Explorations in the Meanings of Excellence and Its Importance for Counselors: The Culture of Excellence in the United States

A study by the World Health Organization (WHO) of the prevalence of mental disorders in 14 countries (WHO World Mental Health Survey Consortium, 2004) found that the United States had the highest overall prevalence rates of all mental disorders, especially anxiety and mood disorders. The study's lead author, Ronald Kessler, indicated that "it's plausible that the U.S. rate would be higher because of 'higher expectations' for success that can lead to frustration when people can't live up to them" (MSNBC, 2004). The idea of American exceptionalism may be responsible, at least in part, for some of the results observed in the WHO study. American exceptionalism pertains to how the United States differs from the other nations of the world in its emphasis on the values of liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, populism, and competition (Lipset, 1996). Culturally based beliefs that the United States is a chosen country (in the religious sense) and that each person is responsible for his or her well-being exemplify some of the major facets of American exceptionalism (Huber, 1971; McElroy, 1999). Other such beliefs underlying exceptionalism hold that competitive arrangements in most pursuits yield the best outcomes, that achievement determines social rank, that success depends on hard work, and that success is largely equivalent to the amount of money and material possessions one owns (Easterlin, 2003; Huber, 1971; Kasser & Kanner, 2004; Lane, 2000; McElroy, 1999; Spence, 1985). Related to these ideas is a primarily hedonistic characterization of well-being in the United States as the attainment of pleasure and the avoidance of pain through the expenditure of money or other resources (Sheldon, Ryan, Deci, & Kasser, 2004). Against this backdrop of American exceptionalism, popular sources such as Peters and Waterman's (1982) In Search of Excellence, Peters and Austin's (1985)A Passion for Excellence, the contemporary social and economic forces of globalization (Derber, 2002), and the commoditization and corporatization of progressively more aspects of life (Schumaker, 2001; Schwartz, 1994) have given rise to narratives of excellence whose purpose appears to coordinate the meanings and motivations underlying the competitive and achievement-oriented facets of American exceptionalism (Crainer & Dearlove, 2002; Spence, 1985). Such narratives are revealed through the use of the words excellence and excellent, and in phrases such as pursuit of excellence, dedication to excellence, or commitment to excellence. Those critical of narratives of excellence and the exceptionalism that underlies them refer to a cult of excellence or to the rhetoric of excellence (Marcus, 2002; Readings, 1996; White & Hauck, 2000). As narratives of excellence have become more widespread, so have the concerns about their effects on various aspects of culture (Goldstick, 1998; Holberg & Taylor, 2005; Readings, 1996). Chiefly, these critics argue that such narratives objectify excellence as an outcome or end result in ways that obscure an understanding of the process characteristics that are necessary for excellence to emerge. Given the prevalence of excellence narratives in contemporary discourse and the extent to which people attach importance to excellence or choose to pursue excellence as a value in their lives, one is justified in examining the philosophical and psychological perspectives on excellence and their implications for counseling. As a value that may guide the development of people's goals and their subsequent behaviors, what are the implications of pursuing excellence for people in general, for clients, and for counselors? Similarly, what aspects of excellence or a dedication to excellence can become problematic for people? Can too much of an emphasis on excellence have undesirable consequences? Why should people pursue excellence and to what ends? In this article, I examine the meaning of excellence as it was conceived originally within Aristotle's philosophy. …