Final answer:
Gunnar Myrdal found that white Americans in the 1940s valued their social status and cultural values most, fearing the loss of privilege with the integration of African Americans. This concern over social and cultural shifts largely contributed to the widening gap between whites and the 'other America.'
Step-by-step explanation:
In the 1940s, Gunnar Myrdal conducted a study on white Americans' attitudes toward equality and integration for blacks. Myrdal discovered that these whites held their social status and cultural values as the most important factors, especially the fear of losing their privileged position in society. This was not mainly about economic concerns, political ideologies, or fear of foreign threats, but rather the worry that the cultural and social shifts towards equality would erode the privileges they had been accustomed to.
The Civil Rights Movement later highlighted the discrepancy between societal norms of fairness and equality and the actual legal and structural realities that African Americans faced. Various organizations worked tirelessly to fight against those inequalities. By the 1970s, however, many whites began to fear that the advancements of minorities might threaten their own status, leading to a more self-centered rights consciousness.
Ultimately, this translated into a widening gap between white, middle-class Americans and those in the 'other America' due to social, political, economic, and cultural factors. This revealed a dynamic where laws and norms were often in tension, reflecting the broader historical roots of societal inequalities.