Cultural Diversity : Differences Between High- And Low Context Cultures

Taking the first concern mentioned into consideration, we can easily relate to cross-cultural researcher, Edward T. Hall’s differentiation between high-context cultures and low-context cultures.

In the history of human societies, geographic differences are considered to be a factor that led to different lifestyles, values and beliefs that prevailed and have been the distinct characteristic of specific societies in the world today. From a broader viewpoint, it can be said that Asian cultures differ from North American, European, South American, and African cultures. However, it can also be said that there are similarities between North American, European, and African cultures, in the same way that Asian, South American, and again, African cultures share specific values and beliefs. These similarities and differences demonstrate that we are different from each other in so many ways, but we also have similarities that link each individual with another, and ultimately, that we are interdependent with each other.

During this cultural observation, the anthropological concepts that will be examined will be: culture, society, language and communication and finally kinship. For the purpose of the observation, the concepts are defined as: culture is ideas and behaviors that are learned and transmitted and are not a genetic means of adaptation. Along with the understanding that society is the learned behavior patterns and thought that help a group adapt to its surroundings (Park 2015, p.G2). Language and communication being defined as the human communication by means of shared symbols in the form of sounds or representations of sounds (Park 2015, p.271). Last of the

Today our society is built of different cultures and races. Cultural Diversity is a “diverse group in society, with varying racial classifications and national origins, religion affiliations, language, physical size, gender, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, and geographic locations” (Taylor, 2014, p.74). Nurses need to know the different types of cultures in our society in order to provide adequate care to clients with a different cultural background. As nurses, we need to understand that each client has different values and beliefs which are learned from families and communities. These values and beliefs can influence client’s health. For example, Muslim clients may refuse prescriptions containing gelatin, pork products, or alcohol while Jewish clients may be prohibited the use of the patient-controlled analgesia pump because it might be considered work during a Sabbath day (Arritt, 2014). These two cultures are different from the American culture in many ways, but they all need a good health care regardless of their values and beliefs.

Although employers generally feel justified in denying immigrants employment based on the needs of their businesses, immigrants have regularly filed discriminating lawsuits against these companies since the 1980’s under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects immigrants from being discriminated against based on their national origin (Texas Law Review, 20xx, p. 1496). Title VII has been used to litigate against employers who institute English-only rules as non-native English immigrants equate this to national origin discrimination (Texas Law review, 20XX, p. 1496). It seems that under the civil rights act of 1964, these individuals would have a legitimate claim of discrimination but despite the strong links, courts rarely rule in favor of the plaintiffs in these cases. The courts find that there is not significant harm caused to the plaintiff or sufficient business reasons were laid forth by the employer as reasons to justify its decision (Texas Law Review, 20xx, p. 1496)

One question that I have about a concept is, from chapter six: Culture and Diversity. With Stereotype threat the book states to help combat the effects of this: say that intelligence can be improved, and reframing the test as a tool to sharpen your mind to lessen the impact of the threat. What would you do is the issue was with the student's friends?

They ought to know not only the externals (cultural practices), such as music, food, clothing, language, and transportation, but also they need to understand the value of others’ culture. Moreover, in order to understand others’ culture, you ought to understand the context of their culture. Edward T. Hall suggests two different aspects to understand the context of cultures: a high-context culture and a low-context culture. A high-context culture is made up of people who pay attention to the concrete world around them (78), and it values groups than individual; whereas the low-context culture is made up of people who pay attention to communication and ideas, and it values the concepts, principles, and

After doing research on the topic of Black Lives Matter I became interested in finding a way that could help people to better understand each other and the different cultures that make up our society today. I acknowledge the fact that there are some who may hold the view that All Lives Matter and respect their view but by covering the Black Lives Matter under such a broad veil does the movement an injustice by losing sight on the very thing they are fighting for the consistent ignoring of black lives. I also acknowledge that there are some who under the name of Black Lives Matter attack and brutally murder police officers and riot in the streets in the name of protest and I do not condone or make light of what they are doing, but I ask that you not ignore the good work that the Black Lives Matter movement has done and continues to do just because of the actions of a few misinformed individuals. Regardless of where you may stand on the issue we must find a common ground and come to a solution that is good for all people whether they are involved in the issue or not. One way we can accomplish this is to educate ourselves, and more specifically our youth, about the different cultures and the diversity of the people who lives alongside us.

Many different agencies often accept that diversity relates only to precise ethnic and racial groups. Nonetheless, there is more than ethnicity and racial groups’ there are factors that might affect treatments; for example, a client's gender, age, sexual preference, spiritual beliefs, socioeconomic status, physical and mental capacities, and geographic location. Counselors need to understand how those factors can be utilized in a positive motive way with a client during treatment and/or how they can be barriers to engagement, treatment, and recovery (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2006).

While a best definition of the term ‘culture’ remains elusive, most anthropologists would agree on the necessity for having a working definition. John Monaghan and Peter Just elegantly define the slippery notion of culture as “our capacity to conceptualize the world and to communicate those conceptions symbolically” (2000).

There are many different things that you can get from observations. The purpose of observation is to understand the child and their developmental progress. You are able to observe all developmental domains in the classroom. You can observe physical development from fine motor to gross motor activities. You can also see the interactions with peers and adults as well as their interactions with their classroom materials and environment. These interactions allow us to watch the child’s communication, explorations, problem solving, movement and coordination as well as their feelings about self, and personal connections. This can help us see how they establish relationships with peers and adults also. You are able to learn about their personalities, temperaments, interests, dislikes, strengths and challenges. We are also able to see what types of skills the child needs to practice.

How diversity has had an impact on their life and/or how they have overcome an obstacle related to diversity.

Cultural Diversity refers to a concept whereby the history, beliefs, behavior, language, traditions, and values of racial and/or ethnic groups are what makes them distinct. Thus, cultural diversity includes a variety of features specific to a given group of people.

Kroeber and Kluckhohn (1962) identify over 150 scientific definitions of the concept of culture. Indeed, many authors have tried to define culture and this is why there are so many definitions and that a unique one is hard to find. First of all, Kroeber and Kluckholn (1952) assume that culture is a suite of patterns, implicit and explicit, “of and for behaviour acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiments in artefacts” (p.47). Later, Hofstede adds that culture is “the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one category of people from another” (Hofstede, 1991, p.51). This definition is the most widely accepted one amongst practitioners. For Winthrop (1991), culture is the distinctive models of thoughts, actions and values that composed members of a society or a social group. In other words,

Culture is a broad term which has been described by various philosophers since decades. It has been claimed by Raymond Williams to be “…one of the two or three most complicated words in English language” (Williams, 1976). Different definitions of the term, culture may have distinct descriptive ways and criterion to evaluate human activity. It is important to define the broad base of the sophisticated term ‘culture’, in the sense used later in the paper, to narrow down the discussion on our topic.