Frontier Culture: The Roots and Persistence of “Rugged Individualism” in the United States

Bazzi, Samuel; Fiszbein, Martín; Gebresilasse, Mesay

doi:10.3982/ecta16484

Cited by 174 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Stereotypes that men should be able to repair their cars or fix things that break around the house are, in part, consistent with hegemonic masculinity (Levant & Richmond, 2016). Controlling for the TMI general factor, the remaining variation may simply reflect rugged individualism or the protestant work ethic—two common Western philosophies (Bazzi et al, 2020; Kalemci & Tuzun, 2019). Conservative political candidates often try to emphasize these qualities in advertisements (e.g., working on a car, coming in from working on the farm).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The politics of men’s and women’s traditional masculinity ideology in the United States.

McDermott¹,

Brasil²,

Borgogna³

et al. 2021

Psychology of Men & Masculinities

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Little is known about how men's and women's traditional masculinity ideology (TMI; patriarchal beliefs about the norms for men's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors) relates to political ideology in the United States. The present study used bifactor modeling to examine the relative contributions of seven norms of TMI, as measured by the Male Role Norms Inventory-Short Form (MRNI-SF), as predictors of conservative political ideology (CPI). Structural equation modeling in a sample of 1,136 U.S. participants (78% women) revealed that a general factor representing the shared variance among avoidance of femininity, toughness, restrictive emotionality, and importance of sex norms of TMI was positively associated with CPI. Of the two TMI norms that were relatively independent of the TMI general factor (i.e., self-reliance through mechanical skills and negativity toward sexual minorities), only the negativity toward sexual minorities norm predicted variation in CPI above and beyond the TMI general factor. The model explained 51% of the variation in CPI for men and 33% for women. Measurement and structural invariance analyses revealed that there were no significant differences between men and women in the meaning of TMI or CPI or the strength of the relationships between these variables. Consistent with prior research, men scored significantly higher than women on TMI items. Men and women reported an equal level of CPI. These results suggest that men's and women's CPI may share common variance with two core aspects of TMI: antifemininity and negative attitudes toward sexual minorities. Public Significance StatementPolitical ideology is an important aspect of American life. Several scholars have speculated that conservative political ideology (CPI) may be aligned with traditional masculinity ideology (TMI), but few researchers have tested this assertion. Our results suggest that some men's and women's TMI and CPI may be explained via a confluence of antifemininity and antisexual minority beliefs. Additionally, men and women appear to be more similar than different with respect to the links between TMI and CPI.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The politics of men’s and women’s traditional masculinity ideology in the United States.

McDermott¹,

Brasil²,

Borgogna³

et al. 2021

Psychology of Men & Masculinities

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Rugged individualism, as part of farming culture, originated from settlers who migrated west across the frontier during the westward expansion of the United States (Bazzi et al, 2020). These farmers and settlers had to rely on themselves to make the treacherous journey west and then set down roots to farm the land in order to survive and provide for their families.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I’ve given up”: Biopsychosocial factors preceding farmer suicide in Wisconsin.

Kohlbeck¹,

Quinn²,

deRoon‐Cassini³

et al. 2023

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

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Recent studies have suggested that individuals working in certain occupations may be at increased risk for suicide. While occupation is an individual-level factor, one's work is situated in organizations, communities, and societies that are impacted by policies and systems. Analysis of existing data has identified that farmers are among those with elevated rates of suicide. This qualitative study reports themes that capture the experience of farmers prior to their death by suicide in Wisconsin. This retrospective qualitative study analyzed data from the Wisconsin Violent Death Reporting System. Data on farmer suicides that occurred in Wisconsin between 2004 and 2018 were accessed. Qualitative analyses followed an inductive thematic analysis approach. All study activities were approved by the institutional review board at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Between 2004 and 2018, 190 farmers died by suicide in Wisconsin. Five themes were identified in the qualitative analysis: "rugged individualism" clashes with a need to rely on others, interpersonal loss causes intense emotional pain and suffering, financial stress and strain overwhelm Wisconsin farmers, farmers are providers for families and communities, and alcohol and firearms are a lethal combination. Farmers who died by suicide in Wisconsin were facing significant stressors at the

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“…Cultural institutions may influence pandemic policy. Bazzi et al (2021) find that one feature of the United States is that the experience with settling the frontier had an important long-run impact on political culture, influencing how much of a role the people want for their government. This culture of individualism could reduce support for coercive policies, as people do not want government in their lives.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pandemics, economic freedom, and institutional trade-offs

Geloso

2021

Eur J Law Econ

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We argue that institutions are bundles that involve trade-offs in the government's ability to provide public goods that affect public health. We hypothesize that the institutions underlying economic freedom affect the mix of diseases by reducing diseases of poverty relative to diseases of commerce (those associated with free movement of people, such as smallpox or COVID-19). We focus on smallpox and typhoid fever in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century in order to build on recent work that make arguments similar to ours, especially the framework Werner Troesken sets forth in The Pox of Liberty. Our evidence shows that economic freedom, in multiple periods of time and settings prior to the eradication of smallpox in the second half of the twentieth century, reduced typhoid mortality but had no effect on smallpox deaths. The implication for COVID-19 is that the trade-off between fighting the pandemic and preserving economic freedom may not be too severe in the short run. However, in the long run, the wealth benefits from economic freedom are likely to be crucial in reducing vulnerability to diseases of commerce primarily from their impact on comorbidities (such as diabetes and heart disease). Thus, economic freedom is on balance good for public health, which suggests that it, while requiring trade-offs, might be the best institutional bundle for dealing with pandemics.

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Frontier Culture: The Roots and Persistence of “Rugged Individualism” in the United States

Cited by 174 publications

References 61 publications

The politics of men’s and women’s traditional masculinity ideology in the United States.

The politics of men’s and women’s traditional masculinity ideology in the United States.

“I’ve given up”: Biopsychosocial factors preceding farmer suicide in Wisconsin.

Pandemics, economic freedom, and institutional trade-offs

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