On Myth and Reality: The Stress of Life in Rural America1

Anyone who has resided in a rural area for any length of time realizes that there are existent in both folklore and media a substantial number of myths about the tranquility of "rural existence." This paper examines a few of the common myths of "rural existence" and compares them to some of the documented realities of rural living. The thesis of the paper is that such a comparison should explode the overall myth that rural living is generally stress free, at least in comparison to common impressions of urban existence, and that life stress in rural settings can have deleterious effects on the functioning of the individual and the family. Finally, some implications of rural stress for the provision of social services are explored.