Future Outlook
Americans value progress and future. Not much value is placed on the past. Even if they are happy right now, Americans are hopeful that the future would be better. A lot of energy is focuses on a better future. Americans are always planning for the future and setting goals.
People from some other cultures can not understand it. This is especially true of countries with very old traditions. These people are focused on keeping their traditions. Other people have a problem with the future orientation for other reasons. They think it is useless to plan for the future. They believe that their future is controlled by fate.
Action /work.
American say, “don’t just stand there, do something!” for most Americans action is better than inaction. They usually plan an active day. Even relaxation is preplanned. The main reason to relax is so that you can work harder after relaxing. Even when they go o n vacation, activities are carefully planned. People think that it is harmful to “sit around doing nothing”, or “just daydream.”
The action/work orientation has created “workaholics”. Workaholics are people who are addicted to their work. They always think about their jobs and are frustrated if they can’t work.
People from other cultures value relaxing and personal interaction more. They can not understand why Americans think the work is so important. They see the value in just “being” without “working”.
Informality.
Some one who comes from another culture will find Americans very informal. They might think Americans are not respectful. Americans are very casual. For example, Americans bosses often ask their employees to call them by their first name. Some bosses feel uneasy if they are called “Mr. White” or “Mr. Jones”. They like to be called “Donald” or “Kim”.
An important official from another country will probably find this informality upsetting. On the other hand, an American considers informality a compliment. It shows that people are trying to friendly. It is not meant to be an insult.
Directness.
For many cultures it is impolite to say something directly. This is especially true if the information is unpleasant. Americans prefer to be honest. They say things directly. They think that people who are not direct are trying to hide something. They believe indirect people might not be honest. They may distrust anyone who gives hints about something rather than saying it directly.
Some people are shocked by American’s directness. Someone who comes from a country where indirectness is a norm will not be comfortable with Americans.
Practicality.
Americans are usually practical. They believe everything should be useful. The question How useful is this? is important in every decision. Americans are very proud that they are not very idealistic or romantic.
Will it make any money? Will it “pay its own way”? What can I get from this? These are the kinds of questions that Americans ask. They don’t usually ask questions like: Does it look nice? Will it be enjoyable? Will it increase my knowledge?
The love of “practicality” has also caused Americans t see some jobs as better than others. Studying business is much more popular in the United States than philosophy. Law and medicine are more valued than the arts.