What Does Culture Mean? Essay

Culture is defined by Merriam Webster as “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group. Also, the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time” (Culture). Although I agree with the majority of this definition; however, I do think it is limited by racial, religious or social group because there are more than those three groups that could be considered a culture which is why I would define culture as the latter definition that is any characteristic feature that is by any group of people. Furthermore, these cultures are constantly changing over time because the groups of people will change behaviors and characteristic features depending on how the world around them is changing. For example, with the emergence of technology and globalization, we have many new intersecting cultures present within the most individual cultures, which can create privilege or oppression for that culture based on the in/out group hierarchical behavior that has been explored through analyzing my previous encounters within a triple dorm last year. The most useful strategies that can be implemented to learn about the norms and expectations include understanding the intersectionality of the cultures, understanding the non-verbal and verbal communicative practices and remaining flexible within the preconceived notations about the norms or expectations of that different cultural group.

What is my cultural identity? Personally, I don’t think I am completely assured on what my cultural identity is, but I can do my best on explaining it. However, I won’t get started on that yet, first I’ll explain the occasion of me learning about my identity. At almost the beginning of the year, it was announced in our English class that we would be doing an essay on our cultural identities. When my teacher announced this I thought to myself, “What in the world is a cultural identity, or even my cultural identity?” In these months, we have gotten to learn the definition of culture, and what it means to us, individually., I believe that culture means a group of people that share the same customs, way of life, and beliefs. Also, over these last couple of months we have been reading texts all about people knowing and understanding their cultural identities, meanwhile I still didn’t understand my own. All I know is that I was born on February 11, 2002, I like movies and music, and my mom is from Chile and my Dad is from Virginia. Now that didn’t feel like enough for me to write on, but then I started thinking about all of the cultural differences that my parents have had raising me as a person, and how those have all combined to make me. In my short 15 years of life, the culture clashes have sometimes affected me on my thoughts and opinions, which I’ll talk about later on. As well as how movies and music have affected my perspectives and opinions.

Who am I? How do I identify myself? These two questions were the constant questions running through my mind as I envisioned writing a paper about cultural humility. First step, define cultural humility. Cultural humility, as I understand, is the ability for an individual to open their mind and be willing to learn about and find acceptance in differences between cultural identities. Answering the questions above and understanding the definition brought about some realizations within myself that were never really addressed; some of the issues didn’t really become clear until well into adulthood.

When someone asks me what is my cultural identity, there are a lot of things that come to my mind. For example, one of the first things that come to my mind is the how people see me which is by being hispanic. In the same way, I also think about the fact that in addition to being hispanic I am also Salvadorean which sets me apart from the idea that every hispanic is mexican and they are all the same. In the first few seconds after I am asked about my cultural identity, I think about who I am and what makes me me. I think about how I was raised and how different I might be compared to everyone around me. I am a straight male who does not have any disabilities. I do not have a high socioeconomic status, but I have sufficient. Being catholic, I have no problem exercising my religion as I please and that really sets me apart from many because not everyone identifies with the same cultural identity as I do. Some people encounter many obstacles due to their cultural identity, obstacles that I might not face which is why I feel like my cultural identity has affected different aspects of my life such as my social development, family, education among others.

Anderson, K. (2013). The Difference Between Macro and Microeconomics | Mint.com. Retrieved October 13, 2013, from https://www.mint.com/the-difference-between-macro-and-microeconomics/

Culture plays a big part on how you are as a person. A person beliefs are made up by their own unique cultural identity. Identity is what makes you who you are as person, and how does it defines you. Your identity doesn’t have to be just your ethnicity or how you look like, it’s way much more than that. While my culture is mixed with American and Asian aspects, Asian culture is most influential in my life because it helps me be motivated in school, affect my views on religion, and makes me have good deportment.

A person’s culture has a great influence on his or her self-identity and behavior. Culture encompasses many aspects, and is defined by Juang and Matsumoto (2011) as a, “unique meaning and information system, shared by a group and transmitted across generations, that allows the group to meet basic needs of survival, pursue happiness and well-being, and derive meaning from life” (p. 15). As discussed in lecture, different dimensions of culture are identified by Geert Hofstede and different values of culture are identified by Shalom Schwartz (K. Whitten, personal communication, January 14, 2016). The level of emphasis placed on these dimensions and values result in the expression of a unique culture. I interviewed

Culture is something that can be defined in many different ways, including your values, beliefs, family, friends and even the music you listen to. All these aspects buildup to define who you are as a person. The way you grew up, who raised you, your goals, thoughts and ideas all contribute to who we are. My cultural identity is shaped by what is closest to me, my friends, family and music.

Have you ever wondered how someone describes their background and personality. Well everyone has a culture and everyone describes it differently. No culture is the same. Culture is a person's heritage or lifestyle. It’s how a person goes day by day living happy. Culture is what you do on a daily basis also it tells people how you define yourself. Culture is basically the human definition. My cultural identity reflects my lifestyle ish… and is how i portray myself to others.

Finding my culture identity has been a confusing process on if I have one and if I do what is it? Culture to me is the way you live your life and the reason you are living that way.The way my family and I have been doing certain things and how it has impacted us as people.

Who am I? What defines my cultural identity? Cultural Identity is confusing. The official definition of cultural identity is the identity and emotions associated with the group you associate with. My definition is what makes up your experiences and decisions. My cultural identity is defined by growing a garden with my mom, my religion, my parents divorce, my gender, my age, the festival I attend yearly, and my heritage. Cultural identity makes me who I am today, it has shaped me into the woman I am now. My cultural identity has guided me to make the decisions I have along with the values I possess.

What is a person's cultural identity based off of? According to Google, “Cultural identity is often defined as the identity of a group, culture or an individual, influenced by one's belonging to a group or culture.” So what is my cultural identity? I believe no one person has one singular cultural identity. I can identify myself as a daughter, a sister, a Swede, an American, a water polo player, a swimmer, a Mormon, a high school student, or even a world traveler. In this paper the one I will identify as an American.

When I think about my cultural identity, I compare my own identity to others. While my religion is Christianity, others religions may be different. They may be Buddhist, or Muslim, or even Atheist. All these religions, and so many more, tie into different people’s cultures. Other things such as traditions, types of foods, and even the music we listen to, affect who we are. Our own cultures are the way we chose to live our lives. Whether it be the way we treat others or the way we think, they all have enormous impacts in the way we live.

How does one define their culture? Culture is how one is raised, what their ideals, and personal beliefs are. It shows through our actions and behavior. Our family, music, and various other items all show just what kind of person, what kind of being we are.

The concept of culture is something that defines many aspects of one’s life. From physical objects to different ways of thinking, culture adds significance to human life and makes groups of people distinct from one another. Culture is essentially a group of people who come together with similar interests and points of view. According to the Center for Advanced Language Acquisition of the University of Minnesota, “culture is defined as the shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs, and affective understanding that are learned through a process of socialization.” From a more sociological perspective, culture is a way in which people come together in order to fulfill their needs. These shared patterns and ideas identify the members of a culture group while also distinguishing those of another group.” Culture is one of the things that sets the United States apart from the rest of the world. Not that the rest of the world is not cultural, but the circumstance here is different. Many people of different cultural backroads come to this country in search of a better life. As a consequence, the United States has become a place where many cultures merge together like a colossal pot soup.