second most important value as being family. Even though his perspective is different from mine, this could in part be attributed to different life stages. The third important American value that I identified was responsibility. As an individual, I believe it is crucial that people take responsibility for their actions and their futures. However, the participants I interviewed provided an array of different answers that conflicted from mine. The first participant reported his third most important value as accomplishments. I can understand how he chose this value as many individuals within similar age brackets place an importance on their future accomplishments. Despite his choice, I disagree with his answer, as I believe there are more important values that could have been chosen.

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