Margaret Mead 's Analysis of Success
"For many Americans, the concept of success is a source of confusion." This is the opening line to Margaret Mead 's views of success from The Egalitarian Error. Margaret Mead was a very interesting woman who had a degree in anthropology, which was controversial for a woman to have at the time. She was very popular as well as criticized for her insights of anthropology in modern American and Western culture. She focused her research mostly on personality, problems with child rearing, generation gap, and culture. Margaret Mead 's view of success reflects the truth of what people really feel although the truth is not something people want to believe.
Mead begins by saying that, as American 's, we are taught to admire and celebrate those who succeed. This is certainly true in life. All of those who succeed are held to a higher standard than most other people. This appreciation in success is deeply rooted in the great American dream. The American dream is what makes up America since the beginning of independence. Many people flocked to the United States because the pull and appeal of freedom and the American dream. In reality, many were faced with horrible working conditions and poverty, such as in The
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In contrast to the above statement, Margaret Mead also reveals the truth about what people really feel about success. Yes, we are raised to admire those who succeed in Hollywood and other places, but do we really rejoice in everyone 's success? Margaret Mead thinks we don 't, and she is absolutely right. She says that "we tend to regard the success of people close at hand, within our own small group, as a threat." From experience, this statement proves very true. We are taught to appreciate people far apart from ourselves success, but when it comes to those around us, we are constantly in a battle to prove ourselves better than them. What better feeling than to be the smartest out of the