Work, American Dream, Society and Psychological Perspectives Essay

Work, American Dream, Society and Psychological Perspectives - Essay Example n American society in relation to how work, American dream/myth, society and psychological perspectives affect each other with reference to social status, race, and illegal immigrants in America pursuing the American Dream. It is also essential to realize how it plays part in the economical aspect of the nation. Therefore, this paper undertakes a cause-and-effect analysis of work, American dream, society and psychological perspectives with regard to today's economy and society in general. One of the fundamental aspects of this analysis is a clear understanding of the term the American Dream and it was James Truslow Adams who coined the term in his celebrated book The Epic of America. According to him, the American Dream is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position." (Adams, 404) Therefore, the original definition of the term had a wider meaning and it has acquired different types of meaning to different classe s of society today. The original meaning of the term referred to the opportunity to accomplish greater material prosperity than what was possible in other nations. It was also realized by groups of immigrants as the opening for their children to mature, obtain education and career opportunities.... This essay focuses on analyzing the meaning of the concept ‘the American Dream’ that has been the result of a long process of evolvement over the course of American history. The researcher mentiones that even today there have been multiple opinions on the validity of the concept. One of the most pertaining debates that were analyzed in the essa concerning the topic has been whether the concept of the American Dream is myth or a reality. The researcher states that it is essential to realize that the American Dream has often been correlated with immigration and the dream of prosperity and freedom has, for several decades, been attracting numerous immigrants from all over the world to the US. In conclusion, the researcher of this essay suggests a cause-and-effect analysis of the American Dream that drives one to comprehend the essential issues related with work, immigration, social status, and race. In the modern American situation, where the hope of rising living standards for each generation of workers has given way to a low-wage economy and where people have little trust in the promises of the American Dream, the issues of work, immigration, social disparity, and economic worries become easily comprehensible. In short, the researcher provides his opinion on the topic and states that the American Dream, which attracted millions of immigrants to the US for several decades, is being eroded and the American society as well as economy has enormously been influenced by the causes and effects of the American Dream.