American Character and the Clash of Ideologies

From a small group of devout Puritan settlers, the USA ultimately became the richest, most powerful Empire in the history of the world. Yet it is now in a process of implosion and decay. Lauren Langman offers a historical, cultural and characterological analysis of American national character and its underlying psychodynamics. Cultural legacies from the colonial era contribute to today’s political polarization.

Lauren Langman is Professor of Sociology at Loyola University of Chicago. He is author of “God, Guns, Gold and Glory: American Character and its Discontents.”