There are many ways that cultural values are expressed in everyday life. We as individuals recognize these expressions easily, but when we look more broadly at cultures, it becomes harder to identify which behaviors belong to what culture. That is why it is so difficult to describe any one group of people as just having […]
There are many ways that cultural values are expressed in everyday life. We as individuals recognize these expressions easily, but when we look more broadly at cultures, it becomes harder to identify which behaviors belong to what culture.
That is why it is so difficult to describe any one group of people as just having “cultural value X” or “value not belonging to culture Y.” Instead, every individual in a given society has their own set of culturally derived beliefs and practices, and they all go together to form this unique system that is clearly identified as being part of the same culture.
We also cannot say whether an activity or behavior belongs to our current culture or another without first defining both terms. Therefore, in this article I will use the term ‘cultural tradition’ instead of ‘culture.’” This is because there is no universally accepted definition for the word ‘culture.’
Another important concept to understand about groups of people is called homogeneity. This refers to the fact that like with humans, most animals develop shared traits and characteristics from early childhood experiences.
For example, if children spend time around other kids that speak the same language, do arts and crafts together, and eat the same food, then they will pass this knowledge onto each other and begin using the language, doing art projects, and eating foods that paired well together.
This process continues into adulthood as adults share similar backgrounds and experiences.
Expressing traditions is an integral part of being human. We get into habits and routines that we feel are worth repeating because they have worked in past times for us or due to personal experience with them.
Traditions help give structure to our lives. They provide consistency, normalizations, and guidelines for how to behave towards people and things.
We learn from experiences of the past so that we can repeat successful behaviors and avoid unsuccessful ones. Culture teaches us about what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior through examples set by those around us.
Expressing traditions is therefore one way that large groups create internal norms and expectations for themselves. These cultures often seem unconscious at first, but over time they influence many aspects of your life — work, family, friendships, and more.
It’s not just what you do, but also why you do it. When you understand the roots of these practices, you can better recognize when someone is using them to promote their own goals and agendas.
There are always differences among cultures. This is due to many things, such as geographical location, history, economic conditions, etc.
Some of these differences arise from natural tendencies towards creating certain types of cultures. For example, people who live near water tend to have coastal cultures that focus more on waves, beaches, and boats than mountains or deserts.
Other differences come about because some societies are better at promoting certain values than others. In fact, some cultures actively discourage the promotion of other values.
We will look closer at two different sets of values later in this article. However, for now just be aware that there are never only two options when it comes to values.
There is a theory in psychology called socialization. This theory suggests that we as individuals develop our sense of self-identity or who I am as a person by how others see me and my place in society.
My culture defines me; it gives me my identity. Therefore, if you want to know what things are important to me, find out what my culture says about those things.
By studying how cultures define success and failure, strength and weakness, good and evil, you can determine which concepts are more prevalent in my culture and use them to help me identify my most significant cultural values.
There are always certain things that people consider to be important, and then there are times when new priorities emerge. What was important one generation may not matter as much to the next. People have different experiences, which shape how they perceive the world around them.
In other words, cultural values shift. Sometimes rapidly and sometimes more slowly, but it happens. This is what makes it so difficult to generalize about culture.
One of the major shifts in cultural value that we’ve seen in recent years is an emphasis on individualism versus collectivism. In a collective society like ours, where almost everyone is either wealthy or well-to-do, socialized individuals who enjoy being with others and sharing experiences are highly prized.
But in a society where only a few have wealth while most struggle to make ends meet, people who are good at taking care of others and helping those less fortunate are considered very valuable – even if they don’t necessarily feel that way themselves.
Recent events have shown that some cultural practices are not only harmful to individuals, but also detrimental to communities.
Many argue that these cultures contribute negatively to society and community well-being. These include certain types of music, movies, and literature.
Certain books and films may contain content or messages which promote ideologies or behaviors that can be damaging to others. This is because they reinforce existing societal norms and structures that create inequalities.
For example, studies show that exposure to violence as a form of entertainment can desensitize people to it and normalize it.
This can make it easier to accept acts of violence in our daily lives and even encourage more violent behavior. It alters how we perceive other genders and social classes and makes it difficult to identify true empathy.
Music can influence how we feel about ourselves and the world around us. Certain songs can make us feel bad about ourselves or depressed. Others can boost self-confidence or motivate us to do things!
It is important to know what effects different media products have on you so that you can separate what is good for you from what is not.
A culture that encourages respect for nature is one where people appreciate, conserve, and take care of natural resources. Such cultures are also often called “green” or “eco-friendly.”
People in such cultures tend to value life outside of human systems over systems with only self-interest as their goal. They believe in keeping ecosystems healthy and sustainable through practices like recycling, using energy efficiently, eating locally grown foods, etc.
These cultures recognize that humans depend on natural environments for survival and they strive to preserve these settings so future generations can thrive.
Such cultures understand that humanity has a limited time here on Earth, which makes it important to keep this planet habitable for future generations. These societies usually aim to reduce their ecological footprints and use eco-technology to do so.
Examples of positive environmental cultural values include practicing sustainability, living without consuming more than needed, and respecting nature. All three of these promote health and wellbeing for individuals and society at large.
They help us feel good about ourselves as we live an ethical lifestyle that preserves our environment and gives us hope for the future. It is an integral part of who we are as people.
The second major factor in how much influence a group has is their culture. This term refers to the norms, practices, beliefs, and attitudes that are shared within a community.
Your culture includes everything from the clothes you wear to the way you cook food to what music you listen to. These things all have origins in past generations, and they all contribute to creating an overall feeling for people who belong to your group.
For example, when most people think of “Americans,” they may think about cars, baseball, and guns. But beyond these three items, there’s also something Americans believe about equality, freedom, and democracy.
These ideals originated with Enlightenment philosophers like Thomas Jefferson and John Locke, but today they’re mostly attributed to America’s founding fathers. And while some countries have made efforts to promote more inclusive ideologies (like giving equal rights to women or minorities), we still see many developed nations with very unequal opportunities.
Expressing your culture is not only a way to recognize that you are part of an important community, but it can also help bring in new people into your group. If someone hears something that resonates with them, they may want to join your group or be part of another group like yours.
By sharing these things about yourself, you show off what makes you unique as a person and create an atmosphere where anyone could feel comfortable expressing themselves.
Your group might emphasize celebrating the winter holidays more than the summer ones, so if someone has one special event planned, they might feel uncomfortable announcing it because they don’t celebrate the same holiday.
By being aware of this, you can avoid making others feel excluded and encouraging them to go along with the norm even when they do not.
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