Periodical Title
Modern Psychological Studies
Number
1
Department
Dept. of Psychology
Publisher
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Place of Publication
Chattanooga (Tenn.)
Abstract
The American Dream has functioned as an idealized view of success in the United States since its conception in the 1930s. As generations pass, questions of plausibility and definition surround the American Dream. Over the course of 20 semi-structured interviews composed of open-ended questions, participants were asked how they defined the American Dream and how plausible they felt achieving the American Dream was for them. The participants were then compared across age differences. Across participants, six clear themes were most often associated with the American Dream: hard work, freedom, social mobility, material gain, family connection, and individuality. Older participants had a richer and more clear definition of the American Dream while younger generations expressed more skepticism toward the concept.
Keyword
America; American Dream; definition; interview; family history; generations
Document Type
article
DCMI Type
Text
Language
English
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Recommended Citation
Riggio, Clara R.(2021)"Defining the American Dream: A Generational Comparison,"Modern Psychological Studies: Vol. 27:No.1, Article 1.
Available at:https://scholar.utc.edu/mps/vol27/iss1/1
