bootstrap mentality
Pull yourself up
Bootstrap mentality is the belief that individuals can and should succeed through their own effort, without outside help.
The phrase invokes the impossible image of pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps—lifting yourself off the ground by tugging your own shoes.
Proponents use it approvingly to describe self-reliance and hard work: His bootstrap mentality got him through college without loans.
Critics use it to dismiss systemic barriers: The bootstrap mentality ignores that some people start with no boots at all.
- self-madeSuccessful through own efforts
- hustleEnergetic, aggressive action
- gritDetermination or abrasive particles
- ruggedTough and uneven
- individualismDoctrine of personal independence
self made man · determination · entrepreneur · scrappy · hardscrabble · ambition · self-reliance · perseverance · startup · grind · sweat · tenacity · resilience · underdog · rags-to-riches · struggle · independence · meritocracy
- AmericanaAmerican flag, Fourth of July, bald eagle, Thanksgiving, apple pie
- capitalismcapitalism, free market, free enterprise, private property, profit motive
- independencefreedom, liberty, Independence Day, autonomy, sovereignty
- work ethicdiligence, hard worker, industriousness, go-getter, hard work
- Individualismindividualism, self-reliance, nonconformity, personal freedom, autonomy
bootstrap mentalitycollective responsibility
Shared blame among members
communitarianism · collectivism · mutual aid · interdependence · solidarity
bootstrap mentalitystructural analysis
Calculating forces in structures
class consciousness · contextualism · fatalism · victim mentality · determinism
bootstrap mentalitywelfare dependency
Sustained need for public aid
dependency · learned helplessness · victim mentality · asking for help · paternalism
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