The U.S. is a modern country that relies on technology and an advanced infrastructure. While there is no one single set of American family values that all American families live by, there are some common threads that outsiders often observe among the majority of Americans. These aspects are not absolutes, but rather an observation that Americans exhibit these values to a higher degree (such as being more independent and more competitive) than many other cultures in the world. According to the former director of International Programs at San Francisco State University, the American family culture has many unique facets: