Narratives of success and national culture dimensions: Serbia and the USA

The paper starts with underlying the American myth of success basic elements/believes: American democracy allows all citizens to raise above limitations of their birth, hard work brings wealth and comfort, rewarded are who are deserving and with ambition, plus a modicum of good lack (Marsden, 1992). The author than compares the myth of success elements with the dimensions of the US national culture defined by Hofstede. She argues that the American myth of success elements is corresponding to Hofstede’s findings of the US national culture characteristics. The American culture was found to be extremely individualistic, masculine (challenge, earnings, recognition and advancement are important), high risk taking and action oriented, with the low extent of acceptance of unequal distribution of power. Fully in line with that, according to the myth of success, America has been from its beginnings in sixteen century the place where social differences disappear and men have an opportunity for advancement to higher level jobs and social status regardless their starting position. Together with low power distance, individualism and muscularity are the purest US cultural dimensions according to Hofstede (1981, 2000, 2001), but they are also the very core of the American success myth. The myth of success hero is individual, self made man. Those heroes are strong personalities that attain their success through education, hard work, and sheer willpower. While no man is an island, it’s not external help or special relationships that make the crucial difference in the self-made man’s rise, nor is luck the deciding factor. He is the one who raises himself, counting on his own self, his own abilities and hard work. Masculine cultural dimension is associated with the sympathy and identification with strong and successful people. The American myth of success hero is assertive, tough and focused on material success, all the elements of the masculine cultural dimension. The author than analyzes the success stories in Serbia. She points out that in Serbian traditional stories of success, basic element is gaining based on luck, whether the gaining comes from digging a treasure jar, finding hidden family fortune, or unexpected heritage (from an uncle living in America). Success stories that arose in Serbia in nighties, when Serbia faced war and post war period and political and social disturbances, are new urban legends that imbedded success in a lottery or other games of chance winning. Medias and advertisements for games of chance, additionally supported the idea of enrichment b