Cultural Comparison Paper

Cultural Comparison Paper
Cultural Comparison Paper There are many cultural differences between the United States and France. Some of these are simply social and others are
cultural. Hofstede's Value Dimensions can be used to highlight the differences between the cultures. Individualism vs collectivism, uncertainty
avoidance, masculinity/femininity, power distance, and long–term vs short–term orientation are all characteristics that differ between France and the
United States. In Communications Between Cultures individualism and collectivism are described by researchers as "self–orientation versus collective
orientation as one of the basic pattern variables that determine human action." These differences can be found in family life, school, and workplace
...show more content...
The cultures prefer as few rules as possible. Typically, people in these cultures don't easily express their emotions. Hofstede uses the words masculinity
and femininity to refer to the degree to which masculine or feminine traits are valued or revealed (Samovar, Porter and McDaniel). The United States
rates as a moderately masculine. Countries that favor masculinity stress equity, competition, and performance(Yates). They also strive for material
success and expected to respect whatever is big, strong, and fast. France values femininity and stress equality, solidarity, and quality of work life
(Yates). A feminine worldview maintains that men can assume nurturing roles while promoting sexual equality. One major difference in masculine
/feminine cultures is the role of the woman in the workplace and at home. Feminine societies expect women to work and often provide the necessary
social support systems. Although the United States is more masculine than France both countries treat females as equals. Power distance describes the
distance between power and the members of a particular culture. France has a higher power distance than the United States. Gudykunst describes
countries with a high power distance as, "Individuals who accept power as part of society. As such superiors consider their subordinates to be different
from themselves and vice
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The Cultural Differences Within Our Society
The cultural differences within our society of today occur more often than one would believe. Cultural differences occur due to how we were raised
and the beliefs we were instilled with. A main cultural difference that has been in the spotlight recently is the idea of how to raise one's children. After
Yale law professor Amy Chua had excerpts of her book published in the Wall Street Journal, sparks flew bashing her parenting methods which she uses
on her young children. Chua, who grew up with Chinese parents, chooses to use Chinese parenting styles to drive her children to success. Chua bashes
the Western parenting styles within her writing pieces, claiming that her parenting techniques are superior. Many critics disagree with her...show more
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In Bernard's writing piece, he believes there are four unique blessings of childhood which one can achieve with Western parenting. The first blessing is
the gift of moral innocence. Children lack a great amount of knowledge which gives them the opportunity to learn how to fully trust people. Achild's
innocence is precious and should be protected. Seeing a child's good intentions and sweetness in life is a gift within itself. The second blessing is the
gift of openness to the future. Children have no expectations or their own future plans which allows them to be free to new adventures. This allows
them to figure out what they are good at and what they enjoy doing. Third is the idea that children are not caught up in the time. They spend their
time doing things they enjoy; therefore time is not scares or wasted. The fourth is that children explore with their creative side, producing their best
artwork, mastering new gadgets, and thinking about deep ideas (Murphy 279). "They need to lighten up and roam free, to express themselves in ways
not dictated by their upright, over invested parents" (Rosin 266). If parents force their children to do non childlike activities, then they will lack these
four blessing that come from childhood. Western parents let their children engage in normal childlike activities. They allow their children to have
sleepovers, be in a school play, watch TV, and choose their own extracurricular activities, all of

Culture Difference Essay
Culture Difference
The first culture difference that many Japanese find in America is their greeting customs. Although the greeting is one of the simplest human
communications, both countries have different methods of greeting each other. Three differences include introduction, self–introduction, and
departure. In addition, the main reason for the difference is that Americans use verbal greetings and the Japanese use nonverbal greetings.
First, the order of introduction in the U.S. is the reverse of the Japanese way. In America, generally elderly people are introduced first. For example,
one of my friends invited me to his house, and he introduced his father first, then his mother, his older brother, and his young sister. After that...show
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Almost all American students talk about their family or themselves. For instance, a woman who is a student at St. Cloud State University talked about
her Iowa State and her family who are farmers. Then she said that "The crops are mainly potatoes, and my family likes potatoes." Finally, she said
that her family is a German line. In contrast, Japanese prefer a deductive method. In other words, Japanese people are likely to talk about where they
belong to. For example, the typical Japanese person first talks about his university or his major, then what kind of club they belong to. Finally they
usually talk about hobbies or an event that happened recently.
Departures in the American and the Japanese cultures depend on whether people are close or not. Americans just say "bye." Nevertheless if the
conditions differ, this departure changes completely in America. In fact, one of my American friends gives a hug or kiss to her family when they
leave. In contrast, unlike Americans, who just say "goodbye," generally Japanese make a shallow bow and look back two or three times with their
waving hand. Due to the different farewell, every Japanese person who is in America is surprised when they get a hug from an American friend, and
they feel Americans are emotional or sentimental. On the contrary, they feel empty and passionless when many Americans say "bye" and just walk away.
Many reason for the differences in greetings are the verbal in

Handling Cultural Differences
In a career as a psychologist, it is typical to see a range of clients who come from different cultural backgrounds including ethnicity, race, and sexual
orientation. To be a proficient psychologist, it is important to be knowledgeable and accepting of different cultural backgrounds. According the
American Psychology Association manual and discussed in further depth by Weddings and Corsini (2014) there are guidelines set in place to ensure
that a psychologist takes these cultural differences into consideration and they are prepared to handle the differences. The American Psychology
Association guidelines that lay out the expectations of handling cultural differences in a psychotherapy setting are guidelines one, two, and five.
Guideline

Of all the countries that our world makes up, it undoubtable to state that each one has their own particular cultural identity. This identity is unique to
that country, of it containing all the components of their culture including work, school, food, social interaction, and more. Perhaps one of the most
important aspects of culture, work, allows a platform for the most interaction between different cultures. In the work world, it is a given that due to
diversity, collaboration between people of different cultures will happen. Whether it is because of a diverse staff of employees, business being
conducted between two countries, etc..... understanding the different cultural characteristics, or dimensions as notable psychologist Geert Hofstede
would call them, allows for good work relationships to be strong and prevalent. Hofstede created a six dimensions apparent in every countries, and for
each dimensions for a particular country, a score is attributed showing how prevalent that dimension is. This allows a great ability to compare and
contrast cultural differences between different regions of the world. In examining one of the two biggest countries in the world, the United States and
China, one can see great variety in their dimensional scores. In being the two most powerful economies in the world, and relying on each other daily for
trading purposes, comparing and contrasting these two countries is rather fascinating. The United States and China have more differences than

Cultural Differences in Communication Essay
The term "culture" refers to the complex accumulation of knowledge, folklore, language, rules, rituals, habits, lifestyles, attitudes, beliefs, and customs
that link and provide a general identity to a group of people. Cultures take a long time to develop. There are many things that establish identity give
meaning to life, define what one becomes, and how one should behave. Distribution and exercise of power shape attitudes towards authority. How
people sustain themselves economically, and how they manage to obtain the necessities of life, determines assigned roles of individuals and the
relationships among them. Physical surroundings of people help define the nature, intensity, and longevity of their values. A wealth of resources...show
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It can be terrifying to deal with other people if one does not know what to expect. There is often fear surrounding different cultures, we wonder what
manners are acceptable. Is there something that will offend another from a decidedly different culture?
The way people communicate varies considerably between, and within, cultures and different norms regarding the appropriate level of assertiveness in
communicating can add to cultural misunderstandings.
One aspect of communication style is language usage, across cultures, some phrases and words are used in different ways. Additionally, body language
or nonverbal communication is an essential part of how people communicate, and there are differences from culture to culture. Hand and arm gestures,
touch, and eye contact or lack thereof, are a few of the aspects of nonverbal communication.
Another aspect of communication style is the amount of importance given to non–verbal communication. Non–verbal communication includes facial
expressions and gestures, personal distance, and sense of time. It is no surprise that people have difficulties understanding and communicating with one
another due to different cultural customs and experiences, and these differences cause miscommunication.
Communication is a complex system of comprehensive interaction where meaning is

My Personal Reflection : Cultural Diversity
Since I started this class, I have a learned a great deal about cultural diversity in the classroom and abroad. My perspective has changed slightly but my
knowledge of this subject has improved. In my family, my father taught me about the civil rights movement and the evils of segregation in the U.S. My
parents taught me to be tolerant of all humans, no matter what they look like, how they dress, or their sexual orientation. My family has always been
liberal thinkers who taught me the dark history of racism and bigotry in this country. As an educator I would be accepting to all race, creeds, and
religious peoples.
In my original personal narrative, I mentioned that I grew up in a mostly white middle class town with a 15% Latino population. In some ways, I grew
up in a town that is in the forefront of a national discussion about increasing multiculturalism and acceptance of Latino Americans. We have come to
realize that not all illegal immigrants are criminals here to do us harm. Some are people who have been here many years, raised families and
contributed to our society. During my childhood, I had friends that were Korean and Latino descent, and I am grateful to have experience with those
diverse cultures. In this class and in a previous teaching class, I worked with and got to know students of different ethnicities. We learned in class
about legislation that would provide English learners with more support while they are assimilating and learning English (Buenrostro,2017). This can
only benefit everyone as we raise the level of proficiency for the newest students. We Americans may have different cultures and traditions, but we all
have value that can add to our society. I hope to continue my ethnic studies to further my understanding of other cultures. With the power of knowledge,
we can break down barriers and stereotypes.
As a teenager and college student, I have to admit that I felt somewhat suspicious of people with a different lifestyles than myself. I think I felt
threatened by people who identified themselves as gay or transgender. I was probably just afraid of difference that was unknown to me at the time. As
I got older I came to realize that whatever people do in the privacy in

Cultural Differences Between Europe And Asia
During the Classical Age, Europe and Asia's empires had many similarities and differences in their developing cultures. Throughout the second wave
empires, the regions of Europe and Asia had different prominent religions, and different social structures, but were similar in their development of a
patriarchal society. In the second wave of civilizations, many cultural differences occurred between the regions of Europe and China. One of these
distinct differences was religious beliefs that took over certain empires. Europe and China had very different religions that rose to prominence. In
Europe, the most prominent religion became Christianity, which became the official religion of the Roman Empire in 4th century CE. Christianity
was centered around the birth of Jesus, a teacher who encouraged his followers to renounce wealth and encouraged a moral life. This religion
attracted many in the Roman Empire because of its inclusiveness and openness to all social classes. Christianity also increased in popularity because
of its support from Roman leaders seeking to bring together the diverse population during a period of a weakened imperial state. This state support is
similar to the development of an Islamic empire during the post classical age. A common religion was often a tactic of imperial powers to unify a
divided state.This development of Christianity sharply differs from the development of prominent religions in Asia, such as Buddhism and Hinduism.
Hinduism began in India

The Differences Of Culture And Culture Essay
The Differences of Culture
Culture is part of each of us; its characteristics are defined by a combination of multiple conditions such as language, religion, places, people, lifestyle,
etc. People in different societies have different cultures, sometimes they can be significantly different, but they can also have similarities. We are all
surrounded by people of different backgrounds, religion and culture. This expands our knowledge and by being surrounded of different cultures, it let
us to think with an open mind accepting our differences, but also celebrating our similarities. Some of us might have a greater knowledge in this
subject; some of us have live between a mix of cultures. People that have emigrated from a different country know how different cultures can be. I
believe every one of us at some point have seen the differences of cultures, some might know little about them, but at least everyone can be identified
with their own culture. To know who we are and what our culture represents is important, it is also important to expand our knowledge in cultures
from people that surround us because we are in a diverse world where millions of people live differently and it might surprise us how different but also
how similar we all are.
Culture is powerful; it can shape our perceptions, attributions, judgment, and ideas of our self and of others. It is one of the most important attributes
in our lives. We carry this since a very young age; we look up to our parents, our

Cultural Differences
Cultural differences
In modern society, there is no obvious difference in everyday's life, but my life has changed a lot since I came to America. So today I want to
compare the differences between eastern and western cultures simply by my own experience, and for your better understanding, I will set examples of
China and America. First of all, there is a big difference between China and America in the food. In my personal view, Chinese food is more fresher
than America. Chinese people preferred noodles, rice, and dumplings as main course, and China has a long history of diet culture; the pattern of the
food variety is very rich. Chinese farmers' market and supermarkets are everywhere, even in the absence of a refrigerator can also live, because
shopping is very convenient. We can get fresh vegetables and meat everyday. But American life seems a little bit different. Many Americans love to eat
a high–fat, high sugar and high–energy food, such as meat, cheese, and hamburgers. So Americans more than fat, and their obesity rate is higher than
Chinese people. Americans generally purchasing food once a week. Generally speaking, Chinese food is fresher than American, but now, I can adapt to
American life gradually. Secondly, different history is the reason why these cultures are different. In Chinese culture, family is the most important
factor. When one is very little, he has been taught to love and respect his family, to look after his parents when they get old. "Family

The Miles Between Cultural Differences
Everyone has a different way of life, whether it is by the way you talk, dress, or eat. Or maybe how you dance, sing, and perform. These aspects of
everyday life are called culture. Everybody in the world has a culture, but not all cultures are the same from person to person. In the book, The Miles
Between, a group of teens, who attend a boarding school, have a different way of life than I do. Even though there are bounteous differences between
our cultures, there are still some similarities peeping through all the differences. One of the utmost important parts of culture, I believe, is who
influenced you to grow your culture, and who influenced you to act the way you act. Therefore, family is an immense part of controlling your
culture. If you are Destiny Faraday, the main character of The Miles Between, you do not have a family, or anybody to rely on. No mother, father,
sister, or brother, nobody to raise her in the way she is, and to help her create her culture. Destiny witnessed her parents and her brother Gavin die in
a plane crash at the age of seven. That was a very traumatic incident, she was driven to witness at such a young age, "my parents and Gavin are dead"
(Pearson, 230). The quote was her telling her friends that her parents are no longer alive. This is a large difference because I still have my parents, and
they have raised me my whole life, which has a colossal effect on how my culture is developed and experienced. What my parents eat, has influenced
what

College Admissions Essay: Cultural Differences
Unlike a lot of my peers, I have lived in several places. I have had countless experiences linked to each place that I have resided, and each one has
made a mark on me culturally and intellectually. My entire life has consisted of balancing the cultures and values of two different countries and the
cities within them. This has given me a priceless personality trait that differentiates me from a lot of individuals my age: adaptability. On July 5th,
1999, I was born in Grand Falls–Windsor, Newfoundland, Canada. I resided in the quaint town of Lewisporte for the first two years of my life. One
thing about Newfoundland is that it is slow–paced. The environment is very free and vast, yet everybody knows everyone and the cultural values are
innocent and simple. Suddenly, this comfortable environment that my parents and I were accustomed to was taken from underneath us when my dad's
job sent us to Houston, Texas. One might think that the differences between Canada and the United States are not that drastic, but they are
considerably diverse. I moved from a town of 3,500 people to a city of 3.5 million, and that was one of the biggest culture shocks my family has
experienced. Houston was where I developed a good portion of my childhood. I spent 11 years there, growing up and going through elementary school
I am able to easily face adversity and adapt to new places due to my fast–paced, migrant lifestyle, and I find those traits to be priceless to one's
personality. I am blessed to have been where I have been and to have seen what I have seen. If I grew up in one place my entire life, I wouldn't be
the person I am today, and I would be less capable of accepting new cultures and environments. I am proud of my heritage and my background because
of who it has made me into

What It Means To Be Human Essay
Being a member of humanity is an experience that cannot be compared to anything else on this planet; we are the only species on this planet that has
our unique combination of traits. Our culture, or "traditions and customs, transmitted through learning, that form and guide the beliefs and behavior of
the people exposed to them," (Kottak, 2015, p. 3) are so varied and wide that the same culture is not repeated exactly on a different part of the planet.
Cultural anthropology is "the study of human society and culture, is the subfield that describes, analyzes, interprets, and explains social and cultural
similarities and differences." (Kottak, 2015, p. 7), and the main method of viewing, as well as appreciating, our cultural differences. Looking at
humanity through the lens of cultural anthropology shows so many sides of the lives of others that it is hard to conceive.
Being human is an experience that is incredibly complex, including not just culture, but social structures, linguistics, and behaviors. There is much to
be learned by observing other people, such as the intricacies of their mannerisms and how they speak. Looking at personal observations, being human
entails inconsistencies in behavior. If someone views you as "lower" in the totem pole than they are, such as a retail employee and customer, they tend
to speak down to you. Class structure is still alive and well in our modern world, just in different forms.
Humanity loves labels, as much as they deny it outwardly.

Understanding Cultural Differences in the Work Place
Spring Session B
Professor Davis
5/6/2012
Chamberlain College Of Nursing
The importance of understanding cultural, ethnic and gender differences by managers and professionals in a business setting is essential to make the
work environment comfortable. In every culture there are basic standards of thinking, and acting and these cultural differences strongly influence
workplace values and communication. What may be considered acceptable and natural in the workplace for one person may be unacceptable for
another person. People from diverse cultures bring new ways of thinking, creativity and language skills needed to survive in today's work force. In many
When there is a commonality the gap in the bridge can be closed.
Having a commonality will allow the gap in cultural, gender and ethnical differences to merge together. Example, there is an older lady that work
with me who is very quiet and she is from Africa. Several coworkers whisper about her, stating "she's evil, she's scary, and she's a witch". I started
talking to this lady and I enjoyed our conversation. This woman has so much wisdom that I felt like a little child sitting at the feet of my Parents.
This woman stated "I know what people are saying about me and told me she's not a witch and that she doesn't get involved in other people
business and that she sit and observe quietly and pray when she's not working." This woman is now known as the go to person if you need prayer.
Because of this woman being different from what was considered normal she was labeled. According to the lecture for this week, "The challenge
for us is to find ways to bridge the gap between groups. To do so, we have to develop certain skills and abilities. The first is to examine our own views
of others, be they part of the minority or the majority group, a different social class, or a different gender." (Bell, 2007).
As a manager one would have to examine their views and cultural biases before trying to implement cultural literacy to their employees. Once
managers and professionals become culturally literate then the cultural bridges at work can be formed. This can happen by

Interpersonal communication held great prominence in daily human interactions, as it was a path to building a relationship and exchanging ideas and
feelings. Although achieving a more effective communication would be the goal, there was no single answer to this pursue. A certain style of
communication could be evaluated differently under various circumstances or in distinct cultures. Therefore, examining and reflecting on how one's
culture impacted each area that contribute to interpersonal communication was essential to gain a better understanding with cognitive complexity.
Emotions and its expression had different values depending on the environment and culture; it influenced the tone and atmosphere of the conversation
and extended to affecting the presenting and perceived self. Effectively managing one's emotions affected how others would respond to your feelings
through emotional contagion. In Asian cultures, people were discouraged from displaying their emotions explicitly since it was perceived as being
arrogant and having low self–discipline, especially negative emotions like sadness and jealousy. Nevertheless, people who showed their emotions with
honesty and positivity were trustworthy and straightforward in western cultures. This difference was very apparent in an interview setting, where the
interviewees from an Asian background appeared more modest and quiet while the interviewees who grew up in western culture were more eager to
present and market themselves.

The Importance Of Cultural Differences
Learning, and understanding why and how different cultures live, is something that can benefit anyone socially because it can help foster
understanding, break down social barriers, and introduces new or different ways of doing things. Understanding other cultures not only provides
needed information for interacting with people, but can also help avoid miscommunications. For example, in mainstream America, making eye
contact is a sign of respect and trustworthiness. Job interviewers especially might look for this trait during an interview. However in contrast to this,
people in many Asian cultures are taught not to make eye contact as a sign of respect. Due to the way they have been brought up, they may not make
direct eye contact with an employer during an interview to show their respect, but that employer may assume they are dishonest or disrespectful
because of the misunderstanding. Had the employer been aware of the cultural differences, they may have taken it as a sign of good characteristics
rather than a sign of disrespect. Awareness of cultural differences can greatly help someone to avoid offending another while communicating. Knowing
about other world cultures can also help steer clear of misunderstandings. If an American family was going to have dinner at a Muslim friend's house,
as a gift they might bring a bottle of wine, not knowing Muslims do not drink wine. It's an honest mistake, however, it could have been avoided easily
had they known more about the Muslim

Different Cultures, Different Essay
Every society and culture has different ways of interpreting and defining occurrences by the way their own culture or society functions. "A society's
culture, consists of whatever it is one has to know or believe in order to operate in a manner acceptable to its members"(Geertz 242). The rituals,
customs, ethics and morals that are attributed to the cultures have caused these differences. To understand how the people of one culture interpret a
situation or event, one must evaluate the attributes that a culture has. The criteria that an event is based on changes as one culture applies their own
ideas to the given situation. Heroism and violation are two concepts that are easily misinterpreted depending on culture's ideals. Since cultures...show
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What tripped Cohen up, and with him the whole, ancient pattern of social and economic relationships within which he functioned, was a confusion of
tongues. (Geertz 241)
Geertz explains that the reason for the confusion, and the different interpretations of the event that took place is a simple misunderstanding that when
took place in clashing cultures with different views, both striving to claim the situation in their own contexts became a somewhat humorous event. This
conflict between cultures causes a view of a person to change depending on which point of reference they are being seen from.
In Ernest Hemingway's "Indian Camp," the conflict between cultures again cause a difference of views of the father. The concept of heroism and
violation becomes the issue of conflict. The father or doctor is considered a hero or a violator of the Indian woman depending on the culture
viewing him. From the father's culture, he is viewed as a hero for his actions at the Indian camp. His actions are viewed as heroic under the
circumstances of his procedure. Because of the culture of the Indian people, having a white man, an outsider of the tribe, come in and operate on an
Indian woman is viewed as obscene and a violation of the woman not to

In every culture, people work diligently to find a common ground for acceptance and tolerance. Typically, people are accepting of various social
criteria that are oftentimes associated with a specific ethnicity. However, many individuals simply tolerate the beliefs, standards, values, and behaviors
of other individuals in society while inwardly opposed to the model of the displayed behaviors of other individuals as it relates to another individuals
beliefs, value systems, and other variables that influence how an individual functions in society.
Individualism and collectivism is arguably two topics that are the subjects of continued debate and for that reason, this paper provides a comparison
and contrast of...show more content...
Collectivism maintains that human kind is adjoined to collective actions and collective thought processes for the sake of the universal good.
Collectivism is similar to anthropomorphism for the reason that the concept attempts to perceive a group of individuals as having a solitary identity
comparable to a person (Shaughnessy, Zechmeister, & Zechmeister, 2009). Collectivism requires that the group be more important than the
individual is. It requires the individual to sacrifice him or herself for the assumed good of the group.
In many Asian or Indian cultures, the collectivism approach is instilled in individuals from birth because of cultural customs and beliefs (Brown,
1993). Many people in both cultures generally reside at home until the parents agrees that he or she is old enough to move away which generally is
for the purpose of school or marriage. Furthermore, when the individual moves away for school he or she is often assigned a chaperone (Shaughnessy,
Zechmeister, & Zechmeister, 2009). Additionally when the individual gains permission to leave the fold for marriage, the marriage is often
pre–arranged and is generally not the sole choice of the individuals getting married (Brown, 1993). Although this form of marriage or lifestyle may be a
Stone Age concept to many Americans, many cultures, continue the practice. Often the family ties are strong for the reason that pre–arranged
marriages are often for business purposes and both

Cultural Differences Argument Analysis
Cultural Ethical Relativism is a theory that is used to explain differences among cultures, and thus their moral codes. According to cultural relativists,
different cultures have different moral codes, and there is no objective truth in ethics. They believe there is no independent standard that can be used to
judge one's custom as better than another's. In his article entitled "The Challenge of Cultural Relativism," James Rachels offers his argument against the
theory of Cultural Relativism by proving the Cultural Differences Argument is unsound and invalid. Further in his article, Rachels reasons against the
claims made by cultural relativists, and he argues there are common values shared by all cultures and there exists an independent standard...show more
content...
If the Cultural Relativism is correct, then each culture will have total freedom in which its people can do whatever they want within their society
because what is right is determined by the moral code of that society, and we cannot judge them since there is no independent standard that can be used
to judge one's custom. For example, in the late 19th century in the Southern United States, despite the passages of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendment
had abolished slavery and made African Americans citizens, the majority of White Americans still perceived the Negroes as inferior. Within the society
in the South, the culture determined it was right that whites were superior over blacks and American Whites could do whatever they pleased to the
African Americans. Consequently, the violent actions White Americans had committed against the Negroes, such as murdering, lynching and
preventing blacks to vote, were culturally acceptable in the South. If the Cultural Ethical Relativism is right, then what these whites had done is
justified as correct and they did not commit any moral mistakes since their culture permitted such a

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