I think self-criticism is a big part of it. We love creature comforts, but are fond of "roughing it". We love to buy all of the things the TV sells us, but whine about our own materialism. We want everyone to be able to live free of convention, but complain about the lack of religious guidance in our lives. We want the government to stay out of our private lives, but we endorse wiretapping to enhance our safety. We sell "the American Way of Life" all over the world, and are horrified when the Chinese strive for it.

To me, Daniel Boone was the quintessential American. He was a free spirited man who loved nature, indigenous people, and wilderness, yet continued throughout his life to develop land, fight Indians, and settle the frontier. As he moved West, he sought the things that he loved, and often replaced them with things he didn't. He was driven by a strong sense of what is right, but usually regretted his actions, because they rarely lived up to his ideals.
There is a statue of Boone standing in a park in St Louis. He is dressed in buckskin, shouldering his long rifle, and looking west into a sprawl of concrete buildings.