Awards in the American culture are omnipresent, ubiquitous – everywhere. A critical, and self-critical, discussion has begun. It is small, but growing. Many in the U.S. believe that there is too much praised given, often when not earned, often inflated.
The fear is that generations of Americans are being raised with unrealistic expectations, with an inaccurate estimation of themselves, of their abilities. The danger is that these generations will become frustrated, angry, or even worse, not willing to work as hard as is needed in order to succeed.
A growing number of Americans are no longer willing to call things great, super, fantastic, awesome, or amazing. They do not believe that schools systems should give grades higher than what is statistically possible, such as higher than a 4.0, which is equivalent to an A or a 1.0.
According to Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson, authors of the book Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage, American culture is solidarity-based – which means that it is based on creating a sense of equality and belonging. It is because of this that Americans seek to find a way to compliment each other for very basic things – to form bonds and a sense of belonging.
Additionally, in 1981, Nessa Wolfson published a study on the use of compliments in various cultures, and her assessment of American complimenting culture, where compliments are “as cheap as chips,” was that “the most striking feature of compliments in American English is their total lack of originality.”
Wolfson wrote that 23% of American compliments include the word “nice,” 20% include “good,” and 54% follow the pattern: “noun/phrase is/looks (really) adjective.”
Americans value public recognition. To be recognized in the presence of peers, customers, friends, family brings real satisfaction. And it takes place on a daily basis in the U.S.
In schools, at the worksplace, in sports, politics and business. Americans track the ups, the downs, who’s winning, who’s losing. The more quantifiable, the better. Statistics. Rankings. Percentages.
It can be comical. It can be inflationary. In some cases, it has become a bit absurd. But it speaks to both the importance and the form of feedback in American society. Americans are motivated by recognition, given in public.
Acknowledgement: recognition or favorable notice of an act or achievement.
Encouragement: the expression of approval or admiration for someone or something; the expression of respect and gratitude. From Old French preisier ‘to prize, praise,” from Latin pretium ‘price.’
Positive thinking: The act of thinking good or affirmative thoughts. Many people engage in structured positive thinking to rid themselves of depressing, unhealthy, negative thoughts. It’s based on the idea that the mind can affect the body. It is a way of enhancing health without the use of drugs.
There are 27,978 book search results under the search term “positive thinking” on Amazon.com, including “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey, and “The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, & Miracles” by Bruce H. Lipton.
Napoleon Hill (1883-1970) – one of the first writers of personal success literature, the author of “Think and Grow Rich” (1937, 20 million copies sold), and an advisor to President Franklin Roosevelt – once said:
“Your mind has a secret invisible talisman. On one side is emblazoned the letters PMA – positive mental attitude and on the other the letters NMA – negative mental attitude. A positive attitude will naturally attract the good and the beautiful. The negative attitude will rob you of all that makes life worth living. Your success, health, happiness, and wealth depend on how you make up your mind.”
Motivation: The reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way; the general desire or willingness of someone to do something.
There are 32,346 book results under “motivation” on Amazon.com. Popular titles include “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” by Daniel H. Pink, “100 Ways to Motivate Yourself, Change Your Life Forever” by Steve Chandler and “Creating the Perfect Lifestyle – Success, Achievement, Motivation, Oprah Winfrey and Tony Robbins” by Oli Hille.