ACTION/WORK ORIENTATION

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 1103.

FUTURE ORIENTATION

An old adage holds that Americans are not especially interested in history because they have so little of it. While that is somewhat of an overstatement, it does point out that in the United States what lies ahead usually takes precedence over the past. What is going to happen holds the greatest attraction because, it seems, whatever we are doing is not quite as good as what we could otherwise be doing or will be doing in the future. Change, taking chances, a stress on youth, and optimism are all hallmarks of U.S. culture and reflect the value placed on the future. As a people, Americans are constantly thinking about what is coming. Very young children even play with the toys (dolls, cars, guns, and so on) that rush them toward, and prepare them for, adulthood. What you want, you want now, so you can dispose of this moment and move on to the next. In the classroom, U.S. students longingly watch the clock as it counts the minutes to the end of class - and cues them to move on to another class or activity.

Adler and Gunderson aptly capture the U.S. forward-looking focus when they observe, “Future-oriented cultures justify innovation and change mostly in terms of future economic benefits” [28].

The value associated with work is so important in the United States that people meeting for the first time frequently ask each other, “What do you do?” or “Where do you work?” Embedded in this simple query is the belief that working (doing something) is important. For most Americans, work represents a cluster of moral and affective conditions of great attractiveness, and voluntary idleness is often seen as a severely threatening and damaging social condition. Unlike cultures where physical labor is considered the providence of the less privileged, Americans place considerable value on the “dignity of human labor.” This value can be seen in the activities of U.S. presidents - Reagan chopped wood, G.W. Bush cleared brush, and President Obama has spent time helping Habitat for Humanity construct homes for the less fortunate. A major reward for this hard work, and an important aspect of life in the United States, is time away from the job. For Americans, leisure time is something they have earned. It is relief from the demands and stress of work. This emphasis on recreation and relaxation takes a wide variety of forms. Each weekend people rush to get away in their RVs, play golf or tennis, go skiing, ride their mountain bikes, go to the beach, or “unwind” at a gambling casino, a racetrack, or a movie. Vacations are usually spent “doing” something. Americans commonly relax by engaging in some form of activity. However, leisure time is generally seen as an opportunity to “refresh,” so one can return to work with rededicated enthusiasm.