To be culturally self- aware one must be aware of the values beliefs and traditions celebrated by a group of people who consider themselves a culture. This could be schools, the local or wider community and religious groups etc... Once a person is culturally self-aware, it is easier for them to effectively participate or accept culturally categorised situations. Having cultural intelligence is important to live and function in a cohesive inclusive society such as Darwin. This critical reflection will contemplate the importance of a multi-cultural society using readings and experiences to demonstrate how cultural self-awareness assists people in becoming more culturally intelligent.
Before we delve into the how and why cultural self-awareness assists people in becoming culturally intelligent, we must first define what each term means. Culture is a term which has no set definition, it is open to change and interpretation however according to Matsumoto 1996:16, culture is ‘…the set of attitudes, values, beliefs and behaviours shared by a group of people, but different for each individual, communicated from one generation to the next’ (Spencer-Oatey, 2012.) Therefore to be culturally self- aware, one must have a firm understanding of who they are and they role they play within there personal culture. Whereas, cultural intelligence “is a person 's capability to function effectively in situations characterized by cultural diversity” (Van Dyne, 2016.)
Moving around as a young
Mergers and acquisitions has become an important part of the American commerce, which communication plays an important role in reducing the negative impacts. While Schweiger agrees that failure to communicate with employees during a merger will increase employee uncertainty and anxiety, he highlights that previous researchers (Napier et al., 1989) did not measure uncertainty nor any of the supposed dysfunctional outcomes said to follow uncertainty.
America is greatly influenced and enhanced by the many versatile cultures which inhabit it. Cultural diversity has added to our economy in such a way that it brings innovated ideas and contact structures throughout the world. International cuisines have come to America through subcultures, have expanded the food industry, and have allowed English Americans to try new foods and flavors. Immigrants have brought with them religious values that greatly differ and vary from those at which were natural in the main stream American culture. The educational development through foreign nationals has led America, as a nation, to excel and be deemed one of the most intelligent nations in the world! Consequently, the subcultures have kept our
As Mahatma Gandhi said, “No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive” (Mahatma). Our culture identifies who we are and how we behave in social environments and provides us with a foundation in which to live our lives and raise our families. Each individual culture has certain customs and courtesies that are important. Exposure to the cultures of others can be intimidating and can leave a person feeling confused and unsure about how they fit in (Schaefer 60). Culture shock can leave a person feeling out of place in an unfamiliar culture (Schaefer 60). Our diverse societies demand understanding and acceptance of other cultures. Learning and understanding these cultures before being
Anthropologists have always had their discrepancies with the word culture and its background significance. There have been numerous definitions that have filtered through the field, yet not one that everyone can accept or agree with. Franz Boas, an anthropologist in the early 20th Century, and his students, had a difficult time figuring out the objective of what culture is. Culture is about learning and shared ideas about behaviour. Although Boas and his students had a slightly different idea in mind. They ultimately reached a conclusion, a definition of culture in their view that is a contradiction in terms. Boas sates that, “ culture was expressed through the medium of language but was not reducible to it;
A person can learn a tremendous amount about an individual by exploring their culture. Culture is the doorway to the foundation of a person’s make-up. An individual can obtain a broader perspective on obvious concepts by gaining knowledge. Recently there have been a tremendous amount of publicity because of racial indifference, justice, and knowledge.
Many Anthropologists explore the idea of becoming culturally conscious by discussing possible ways to view other cultures. For Ruth Benedict, viewing a culture is seeing the world through a lense. For Carol Delaney, it is seeing that there is a commonality between cultures, in this sense it is the idea of initiation rituals. For Susan Harding, being able to view a culture revolves around being open to being affected by culture. From these Anthropologist’s works, I found ways and examples in which I have noticed differences or similarities between cultures, and how I have become more culturally conscious based on their ideas of how one becomes culturally conscious.
When looking around the community one lives in, it is easy to see just a single large culture. If a person was to examine their community they might find many different cultural groups within the superior one. Some of those cultures that are easily overlooked include the deaf community, whiteness and military living. Educating one’s self will allow them to be accepting and caring for others through understanding.
Several factors affect the formation of one’s culture, Palispis, E. (2007) quoted Sir Edward Tylor, “Culture… refers to that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as member of society.” (Palispis, E., 2007) In this context culture is something we acquire from the people we have lived with since we were born, it is not something a person can learn overnight nor can be disposed effortlessly.
Cultural self-awareness is strongly linked to development of a cultural intelligence for a number of reasons. Thus, this essay will critically reflect on what cultural self-awareness is and its importance on how it develops ones cultural intelligence. Before we discuss about cultural self-awareness and cultural intelligence, it is important to understand what culture is and how it impacts on our society. Culture is a complex subject that can be defined in various ways.
The school atmosphere was different I was hanging with Caucasian girls and the African American children did not understand what I was doing being so close to children opposite of my own culture. At that point, I was unsure of what their problem was but realized they were sheltered from other cultures and raised differently. This caused several fights as a child because other children would call me a “little white girl” and I had no idea of what that meant and was offended. I was raised around majority boys in the neighborhood, until I started playing softball, some would consider me as a tomboy. So
The concept of globalization, which is the increasing integration and interdependence of different countries from one another in terms of economic, communication, and technological aspects, leads one to address the concept of cultural diversity or multiculturalism. Cultural diversity in the health-care system touches lives of many Americans in one way or another. No matter what our own cultural background is, when we go receive medical care, we may encounter a care giver who comes from a different cultural background than ours(Naylor 1997,291).. In the concept of cultural diversity, it can be recognized that two terms are equally important. The first concept is culture, which refers to the total way of life of individuals, and the unique
Italian culture has a rich history that includes art, classic architecture, music, popular traditions and customs. Many people who visit Italy are somewhat surprised by the diversity of the dialects, cuisines, architecture, and craftsmanship.
According to Carl R. Rogers, “The only way to understand another culture is to assume the frame of reference of that culture,” a statement that could not be further from the truth, since it is something constantly expressed through centuries of multicultural works. Multiculturalism is all about featuring characters and themes from countries around the world. In terms of literature, writers of all kinds of different ethnic backgrounds such as David Henry Hwang, Luis Valdez, and Harriet Jacobs express their ideas and values through these methods in their works to get readers to examine them in detail and get a feel of the experience of what it truly means to be a part of that specific culture throughout history from the perspectives of those
Self-awareness: Becoming aware of our own cultural norms, and awareness of one own cultural heritage and how it affects worldviews, values, and assumptions. Not being aware could lead to being mis-understanding, mis-communication and mis-judgment.
Culture gets defined as the shared behavior that usually exists within a given group of people, and is known to have learned and develop with time through socialization in the families, social groups, and schools. This group of people has to reach an agreement for that culture to exist. Culture awareness, therefore is the understanding that someone has about the difference between themselves and other groups of people from other countries or even other backgrounds. It could be differences regarding their behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, norms and their values. Different people do things in a particular way; they view the world in various manners and even react to things in a variety of ways (Whittaker, A. 2010 ). Culture awareness in Italy is the focus of this paper.