Dimensions of Culture in America and Germany Essay

Coming from a German culture, my family stays traditional in the way we celebrate holidays and eat food. The differences between German and American culture are very evident in their holiday traditions and meals, but there are also some similarities, such as language, that are often overlooked.

“Culture makes people understand each other better. And if they understand each other better in their soul, it is easier to overcome the economic and political barriers. But first they have to understand that their neighbor is, in the end, just like them, with the same problems, the same questions.”- Paulo Coelho. According to Paulo Coelho, in order to better overcome the worldwide obstacles, we should try to understand each other’s cultures. Through this paper, I will try to show you the main differences between German culture and American culture. I have always felt as if I have grown up around the German culture, but it took me living there for an extended period of time to see that there are indeed differences between the two cultures. While I identify with both cultures and have both nationalities, I identify stronger with some traits of the American culture yet do the same with some of the German culture. Through this paper, I will be using different models to show the similarities and differences, as well as I hope to gain a deeper understanding of both cultures as well.

Values are defined as the importance or preciousness of something. A long time ago, around the early 16 century the puritans came to the America they live with the Native Americans and had a set of values they both believed in and lived by. One may not expect to find many similarities between both of these groups, but there are many. The Native Americans were not very different than the Puritans. Native Americans valued many things like religion, family, and the concept of things being balanced. Specifically, they strongly appreciated their family. Puritans similar to the Native Americans, the Puritans were more civilized and valued family, life, religion.

A culture defines certain people as a whole and helps us distinct one from another. The culture that makes up the collective identity of a nation is made up from their values, beliefs, and attitudes in religion, education, government, geography, history etc. Specifically in American culture we are known for the creation of the Constitution, the Internet, and the Atomic bomb. All great achievements in American history some would say, but others could argue that they have been a disgraceful part of our history. Of course no one would oppose that those achievements have been beneficial but they certainly have their negative side effects. However you digest american culture you cannot deny that there is good and bad and when analyzed in

Culture is a specific set of morals and values that distinguish a group of individuals from another. The five characteristics that define a culture are that culture is learned, shared with others, based on symbols, it's integrated throughout a nation and lastly can have dynamic. Culture is learned, we primarily see culture taught in adolescent years through our peers, school, family, and even sometimes the media. Your upbringing has an impact on your culture. Culture often shared, it's a social construct. To learn a language, behavior, or even a tradition we must interact with other people, thus making culture shared. Culture is also sometimes based on symbols. We in America know that the flag, red, white, and blue is a symbol of the United States, this a part of our culture. Culture is integrated, it’s brought to wherever you may go in the world, it’s usually mixed with other cultures which make culture integrated. Culture is also dynamic; your culture can always modify slightly, it can always change.

A difference between Germany and America is freedom vs. security. Americans believe in having freedom even at the cost of sacrificing security. Germans on the other hand like to have security. They like to be able to plan ahead for long periods of time. They find the fact that in the US a person can be fired from their job for almost no reason at all very distressing. There is also a great difference in freedom of speech in the two countries. For example in the US racist Nazi propaganda would be legal where in Germany it is completely illegal. The American view is I

One definition of culture from the sheet “What is Culture?” is: “culture…designates what we pay attention to and what we ignore.”

The first and most important cultural difference between Americans and Germans is the issue of self-control and regulations. Many Americans are impulsive and make decisions without much thought behind their actions. Germans, as opposed to Americans, are much less susceptible for impulsive actions because in Germany there are significantly more rules and social norms for Germans to follow which are part of Ordnung. The reason why Germans have more social norms and rules than Americans is to prevent misunderstandings that may be taken as disrespect. Germans “feel comfortable with these kinds of rules, which give them a feeling of security as well as a strong sense of right and wrong” (Nees 39). The amount of rules and regulations that are in Germany might make an American

As we know, norms are social expectations that guide our behavior. In this paper, I will discuss norm violations that I’ve observed, and my own personal norm violation that I committed. I will describe what happened, what was done, and the reactions of the people around when these norms begat. I will also discuss the significance of folkways, mores, values, and sanctions to my observations.

In February of 1945, an unconditional surrender was written up, and to be presented to the successor of Adolf Hitler. Admiral Karl Doenitz signed this surrender in May of 1945 at the Yalta conference where Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill would identify a means to the end. At the time, Admiral Doenitz had his military commanders assume the government positions in Germany until a new government was later established. The agreements outlined in the surrender at the Potsdam Conference between July and August of 1945 were later fulfilled since no peace conference was held to further diagram the future of Germany. The agreement at the Yalta conference is what eventually shaped the outcome of Germany’s future from

Culture is defined as the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time (merriam-webster.com). America may be considered a “melting pot”, because it has been influenced by many different cultures. This blending of subcultures to create an extremely diverse culture makes America unique to the rest of the world. In Ishmael Reed’s article, “America: The Multinational Society” he argues America is not a single group of people, but many subcultures combined together; Atheism and competitive gaming are but two particular examples of the various subcultures that populate America.

As we know, norms are social expectations that guide our behavior. In this paper, I will discuss norm violations that I’ve observed, and my own personal norm violation that I committed. I will describe what happened, what was done, and the reactions of the people around when these norms begat. I will also discuss the significance of folkways, mores, values, and sanctions to my observations.

Culture. Is it just a way specific groups of people choose to live? What do people inside cultures define ‘culture’ as? To be fair, this two-syllable word has a vast interpretation that is dependent on the perception of the individual. Personally, I believe culture is a setting for a blah of people affiliated with the same ideology or lifestyle choices. The diverse population of the US has exposed us to multiple cultures from around the world living under one flag. In my opinion the variety of cultures could be rounded up into one singular culture that should be considered as “the American culture”.

When storing your clothes, you often put them inside of a Kleiderschrank, almost like a wardrobe here in the United States. Screens in windows are also not as common (Daily Life in the US vs. Germany). This allows Germans to air out their homes easier and provide another form of cooling off in the summer since there is no air conditioning. Toilets are also different. Instead of having a flush pedal, there are two buttons for “number one” and “number

There are a plethora of definitions which encompass culture. Dictionary.com Unabridged (2017) defines culture as the quality in a society, or an individual, that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent. Five characteristics of culture may include: a particular form or stage of civilization, the fine arts, scholarly pursuits, etiquette, and/or the drive towards excellence. The author of this essay adds to the definition to include culture in present day as: All interactions between a member of society and society.