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environmental factors that influence our cultural identity

In many cases, the environment influences the expression of genes. Power distance and individualism exert the strongest forces. Just as an FYI, Cinco de Mayo is the date (May 5, 1862) observed to commemorate the Mexican Armys victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla that conclude the Franco-Mexican War (also referred to as the Battle of Puebla Day). As such, narrowing down to only one definition of the term is problematic, no matter how you define culture. For our purposes, we define culture as a group of people who, through a process of learning, can share perceptions of the world, which influences their beliefs, values, norms, and rules, which eventually affect behavior. However, the concepts of what is low, middle, and upper can have very large differences. Kelly spoke with Kim Wasserman and Juliana Pino of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO). Femininity, on the other hand, involves characteristics like having a good working relationship with ones manager and coworkers, cooperating with people at work, and security (both job and familial). In the study, a masculine society is defined as one that dominantly values material success and progress, while a feminine society prioritizes modesty and caring for others. Think through Geert Hofstedes six categories used to evaluate differing cultures and apply Hofstedes ideas to your co-culture. According to a 2013 report from the U.S. Census department (using income data from 2012), here is how income inequality in the U.S. looks: Households in the lowest quintile had incomes of $20,599 or less in 2012. Additionally, many stereotypes are based on ignorance about another persons culture. During my intercultural interactions, I try to be mindful of how my perceptions of someones culture are either consistent with or differ from reality. Question 3 Understanding Culture. Every one of us has grown up in a unique cultural environment, and this culture has impacted how we communicate. One common microculture that has been discussed and researched is the Disney microculture. As such, there is a focus on both persistence and thrift. One of our coauthors favorite examples of the problem of ethnocentrism comes from the MTV television show Road Rules: The Quest. Long-term orientation focuses on the future and not the present or the past. Another very important researcher in the area of culture is a man by the name of Geert Hofstede. The 11 types of internal environmental factors are: 1. Recognizing the limitations of these macro-level environmental indexes, this study uses nonparametric frontiers to analyze the influence of four cultural dimensions on the ecologic efficiency of 72 countries. One of the biggest misunderstandings new people studying culture have is that an individual can have their own personalized culture. Cultural orientation marked by immediate gratification for individual desires. _____8. When it came to trait affection received, all four groups differed from one another. They show that the relationship is part of a snowball effect. The degree to which an individual desires to engage in intercultural interactions and can easily adapt to differing cultural environments. Our environment continually influences our lifestyle, our decision-making process and the way we interact with the world around us. Society Does our identity begin its cultivation from the moment we're born? ), whereas face losing refers to those behaviors someone engages in that can harm their reputation or feelings of prestige (e.g., getting caught in a lie, failing, etc.). Culture influences our behaviors in diverse ways. Intrapersonal factors also impact moral development, such as cognitive changes, emotions, and even neurodevelopment. Wexler points . Kim is More , A decline in the corporate tax rate enforced through state policy is found by a new study to be immaterial to investment decisions for businesses and therefore a non-factor for spurring economic growth within a state. Co-cultures bring their unique sense of history and purpose within a larger culture. 1996 - 2023 National Geographic Society. Groups that are very similar genetically may hold vastly different and even hostile cultural identities, while people with divergent genetic origins can share a powerful sense of common identity that is the essence of ethnic consciousness. and Mrs. John Smith. In feminine cultures, men and women are upheld to the same standards, and their relationships should be based on mutual friendship. Beliefs are assumptions and convictions held by an individual, group, or culture about the truth or existence of something. The origin of every human life can be traced to a single cell called zygote. Does your co-culture differ from the dominant culture? Over time, you start to find yourself wondering about the organization and your place within the organization. However, that may not be the only intention we have when interacting with someone from another culture. The cultural variability dimensions of individualism-collectivism and small/large power distance shape the orientations, movements, contents, and styles of facework. Similarly, trait affection received was significantly associated with the individualism-collectivism and uncertainty avoidance dimensions of cultures.36, Mansson, D. H., & Sigurardttir, A. G. (2017). Many types of knowledge about a culture can be relevant during an intercultural interaction: rules and norms, economic and legal systems, cultural values and beliefs, the importance of art within a society, etc. All of these different areas of knowledge involve facts that can help you understand people from different cultures. Factors that influence gender differences in mortality include biological factors such as hormonal influences on physiology and behavior, and environmental factors, such as cultural influences on gender differences in health behaviors. The emphasis on endurance is vital because being persistent today will help you in the future. In fact, many religious texts describe martyrdom as a holy calling. In this chapter, were going to explore culture and its impact on interpersonal communication. The first of Geert Hofstedes original dimensions of national cultures was power distance, or the degree to which those people and organizations with less power within a culture accept and expect that power is unequally distributed within their culture. This belonging can be justified with the shared set of companionship, principles or beliefs of living. In 2017, Daniel H. Mansson and Alds G. Sigurardttir set out to examine the concept of trait affection in relation to Hofstedes theoretical framework. I understand how daily life is enacted in other cultures. As you can imagine, an individual who is a member of a group that is generally looked down upon by society will have a constant battle internally as they battle these negative emotions and subsequent lower self-evaluations because of membership within a cultural group. More simplistically, face is essentially a persons reputation and feelings of prestige within multiple spheres, including the workplace, the family, personal friends, and society at large.44 For our purposes, we can generally break face down into general categories: face gaining and face losing. More . Chapter 6: Cultural and Environmental Factors in Interpersonal Communication One of the most important factors in our understanding of communication is culture. Chinese - Indonesians' Culture in relation to Personal Identity. Define the term culture as it is used within this book. Research has examined how an individuals collective self-esteem impacts their interpersonal interactions.11 The researchers found that during interactions in which multicultural persons felt that their heritage culture was being positively evaluated, they were more likely to perceive the interaction as intimate, they disclosed more and perceived their interaction partner as more disclosing, they enjoyed the interaction more, and they were more likely to indicate that they felt personally accepted.12 Furthermore, individuals with high collective self-esteem generally had more favorable interactions with people of differing cultures. However, if the person comes back and says, I really dont care. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The people that they surround themselves with influences their values and beliefs. In HCC, on the other hand, intention or meaning can best be conveyed through implicit contexts, including gestures, social customs, silence, nuance, or tone of voice.20 Table 6.1 further explores the differences between low-context and high-context cultures. Cultural Impacts According to National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, a project is considered to have adverse effects on cultural environment if it causes direct or indirect alteration of "any characteristics of a historic property in a manner that would diminish the integrity of the property's location, design, setting, materials, Although we often discuss mindful in terms of how we can be open, kind, and curious with ourselves, its also important to extend that same framework when we are interacting with people from other cultures. For this reason, understanding how we view our cultural identities becomes very important because it can predict the types of intercultural interactions we will ultimately have. Dress 4. Culture is such an ingrained part of who we are that we often dont even recognize our own culture. Think about ethnocentrism in your own life. Over the years, Hofstede and his fellow researchers have regularly collected additional data from around the world to make his conceptualization of six cultural differences one of the most widely studied concepts of culture. Culture is the shared characteristics of a group of people, which encompasses , place of birth, religion, language, cuisine, social behaviors, art, literature, and music. In 1988, intercultural communication research Stella Ting-Toomey developed face-negotiation theory to help explain the importance of face within interpersonal interactions.37 The basic idea behind face-negotiation theory is that face-saving, conflict, and culture are all intertwined. The degree to which nonmembers of a group evaluate a group and its members either positively or negatively. However, U.S. citizens have clung to the title American without ever giving thought to those other countries that exist on these two continents. Second, call out the stereotype in your mind. The concept of face is one that is not the easiest to define nor completely understand. The United States is number one on individualism, according to Hofstedes data.27 Americans are considered individualistic. Lastly, we have microcultures or cultural patterns of behavior influenced by cultural beliefs, values, norms, and rules based on a specific locality or within an organization. You may have been forced into gang life at a very early age. Third, metacognitive CQ involves being consciously aware of your intercultural interactions in a manner that helps you have more effective interpersonal experiences with people from differing cultures (intercultural understanding). Table 6.2 Cultural Intelligence Questionnaire, First, cognitive CQ involves knowing about different cultures (intercultural knowledge). Notice that the U.S. does not make it into the top five or the bottom five. Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Yoga, Christianity, and Judaism, taken together, represent the religious or spiritual traditions of some 5 to 6 billion people, most of the world's population. Language i.e. Food habits 5. As discussed in Chapter 1, Shauna Shapiro and Linda Carlson introduced us to the three-component model of mindfulness: attention, intention, and attitude.49. Changes in these areas help create a healing environment that is psychologically supportive for patients, families, and staff. Some groups we hold tightly to, while we only see ourselves as peripherally associated with others. The concept of Its opposite pole, restraint, reflects a conviction that such gratification needs to be curbed and regulated by strict social norms.34 The top five on the Indulgence end are Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, and Nigeria, whereas those on the restraint end are Pakistan, Egypt, Latvia, Ukraine, and Albania. Some of these groups are near and dear to us, while others are ones we dont think about very often, so they just arent very important to us. Maybe you had been in New Zealand and saw a match on the television and saw the Kiribati national football team. Cultural orientation marked by the belief that gratification should not be instantaneous and should be regulated by cultural rules and norms. When do you think ethnocentrism helps you have collective self-esteem, and when do you think it leads to prejudice? African Americans; Bisexuals, Gays, and Lesbians; Irish Americans, Southerners are all examples of what? The environment can have a large impact on a person's identity. The degree to which an individual can communicate competently in varying cultural situations. Maybe you see yourself as having ideas and opinions that are contrary to the organization, or maybe your behavior when not attending religious services is not what the organization would advocate. We cannot escape it; however, some people are more prone to becoming fearful in situations that are ambiguous or unknown. How does each of these different co-cultural groups influence who you are as a person? Often these stereotypes that we have of those other groups (e.g., Purple People) occur because we are taught them since we are very young. Finally, the researchers examined affection given and received with regards to Hofstedes work. Sometimes its easy to figure out where our stereotypes evolved from, but sometimes these stereotypes are so ingrained in us through our own culture that its hard to really figure out their origin. Sometimes the environment changes a geneeither its DNA sequence or its activity level. Admittedly, this episode aired in July 2001, so we were just a few short months before 9-11 and the public awakening to a whole range of issues occurring in the Middle East. For example, African Americans in New York City are culturally distinct from those living in Birmingham, Alabama, because they also belong to different geographical co-cultures. Ultimately, we can define these types of cultures in the following way: A society is called masculine when emotional gender roles are clearly distinct: men are supposed to be assertive, tough, and focused on material success, whereas women are supposed to be more modest, tender, and concerned with quality of life. _____13. In this fast-paced survey of research on how culture shapes cognition, Nalini Ambady examines the neural evidence for socio-cultural influences on thinking, judgment, and behavior. Why do you think context is such an important cultural characteristic? Cultural Implications The final characteristic of cultures is a new one first reported on in the 2010 edition of Cultures and Organizations.33 The sixth cultural characteristic is called indulgence vs. restraint, which examines issues of happiness and wellbeing. Face-negotiation theory ultimately concerned with three different types of face: self-face (concern for our face), other-face (concern for another persons face), and mutual-face (concern for both interactants and the relationship).39 As you can see from Ting-Toomeys last assumption in her theory above, individuals who are competent in facework can recognize when facework is necessary and then handle those situations appropriately, effectively, and adaptively. With class, many cultures have three clear segments low, middle, and upper. A set of beliefs about the personal attributes of a social group. For example, in many cultures throughout history, martyrdom (dying for ones cause) has been something deeply valued. Small/large power distance shapes members preferences for horizontal-based facework versus vertical-based facework. Beliefs. For this tribe, what does bravery represent? First, we have a dominant culture, or the established language, religion, behavior, values, rituals, and social customs of a specific society. In other words, collectivistic cultures focus on how the group can grow and be productive. Attitude and Behaviours Influenced by Ones Culture: 1. I enjoy being with people from other cultures and getting to know them. People tend to make decisions in a manner that conforms with culturally mediated beliefs about morality. Identify several different ways to create better intercultural interactions. The third factor of collective self-esteem is public collective self-esteem, or the degree to which nonmembers of a group evaluate a group and its members either positively or negatively. Interpersonally, long-term oriented countries were more satisfied with their contributions to Being attentive to daily human relations, deepening human bonds in family, neighborhood and friends or acquaintances when compared to their short-term counterparts.32. With all of these different cultural groups, we must realize that just because individuals belong to a cultural group, that does not mean that they are all identical. Hofstede refers to this as being more relationally oriented. For example, maybe you belong to the Yellow culture and perceive all members of the Purple culture as lazy. We must avoid the temptation to think of our identities as constant. Juans culture is marked by expensive houses, fast cars, rich food, and all the luxuries one could desire. The two main objectives that was explored in this study consisted of; (1) student learning and factors affecting students' relationships with African . We often refer to microcultures as local cultures because they do tend to exist among a small segment of people within a specific geographical location. Power distance represents views on inequality: high power distance translates to the belief that the powerful have privileges and may inherit their position by way of force; low power distance societies believe power should be distributed equally. Ellen was walking around in a foreign country and was completely unaware that she presented herself in public was seen as an insult to Allah and society. Instead, El Grito de la Indepedencia (The Cry of Independence) is held annually on September 16 in honor of Mexican Independence from Spain in 1810. To this end, some of the villagers in Marrakech took it upon themselves to correct Ellens nonverbal behavior by throwing rocks at her. Bravery is very important in her tribe. Maybe you live in a dorm that specializes in honors students or pairs U.S. students with international students. Think about a group that you currently belong to and consider the collective self-esteem you have for that group. There are various factors that can affect self-concept, these include: age, sexual orientation, gender and religion. _____12. For understanding culture, Hofstede acknowledges that this distinction ultimately has a lot to do with work goals.28 On the masculine end of the spectrum, individuals tend to be focused on items like earnings, recognition, advancement, and challenge. This means students who have purchased a Premium Subscription will now be offered complimentary support in our Student Forums by us. Make a list of five co-cultural groups that you currently belong to. The final factor of collective self-esteem is importance to identity, or the degree to which group membership is important to an individual. Some stereotypes exist because they are accurate.14 Often groups have real differences, and these differences are not bad or wrong; they just are. And many hospitals and healthcare settings are applying these findings. Experts in the new area of evidence-based design have identified five environmental factors that can have a large impact on health outcomes. This incoming and rising flux of international students also brings with itself a mix of culture from various nationalities and ethnicity. The Continue Reading Michael Laitman Stereotypes prejudice us to look at all members of a group as similar and to ignore the unique differences among individuals. Lets briefly look at each of these. This definition is a bit complex, so lets break it down. Intercultural facework competence refers to the optimal integration of knowledge, mindfulness, and communication skills in managing vulnerable identity-based conflict situations appropriately, effectively, and adaptively. However, this isnt consistent across different cultures at all. More . Milagros belongs to a very distinct South American tribe. Listed below are the environmental factors that influence our cultural identity. Culture is something that is formed by the groups that we grow up in and are involved with through our lifetimes. Personality i.e. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe. In other words, we think about ourselves as individuals rather than the collective group. Individualism-collectivism shapes members preferences for self-oriented facework versus other-oriented facework. Roy and Jalissa still would get together regularly and go shopping, go to the movies, have dinner, etc. Low eco-efficiency is also strongly correlated with high uncertainty avoidance. Henri Tajfel originally coined the term collective self as that aspect of an individuals self-concept which derives from his knowledge of his membership in a social group (or groups) together with the value and emotional significance attached to that membership.8 Jennifer Crocker and Riia Luhtanen took Tajfels ideas one step further and discussed them as an individuals collective self-esteem, or the aspect of an individuals self-worth or self-image that stems from their interaction with others and evaluation of their various social groups.9 Based on their research, Crocker and Luhtanen found four different factors related to an individuals collective self-esteem: private collective esteem, membership esteem, public collective esteem, and importance to identity. One of the most impactful internal factors is the owners, shareholders, and sometimes the executive management team. In this case, the stereotype of the young flight attendant simply doesnt meet up with reality. First, recognize that you attempted to use a stereotype that you had and call it out for what it was. While research suggests that genetics play an important role in personality, it is also important to recognize that other factors do have an influence. The two of them considered themselves as highly culturally intelligent people. Our cultural identity can evolve, as culture is ever-evolving and dynamic. Environmental factors often influence traits independently of genes. Access to cultural activities and culturally relevant healthcare has always been significant for achieving holistic Indigenous health and continues to be a key factor in shaping the health journey of Indigenous individuals and communities. However, the word culture has a wide range of different meanings to a lot of different people. Some gestures can mean wildly different things in different parts of the world. We are often born into our cultural identities. And owning the culture means that the person embraces all the traditions that . The way that you carry a conversation, respond to failure, form relationships with others, and generally behave is in part related to your genetics - but your world and life experiences also shape your attitudes and behaviors. Dont try to find evidence to support or negate these stereotypes or prejudices. While the authors had hypothesized that the groupthink mentality of collectivist countries would encourage eco-efficiency, it was found, rather, that individualistic countries prevailed, perhaps by imbuing in their citizens a greater sense of duty and self-empowerment. At the long-term end of the spectrum are countries like China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan; whereas, countries like Pakistan, Czech Republic, Nigeria, Spain, and the Philippines are examples of short-term. This group determines who gets hired and fired, the company culture, the financial position of the organization, and everything in between. Individuals and groups move about, in . In an area that relies on coal mining such as West Virginia, individuals may be much more opposed to green energy initiatives and stubbornly defend their way of life despite an outside narrative that discourages the continuing use of fossil fuels. Which of Hofstedes cultural differences does Juans culture represent. _____1. The other countries did not differ from each other with regard to trait affection given. This combination of your genetics and experiences ultimately forms your identity and . Maybe youre a lesbian college student at a very progressive institution where students overwhelmingly support LGBTQIA rights. The final part of the definition of culture, and probably the most important for our purposes, looking at interpersonal communication, is that these beliefs, values, norms, and rules will govern how people behave. When Im interacting with someone from a differing culture, I know when I use my knowledge of that persons culture during my interactions. Religion and religious faiths that is beliefs. Do not be concerned if some of the items appear similar. Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes are reversible and do not change your DNA sequence, but they can change how your body reads a DNA sequence. for only $11.00 $9.35/page. How the "outside" affects the "inside" is at the heart of many of the deepest psychological questions. _____15. In this case, the collective views the group that you belong to positively. List the ten ways in which educators (practitioners) can become culturally responsive. _____7. I enjoy reaching out and engaging in an intercultural encounter. In that one moment, you learned a tiny bit about an entire country and pocketed it away for future use. Originally, the concept of face is not a Western even though the idea of saving face is pretty common in every day talk today. context of culture and its influence on the developing child. 1. The degree to which an individual has cultural knowledge. Although this was historically true, the ages of flight attendants has changed: 16-24 year olds (4.9%), 25-34 year olds (16.8%), 35-44 year olds (29.7%), 45-54 year olds (28.2%), and 55+ year olds (21.4%). Many metrics exist to measure and regulate behavior that negatively impacts the environment, but perhaps the most important factors of human behavior are our own cultural attitudes. As such, we must always be careful to avoid generalizing about individuals because of the co-cultures they belong to. Pollution from a nearby power plant, contaminated water, or lead in the home, for example, can cause lasting impacts on children's health. I pride myself on knowing a lot about other peoples cultures. 4 - 9) of your reading: Understanding Culture. If you focus on evidence-finding, youre just trying to satisfy your thoughts and feelings and not mindfully engaging with this other person. Excluded or removed from a group by others in that group. Second, we learn about our culture. Cultural orientation where individuals focus on the past or present and not in the future. Although some stereotypes are accurate, many stereotypes that we may possess are based on faulty information or overgeneralizations of entire groups of people. In this case, was Jalissa culturally intelligent? Like most aspects of development, influencing factors are multifaceted. communication. 2.Cultural Factors With the onset of globalisation, a larger proportion of the students are moving across border for international higher education. Noting that eco-efficient countries like Kuwait and Austria have the highest levels of fluctuation between cultural factors, it is apparent that not all cultural variables affect countries uniformly. Cultures focused on items like earnings, recognition, advancement, and challenge. The extent to which cultures as a whole are fearful of ambiguous and unknown situations. As you can imagine, depending on the type of culture you live in, you will have wildly different social interactions with other people. In these cultures, there tends to be high respect for the past and the various traditions that have made that culture great. When a Disney cast member is interacting with the public, then they are on stage; when a cast member is on a break away from the public eye, then they are backstage. From the moment a Disney cast member is hired, they are required to take Traditions One and probably Traditions Two at Disney University, which is run by the Disney Institute (http://disneyinstitute.com/).

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