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Nikole McGee

Mrs. Stanford

LIT 237

26 April 2018

Youth of the American Dream

Carver, Charles S. and Eryn Baird. "The American Dream Revisited: Is It What You Want or

Why You Want It That Matters?." Psychological Science (0956-7976), vol. 9, no. 4, July

1998, p. 289. EBSCOhost, starkstate.idm.oclc.org/login?

url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=a9h&AN=892716&site=ehost-live.

The article The American Dream Revisited: Is It What You Want or Why You Want It That

Matters? outlines what the American dream is and what its importance is to the individual. The

American dream is one of financial success, to work from the bottom to get to the top, but

sometimes it can be difficult to understand the significance and appeal of this dream. Charles

Carver disusses how financial success and community involvement relates to self-actualization

on a psychological level. This analysis of the American dream is meant to oppose the findings of

T. Kasser and R.M. Ryan, who drew conclusions regarding the definition of the American dream,

defining what types of financial and occupational statuses fulfill the dream. This source will be

useful to support my argument, that the American dream is recognizably realistic in youth but

less realistic in adulthood, because it accurately describes the American dream and analyzes how

it affects the common individual.

David, Patty, et al. "Generation X and Its Evolving Experience with the American Dream."

Generations, vol. 4, no. 3, Fall2017, pp. 77-83. EBSCOhost,

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starkstate.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=a9h&AN=125985348&site=ehost-live.

The article Generation X and Its Evolving Experience with the American Dream discusses how

social constructs change and evolve over time as the American dream changes and evolves with

them. This idea of the American dream also changes within the minds of individuals as they

transition from childhood to adulthood, this article discusses in depth how Generation X

(generation between 1960 and 1980) experiences the American dream in this way. In contrast to

other generations, Generation X has proven to be more resilient than others, making it easier for

them to recognize disillusionment within the idea of the American dream. Though I will be

discussing the Silent Generation (1920s) I will be able to use this source to compare different

versions of the American Dream, how it has changed over time, and whether or not the dream is

realistic. This source also supports my claim that the American dream becomes less realistic after

one is faced with the hardships of adulthood.

Monk, Craig. "The Political F. Scott Fitzgerald: Liberal Illusion and Disillusion in `This Side of

Paradise'.." American Studies International, vol. 33, no. 2, Oct. 1995, p. 60. EBSCOhost,

starkstate.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9512143538&site=ehost-live.

The article titled The Political F. Scott Fitzgerald: Liberal Illusion and Disillusion in `This Side

of Paradise', is an impeccable analysis of F. Scott Fitzgerald through his literary classic “This

Side of Paradise”. Fitzgerald’s writing is heavily influenced by political and social issues of his

time period, especially liberalism. Not only does “This Side of Paradise” reflect Fitzgerald’s

personal views, but also the views of others like him during the time period that it was written.

The politics of that time are presented through the main character’s actions and views. This
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source will play a supporting role in my essay as it will directly address themes and issues

presented in the book. The above source will also help me and my readers to understand and

relate to the time period’s social and political norms, which will make the content of the essay

and the overall argument more simple to comprehend.

Saha, Sneha and Priyanka Shukla. "A Study of Positive Youth Development among Adolescents

in Urban Area." Indian Journal of Positive Psychology, vol. 8, no. 3, July 2017, pp. 454-

457. EBSCOhost, starkstate.idm.oclc.org/login?

url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=a9h&AN=126081006&site=ehost-live.

The article A Study of Positive Youth Development among Adolescents in Urban Area outlines a

research experiment done to promote positive youth development. Positive youth development

describes the holistic development of an adolescents psychological, physical, and social growth.

The experiment conducted in this article focuses mainly on the psychological aspect of positive

youth development through a study of 100 teens between the ages of 16 and 18, half boys, half

girls. The conclusions drawn in this research experiment will give me and my readers a better

understanding of how the main character in “This Side of Paradise” grows, develops, and

changes not only physically but mentally, these changes can be seen as his view of the American

dream changes in the book. Positive youth development can be very helpful to adolescents, some

adolescents who alienate themselves or are bored with life challenges may show signs of a

deficiency in positive development, making them stand out from their peers, and causing them to

be more prone to psychological disorders.

Sindermann, Cornelia, et al. "Does Growing up in Urban Compared to Rural Areas Shape

Primary Emotional Traits?." Behavioral Sciences (2076-328X), vol. 7, no. 3, Sept. 2017,
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p. bs7030060. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3390/bs7030060.

The article Does Growing up in Urban Compared to Rural Areas Shape Primary Emotional

Traits? is another research experiment that addresses adolescents. More specifically, this article

focuses on the psychological states of those who grew up in urban or rural areas. I chose this

source because the main character in “This side of Paradise” goes to private schools and

primarily grows up in urban areas, I hope to use this source to better understand how the main

character develops into an adult and to support any claims that I make in my essay about how his

surroundings have influenced him in his youth.

Viens, A. M. "Public Health and Political Theory: The Importance of Taming Individualism."

Public Health Ethics, vol. 9, no. 2, July 2016, pp. 136-138. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1093/phe/phw025.

I chose the article Public Health and Political Theory: The Importance of Taming Individualism

because of the deep political and social roots that are embedded in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book

“This side of Paradise”. Individualism is an important theme in the book as well as

disillusionment of liberalism and the American dream, this source will support any conclusions

drawn from these themes. This article was written in response to Daniel Weinstock, commenting

on issues that come with applying Liberalism to public health.

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