4.2g Values

Values are the beliefs and ideals a social group holds and uses to guide and justify action. Values shape norms and help social groups decide whether an action or attitude is classified as good, bad, or neutral and how they should react. Values, actions, and attitudes can be contradictory. Moreover, groups use values to justify positive or negative treatment of other groups.

U.S. Values

U.S. values elevate money, religion, and patriotism (Newport, 2023). People who uphold these values can gain social status. For instance, presidential candidates are often evaluated based on their stance on wealth accumulation, religiosity (Christianity), and patriotism.

Different values can be contradictory. For instance, U.S. culture upholds thinness as the ideal body type. However, not everyone is naturally thin; many people influenced by this cultural value sacrifice their health to achieve thinness. Research has found that internalizing the thin-ideal increases the risk of developing disordered eating (Schaefer et al., 2019). About 9% of people in the United States will have an eating disorder (anorexia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, bulimia nervosa) or present many of the symptoms of an eating disorder even if they do not meet the full criteria for a diagnosis during their lifetime (Deloitte Access Economics, 2020).

Photo 4.10

The Thin-Ideal is Associated with Developing Disordered Eating