To What Extent Does Culture And Identity Affect One's Life

Though it does not come up in everyday thought, cultural identity is an idea that all humans possess. Abridged, cultural identity can be simply explained as the sharing of a similar culture by people of various ethnicities. However, cultural identity is more complex than that, defined by an individual’s values, beliefs, and ideas of moral behavior influenced by their culture. Furthermore, cultural identity is ever changing from individual to individual. This means that although two individuals may be of the same ethnicity, differences in circumstances may cause variations between the individuals’ personal beliefs. As a result of interracial interactions, multiculturalism has grown during the twenty-first century.

Our day to day lives can typically involve umpteen interactions with individuals from across the life span whose identity comprises multiple layers. Culture can often be a significant element of identity; thus practicing cultural safety, which can be viewed as an environment where individuals’ cultural identities, rights, and experiences are not challenged or denied, rather they are respected and understood (Williams, 1999), within interactions is essential. Cultural awareness, sensitivity, and competence are intertwined in cultural safety, and a principle step in developing and understanding these concepts is examining our own cultural identities and how they shape our worldviews and attitudes. In this paper, I will reflect on my own cultural

Imagine a person who spends their whole life wearing a pair of glasses that paints the world in a monotone blue filter. They go about their lives, ignorant to a plethora of color around them. They see blue trees, blue grass, blue houses - blue everything. But one day, this person takes the glasses off, and, for the first time, they are exposed to a variety of different pigments. A person’s culture, in a way, is just like these glasses. One’s culture can have a profound impact on how he or she views the world, but this impact can be altered and mitigated through self reflection and objective inspection of one’s cultural identity, or can be supplemented by an individual’s personality or experiences, and while some may argue that our culture is predestined and ingrained in us at an early age by our society, an acknowledgement of this, along with a desire to broaden one’s horizons, can eliminate this concern.

Question #1: In your journals, please reflect on how your cultural upbringing influences who you are and the perspectives that you have on the world around you.

Please number and type out each question, followed by your responses to correspond with each point below:

Culture and identity could have numerous diverse definitions due to its nature of being “a composite of multiple integrated identities” (Samovar, Porter, McDaniel & Roy, 2013, p. 216). As most would agree, culture is what makes a person who they are. The distinct relationship between identity and culture is one where they co-exist and correlate with one another. It is the assured characteristic that belongs to a person which makes them different from everyone else in the world. Like a gene, it distinctively separates one identity from the other on a personal echelon. Aptly put, in Barker (2012), “…identity is concerned with both sameness and difference…” as it is “…deemed to be both personal and social” (p. 220). A person’s culture aids in

Learning about different cultures can be fun and exciting. Throughout life I never thought I had any culture at all until I started thinking about all the things I was taught as I grew up. Culture has shaped me in every way possible. The way I dress, speak, learn, and communicate are all examples. Throughout the paper I’ll be explaining all of the things that influenced my life, and even how I’ve changed.

What factors directly affect a person’s self-identity? Familial upbringings and cultural legacies directly affect a person’s point of view on a person’s self-identity. Many people of the African American cultures relate trace their roots back to their African heritage. Their view of culture and heritage is often taught from their parents. Asian Americans tend to be harder on education and show value honor to their families. Dependent on what part of Asia an individual’s ancestry hails from, that individual can trace their Asian cultural tendencies roots. Many people stereotype individuals of Irish descent to the Saint Patrick holidays and the binge drinking associated with the famous holiday. Does

“Cultural identity is the identity or feeling of belonging to a group. It is part of a person's self-conception and self-perception and is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality or any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture…” what this quote expresses is that everyone has a different cultural identity due to their life style and cultural background. In my point of view social and economic factors influence my cultural identity.

I think ethnicity will give a broader identity in relating to others because it contains similarities in social views, identified language, cultural experiences and other experiences. Also, ethnicity differs from a race because race limits one to physical characteristics, unlike ethnicity which can link you to other cultural groups for more social

In a multicultural society like the United State, people are often defined by their ethnicity and background rather than their characteristics. It is often difficult to look past a person’s ethnicity because many people make these assumptions in their head before even knowing the person. This issue leads to the question to what extent ethnicity affects a person’s identity in the United States. I believe that ethnic background plays a big role in determining a person’s identity in the United States, these assumptions create phenomenon like institutionalized racism, redlining, and racial scripts. I conducted interviews with a Japanese American and a Mexican American to see how their ethnicity has affected them when it comes to interaction with other people. I am interested to see how big of an impact would being a model minority or being stuck in negative stereotype affect how they are treated. Through these interviews I believe that it will show how big of a role ethnicity plays in a person’s identity in a multicultural society.

As a Vietnamese, I am very proud of the values and the ethics that still remains from thousands of years ago, by the way of life of the ancient; the upbringing, and the respect that we may not have now. “Cultural identity” is what I am talking about. Every single person has a different perspective on cultural identity. Culture plays a huge role in shaping individual personality or identity. It also refers to the traditions, people around you, and religion, etc. Our background is what sets us apart from everyone else because we came from a different culture. That is why culture created; it makes you feel belonging to something. Culture determines the person we are today and in future.

“‘We had our test today, and she made me and the other Indians sit at the back of the room, with a desk between each one… She said it was because Indians cheat’” (Rau 48). Admiring the short story, By Any Other Name written by Santha Rama Rau, the teacher was discriminating against the Indian students because of her culture's perception of Indians. This type of biased opinion appears across all cultures and at times is difficult to understand. Despite the argument that misunderstandings between various cultures ultimately decide how they view one another because each individual has the choice to form opinions and thoughts beyond their culture's teachings; acknowledging, all

Cultural identity is the basis in which identification is used to express different aspects pertaining to identity and heritage. A person's cultural identity may be created by social organization, as well as traditions and customs within their lives. The two aspects that construct my cultural identity are the frequent chores I must complete every day in order to fulfill my behavioral expectations, and the youth group I attend weekly. These aspects are important to my family and me. Therefore, my identity has an immeasurable effect on my upbringing into this multi-cultural world I live in.

Cultural identity is a part of the psychological self-concept that expresses an individual or group’s worldview and perceived cultural affiliations. The first step in finding a societal fit is to establish a cultural identity; this can be on an individual level and group level. Who am I? And where do I belong? These questions start to form in the human mind from an early age; it drives humans to explore their worldviews and how and where they fit in the world. Rosenfeld (1971) argued it is a deep-seated primal process that has ensured our continual survival. By finding others that think and act similarly we are offered some protection (Erickson, as cited in Carducci 2015). Erickson (as cited in Carducci, 2015) and Maslow (as cited in Mcleod 2007) argued that the need to belong is a basic building block of human development. Whatever the reason, the consensus is that humans have an intrinsic need to find a like-minded cultural group to belong to; this chosen affiliation is their cultural identity. A person may identify with more than one cultural