Unit11AmericanWayofLife:ASearchforCredibleGeneralizationsWhatarethereasonsforthechangingmarriagepatternintheUSA?WhatisitseffectonUSAwayoflife?Reasons:1)“nurturing-parent”familyThiskindoffamilyisdifferentfromthetraditionalpatriarchalfamily,thenewerkindoffamilyismoreegalitarian,inwhichparentsregardthemselvesmoreas“partner”andencouragetheirchildrentobecomeindependentbymakingthemselvestheirowndecisions.2)theintroductionof“no-fault”divorceSincethelate1970sandtheintroductionof“no-fault”divorcelawsthatarenownearlyuniversalinAmericanstates,thedivorceratehasbeenabout50%.Sincemostdivorcedpeopleremarryatsomepoint,manyfamiliesblendtogetherchildrenfromdifferentparents.Effects:theeffectoftheseshiftingmarriagepatternsistodiminishtheauthorityofparentsinrelationtotheirchildren.Manyyoungpeoplelistentotheirpeersmorethantotheirparents.Youthcultureflourishes,encouragedbyentertainmentindustriesthathavegrownuptocateryoungtastes:popmusic,textmessaging,keep-in-contactwebsiteslikeFacebookandTwitter.Asalongtermresult,traditionalvaluesdonottransmitreadilyfromonegenerationtothenext,reducingthechancesforanationalconsensusonpublicissues.WhatarethebasicdifferencesbetweenthethreereligionsofthewestandthespiritualpracticesintheEast,suchasBuddhismandDaoism?ThethreereligionsareJudaism,IslamandChristianity,whichsharesimilarmonotheisticheritages.Theirsharedcoreofbelieffocusesonasinglecreator-godwho,despitedifferentnamesineachcase,isseentohavemadeeverythingthatexists.ButspiritualpracticesmorecommoninChina,suchasBuddhismorDaoism,donotrelyonsuchabelief.Inthewestgenerally,thecreator-godisunderstoodasthegroundonwhichmoralityisbased.HencemanyAmericansmaywonderifsomeoneisnotamonotheistcanbetrulyconcernedwithmoralbehaviors.TheydonotreadilyunderstandthatConfuciantraditionisdeeplyconcernedwithmoralbehavior—approachedinanon-theologicalbutintenselysocialway.WhatdoesitreallymeantodescribetheUSAasanationofimmigrants?Itreferstoaprocessbywhichearlyimmigrantgroupsprivilegedtheirownkindwhilelookingdownonlaterar