In modern American society, people are expected to follow certain unspoken social rules – social norms. In Acting Out Culture's "How We Believe," several authors take their audience through different sections of social norms to explain where these social rules and norms come from and how they fit into everyday culture. In Bright-Sided, Barbara Ehrenreich explains America's optimism in the face of hardship not only from an observer's perspective, but also from the perspective of several psychologists. This theme then plays out in Two Cheers for Materialism by James Twitchell. Twitchell explains materialism from an optimistic but academic perspective while arguing that materialism is actually beneficial to modern culture. Materialism and optimism are two major elements of normal American culture. And in “How We Believe,” they are used to further support and explain the social norms of American society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay American society prides itself on being strong and standing out from the rest. Part of what makes American society what it is may be its positive attitude. Once an American is knocked down, he gets back up, dusts off his boots and returns the favor. In the introduction to Bright Sided, Ehrenreich accurately describes American culture as naively optimistic. For example, during the summer of 2001, America received widespread warning and received blatant indications that there might be a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. However, the FBI, INS, President Bush, and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice all ignored these warnings. They believed that such a powerful and important country with a strong economy would not be the target of such a horrific terrorist attack. They were all later accused of “lack of imagination,” as Karen Cerulo writes in her book Never Saw It Coming: Cultural Challenges to Envisioning the Worst. However, after the 9/11 terrorist attack, America came together as a nation and supported each other. The American people were united and one family. After this incident, the American company took everything with a grain of salt while keeping a smile. It is and always has been in American culture to keep a positive attitude despite difficulties and in everyday life. Barbara Ehrenreich writes in Bright-Sided that "Americans are a 'positive' people." It is the nature of Americans to dust off their boots when they have been knocked down and move on. According to psychologists, having a positive mindset about ourselves and the world around us can increase the longevity and quality of our lives. People are strongly influenced by their environments, so this conclusion makes perfect sense. But at the same time, a large number of Americans feel exactly the opposite. Scientists conducted a study of happiness in different nations and found that many Americans are actually clinically depressed. According to these scientists, “Americans represent two-thirds of the global antidepressant market.” These statistics then beg the question: If so many Americans suffer from clinical depression, why does America have a reputation for being so resilient? According to Ehrenreich, this reputation is supported by our “ideology.” Americans have a positive mindset about moving forward, which is why America is one of the most prosperous and resilient nations in the world. This ideology »..