Abstract：Individualism lies at the very core of American culture and values. However, American individualism has very profound and complex nature rooted from several cultural traditions, and takes on different meanings in various contexts. The paper examines four cultural traditions in early American history——biblical strand, republican strand, utilitarian and expressive individualism, and then introduces their representative individuals——John Winthrop, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and Walt Whitman. As the result of the interaction and competition of these four traditions, American individualism shows both “individualistic” and “collectivistic” modes, and they work together to shape the rich national character. The study shows that a dynamic and interactive perspective on American individualism also leads to some enlightenment on current studies of Chinese values.
王一安 陈许. 个人主义价值观中的“集体精神”传统：美国早期文化思潮探究及其启示[J]. 浙江工商大学学报, 2016, (1): 21-28.
WANG Yian CHEN Xu. The “Collective Spirit” Tradition in American Individualistic Value: An ExploratoryStudy on Early American Cultural Thoughts and Its Enlightenment. Journal of Zhejing Gongshang University, 2016, (1): 21-28.
2016, Vol. 
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