Dominant American Cultural Patterns
Individualism
by John Locke
Each individual is unique,
special, completely different
from others.
Equality
All people has the right to succeed
Proverbs (explanation) • Blood is thicker than water. Value: family, loyalty Origin: Scotland • The early bird catches the worm. Value: action Origin: England • God helps those who help themselves. Value: self-help Origin: Greece • Haste makes waste. Value: patience Origin: England • Time is money. Value: efficiency Origin: USA • Think three times before you take action. Value: caution Origin: China
organization interpretation
Second
Selection/stimulation
Understanding Perception
Cultural Filters & Perceptions
information and impressions from reality
cultural filter

Black White Red Pink Blue
Do Americans associate these colors with something the same or different?
Beliefs
• Beliefs are at the core of our thoughts and action. • Beliefs are our conviction in the truth of something—with or without proof. • Beliefs tell us how the world operates. • Beliefs affect our conscious and unconscious minds, as well as the manner in which we communicate. • Beliefs are learned and hence subject to cultural interpretation and cultural diversity.
in life and the state should ensure it.
Dominant American Cultural Patterns
Materialism
A right to be materially well off and physically comfortable.
Science & Technology
Priorities
Openness Cooperation Self-reliance Openness Self-reliance Family Openness Relationships Cooperation Openness Possessions Time
Relationships
Family Relationships Family Family Equality Relationships Seniority Seniority
We define culture as the deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, actions, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, role, spatial relations, concepts of universe, and artifacts acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving.
Science represents the major
tool for understanding and
improving life.
Dominant American Cultural Patterns
Progress and Change
Changing at a faster rate than any
Dominant American Cultural Patterns
Competition Individualism
American Cultural Patterns
Equality
Materialism
Science and Technology Work and Leisure Progress and Change
2. Secondary Values (also quite important: the securing of material possessions)
3. Tertiary Values (at the bottom of our hierarchy: hospitality, cleanness)
Group harmony Cooperation Relationships Cooperation Group harmony Cooperation Cooperation Family
Cooperation
Spirituality Group harmony
Sp
Group harmony
Cooperation Family Group harmony Spirituality Freedom Family security Reputation Spirituality
Family
Relationships Reputation Cooperation
Freedom
An understanding of cultural values helps us appreciate the behavior of other people and our own.
Classification of Values
1. Primary Values ( the most important: they specify what is worth the sacrifice of human life. Democracy and the protection of one’s self and close family.)
CHAPTER 3 Cultural Diversity in Perception: Alternative Views of Reality
Americans
Australians
Asians
Peruvians, Iranians, Mexicans
Definition of Culture
Understanding Perception
• the physical mechanism of perception • a two-stage sequence
First
Recognition or identification (biological stage: the same to all people) Interpretation and evaluation (social stage: different due to the influence of a person’s past experiences,i.e. culture)
Reputation Family security Openness Relationships Reputation
Freedom Authority Authority
Cultural Patterns
• We can think of cultural patterns as a system of beliefs and values • These patterns contribute not only to the way a people perceive and think about the world, but the manner in which they live in that world. • Knowing these patterns help us know the culture
Beliefs
Allah is the only sovereign, and , Muhammad is its messenger
Jesus Christ, the son of God
Values
• “an enduring belief that a specific mode of conduct or end-state of existence is personally or socially preferable to another.” • “a learned organization of rules for making choices and for resolving conflicts.” • Values teach us not only what is useful or useless, good or bad, right or wrong, but also what to strive for, how to live , and even what to die for.