I think the huge blindspot in American understanding of human behavior is individualism, the idea that you there is a model of human behavior that makes sense i

I think the huge blindspot in American understanding of human behavior is individualism, the idea that you there is a model of human behavior that makes sense in some complete way even if that human were living perpetually alone on and island. To me, that's like trying to understand a single worker ant without knowing anything about ant colonies. How can this creature be sterile yet survive as a species? Why is it constantly gathering food it does not eat? How does it defend itself from predators? So much of human behavior that is perplexing or seemingly irrational makes obvious sense once you consider that humans are a species that evolved to live in an environment primarily made of other humans, some of whom are friend and some of whom are foe. And, further, a species that can't survive without a tribe of friends, and whose greatest threat to survival is members of other tribes. And, most vexing of all, a species where distinguishing friend or foe is next to impossible just from surface attributes. Once you imagine the evolutionary pressure of a species in that environment, a whole lot of human behavior falls into place.