On American Hippie Subculture

American society undergoes a dramatic change during the early1960s. It is in that period that hippies grow up. And they live in an affluent society without worrying about poverty and hunger, so it is difficult for them to understand their parents who have involved in two world wars. Besides, the information age and television makes it quite clear that the society their parents have built is far from perfect. Therefore, hippies refuse to follow the elder’s teaching and rebel against the mainstream culture in their own way.Hippie culture is a kind of subculture. Subculture is a very important element in the process of social change. If a society has no subculture, it will be vulnerable and will be poorly equipped to cope with the rapidly changing conditions. The subculture may bring the creation or destruction. Failing to take it seriously and in depth may lose the creation and increase the destruction. It will be of significance for the development of the society to have a right attitude towards the subculture. What kind of attitude should the society hold to the subculture is an issue which can not be ignored.This thesis will have a detailed analysis of the causes of American hippie culture, the forms of expression of American hippie culture and the influences of American hippie culture. All these analysis is under the guidance of subculture theory, which is also a new idea of this thesis. Based on the detailed analysis of hippie culture, some suggestions on drug taking, sex and families are proposed. Hopefully, these suggestions could make the society have a proper attitude to the subculture and help people have a better understanding about both subculture and American society.