美国的法治社会与民众心理认知

A merican law society and citizen psychological recognition

本文通过个案分析揭示了美国人在日常生活中理解和运用法律的三种模式。有的人将法律视为远离人们日常生活的客观领域,而将自己视为法律面前的求助者;有的人将法律视为一种实现个人利益的游戏,而将自己视为法律游戏的参与者;还有的人将法律视为不平等力量的产物,而将自己视为面对法律困境的反抗者。这三种模式几乎可以同时在每一个被访者的讲述中找到。这表明美国人对法律的理解是多种多样的,甚至是自相矛盾的。而正是由于这种多样的矛盾性才使法律能够持久而强大。

By analyzing the transcribed interv iews,this article points out three d ifferent ways in which American understand and use law.Som e people treat law as an objective realm distant from the lives of in-dividuals and they regard themselve s as supplicants before law.Some people regard law as a game to serve individual interests and values and themselves as the player of the game.And for others,law is the product of unequal power and they reveal their sense of being up against law.These three different ways were ex-pressed by nearly everyone in the sam ple,which shows the multiple and con tradictory meanings of law to American people.It is because Americans ambivalence to law that makes it durable and strong.