I feel like in the U.S where I was born and raised there are definable personality archetypes which fall into obvious stereotypes such as a dry as dust country type accent and life-style, snob, ultra conservative old woman etc What I want to know is if these behaviors have been catalogued and defined. For instances, writers have alleged that there are 11 different "nations" in the United States.
What are their bases and why do people conform so rigidly to these types?
News reporter Colin Woodard has published a book describing "11 nations" of North America, each with its unique personality, that also influences the individuals that live within their confines. For instance, Puritain northeasterners tend to well-educated, liberal "good government" types. Slightly to the south and west are the commercially oriented "New Netherlands" types that retain the early Dutch influence. The Midlanders and Appalachians are more fragmented and less pro-Government than others. The Tidewater and the South are more "traditional" areas that prefer state to Federal authority. The rugged western parts of the country value hard work and self-sufficiency and (mostly) have libertarian tendencies. "New France" and "First" (Indian) nations are unique subcultures within this group.
Each area was initially shaped by its historical experience, and later attracted the immigrants that were most like it.
David Fischer's Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America posits that there are four different "American" cultures - Puritans, Quakers, Cavaliers, and Hillbillies.
