What is Culture Culture is Used to understand
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What is Culture?
Culture is… • Used to understand the World and people • Passed down between generations
What is Culture? Culture is made of four basic parts 1. Values 2. Beliefs 3. Behaviors 4. Norms
Values • The moral principles and beliefs or accepted standards of a person or social group. • Can be positive or negative
Values Examples: • Commitment to God • Honesty • Abuse of authority
Beliefs A shared view of reality by a group Something believed to be true ❏ Time ❏ Gender roles ❏ Authority ❏ Spirituality (God and You) What is one of your beliefs?
Reality can be local
Behaviors Observable patterns of action Examples: ❏ Body Language ❏ gestures, postures, expressions ❏ Group Behaviors ❏ greetings, speech, table manners ❏ Dress ❏ clothing style, daily vs. festive
Behaviors Your values determine your behaviors. “Actions speak louder than words”
Norms Range of permissible behaviors established by the group What people think is weird or normal ❏ Expected behaviors ❏ Range of tolerance
Norms Examples: ❏ Style of dress ❏ How you greet people ❏ Head nod, hand shake, bowing ❏ Personal space
Norms
Cultural Lenses (Roadblocks) ❏ People often think that people of other cultures are like them
Distorted Cultural Lenses ❏ Stereotypes ❏ Biases ❏ Culture Shock
Stereotypes Generalizations about a group ❏ Limited understanding of a person because of the group they are in ❏ ❏ Positive and negative
Biases Preferring one culture or group over another ❏ Prejudices that impair judgement ❏ Positive and negative ❏ ❏ EXAMPLE: Your grandmother thinks you are the best kid in the world and you never get in trouble.
Culture Shock • A state of surprise and distress experienced by a person who is suddenly exposed to a new, strange, or foreign social or cultural environment • Real emotional and physical effects
Other Cultural Lenses Ethnocentrism – The practice of viewing one’s own culture as superior • Judging other people’s cultures (“That’s weird!”
Cultural Relativism • Taking the time to understand a culture without prejudging • Not viewing other cultures as better or worse than yours (“That’s different from…”)
Other Cultural Lenses Ethnocentrism Exclusive Close Minded Culturally Insensitive Cultural Relativism Inclusive Open Minded Culturally Sensitive
Review ❏ What is culture? ❏ What are the four major components of culture? ❏ What do the behaviors of an individual tell you about his/her culture? ❏ How do cultural lenses affect how you see others?
What does this behavior indicate about a person?
What does this behavior indicate about the person?
What does this behavior indicate about the person?
What does this behavior indicate about the person?
What does this behavior indicate about the person?
What does this behavior indicate about the person?
Conclusion • Understanding VBBN helps predict actions • Looking through your filters at other cultures can lead to false expectations and roadblocks • Minimizing roadblocks increases the likelihood of positive interactions.