Social science researchers define variations within a culture based on universal traits. Cultural variations are divided into three broad categories. These are; behaviors, values and cognition. Behaviors are the outward observable artifacts of culture (Wunderle, 2006). Such artifacts include language and religion. The culture of any given group of people is greatly influenced by the language spoken by this group of people. People's perspective of the world is dependent on the content and structure of the language they speak.
Personally, I perceive the world from a technological perspective based on the high use of technological words in the English language that I speak. Moreover, I also perceive the world from a historical, present and future perspective in that historical events have made the world what it is today, and the impact of man in the society today will affect the future generations to come. This perspective is based on the fact that the English language has indications of the past, present and future tenses, which influence my perspective of the world as an ever-changing place.
On religion, I believe that every human being subscribes to a particular religious system based on personal experiences or what one is raised up to believe. A person's religion influences the manner in which he/she behaves. Religion comes with rules, which people have to live by. The Christian faith to which I am a member of prohibits certain actions such as killing and adultery. This has shaped the way I think and the manner in which I perceive the world.
Values define the principles, which evaluate an action as being either good or bad. In my own culture, individualism vs. collectivism is greatly evident in the way that people live their lives. Individualism defines the manner in which an individual perceives himself/herself as a priority over other people/things (Wunderle, 2006). Individualistic people look only after themselves and the close members of their families. Personally, I am an individualistic person. I believe in everybody working hard for themselves and depending on themselves. Collectivism, in my opinion, encourages laziness and dependency.
On power distance, the measure of human inequality in a society or organization, I believe that my society has a low power distance between subordinates and those in power. This encourages an open society where people are not afraid of speaking their minds and questioning the decisions of their bosses. According to Peterson (2004) knowing the power distance in any given society is advisable if one seeks to make relationships in a new culture.
The last category, cognition, defines the different processes that are used for decision making, problem solving and knowledge representation for a given culture (Wunderle, 2006). In my culture, dialectical and hypothetical reasoning forms most of the processes involved in making decisions. In dialectical reasoning, individuals merge or delineate options to show differences in perspectives. In making decisions that affect a large group of people, those in power are usually forced to merge their options to come up with a single decision, which will work for a common good.
In hypothetical reasoning, an individual may use imagined circumstances or real life experiences to show implications for actions. The society I live in has embraced the use of hypothetical reasoning to argue out and come up with decisions that affect not just a single individual but also the whole community. According to Peterson (2004) hypothetical reasoning, though not one hundred percent accurate, is the most common type of reasoning amongst young people. Personally, I make my decisions based on hypothetical reasoning. I look into other people's experiences and the knowledge that I have to make my decisions. The hypothetical reasoning may not lead us to the right decisions every now and again, but it brings us close to making the right decision.
References
Peterson, B. (2004). Cultural intelligence. Yarmouth, Me.: Intercultural Press.
Wunderle, W. (2006). Through the lens of cultural awareness. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press.
