An Aberration or a Logical Outcome of the American Ideology Assignment

An Aberration or a Logical Outcome of the American Ideology - Assignment Example   Kramer insists that the increasing numbers of American couples opting to separate rather than stay together are the direct fallout of the value system and lifestyle that America collectively espouses. Kramer’s basic contention is that the contemporary emphasis on the autonomy of the individual as the foundation of a good relationship is what causes more frequent breakups. This emphasis may be in the form of the psychiatrist’s advice to the couple to stand their own ground in an argument; or may be reflected in classic American literature like Thoreau’s ‘self-help book’ Walden, which celebrates the individual spirit; or in the economic ideal of Capitalism that America proudly ‘exports’; and other such ideas fundamental to the American way of life. Despite the changed contexts and newer developments since the publication of Kramer’s article, it remains a text that is still valid and instructive in analyzing a pervasive social ph enomenon visible in the United States even today. Even though fifteen years have passed since it was first published, Kramer’s arguments still stand up to scrutiny. A recent article on CNBC reveals how because of the growing acceptance and maturing of the ‘two-income family model’, divorce rates have actually been falling over the last decade in America. It reveals how in the 1970s initially, there was a sudden surge in divorce rates with more and more women joining the workforce and divorce laws.