Abstract

Individualism is the core value of American culture. Since the independence of the United States, it has always influenced and restricted the American people's thoughts and behaviors. It has permeated all fields, including politics, economy and culture. For a long time, the research of individualism both at home and abroad has never been stopped and keeps refreshing and expanding. Certainly, we can get different conclusions from different points of view to this topic. After reading a large number of books and essays related to this topic, we can know that the research made by foreign experts and scholars mainly focuses on the historical evolution process of individualism. In addition, the impact of individualism on the formation of democracy and the whole society is also clear. Domestic scholars mostly focus on exploring the different attitudes toward individualism in western society and China, learning the positive influence of it. In fact, individualism is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it advocates people to respect personal privacy and freedom. To this extent, it promotes the development of democracy, freedom and makes social progress. However, on the other hand, it brings more crimes and makes divorce rate rise. The lusts of people increase with the expansion of individualism. People begin to over-emphasize the fulfillment of their value and ignore public obligation. Their feeling of social responsibility also abates gradually. This goes against with the social progress. We call this extreme individualism. Therefore, exploring the derivation and evolution of individualism has important theoretical and practical significance.
This essay will be divided into three parts to have a research to this topic. First of all, the origin and essence of individualism will be pointed out. Second, I will focus on the characteristics and performance forms of individualism in the process of its evolution in American history. The chapter 6 is about the role religious culture plays in the process of individualism’s formation and evolution.

Key words: individualism, origin, performance, characteristics, religious culture.

摘        要

个人主义是美国文化的核心价值观，自美国独立以来，它一直影响和制约着美国人的思想和行为，并且已经渗透到了包括政治、经济、文化等所有领域。长久以来，国内外对个人主义的研究从未中断过，并不断有着新的拓展。当然，对此话题的研究，从不同的角度出发就会得到不同的结论。通过阅读大量与此相关的文献资料可以得知，国外专家学者对此课题的研究主要侧重于个人主义的历史演变过程，以及其对民主制度的形成进而对整个社会的发展所起到的积极作用。而国内学者大多侧重于探究西方社会所崇尚的个人主义与中国社会所鄙夷的个人主义两者之间的差别，从中学习借鉴西方个人主义的积极作用。事实上，个人主义是一把双刃剑。一方面，个人主义提倡人们尊重个人隐私及自由，这就推动了民主与自由的发展，促进了社会进步。但是，另一方面，当个人主义膨胀时，人们的私欲也在逐渐增强，由于过分强调自我价值的实现，而忽略了应承担的公共义务，社会责任感也就逐渐减弱，如此便不利于社会的进步，这也就是所谓的极端个人主义。因此，探究个人主义的衍生及嬗变具有极其重要的理论和实践意义。
本论文将分成三个部分对此话题进行研究，首先是弄清个人主义的起源及其本质内容，其次是在美国历史上，个人主义演变的过程当中，它具体的表现为哪些特征，在每个时代有哪些表现形式，最后是宗教文化对个人主义在形成以及演变的过程中扮演的作用及其对它的影响。

关键词：个人主义 起源 表现 特征 宗教文化