The Self Embedded in Culture

   
a.What I want  b. What I don’t 
others to say  want others to say 
about my  about my culture?
culture? 

 
c. What are the  d. What are the
strengths of my  weaknesses of my
culture? culture?
What is anthropology?

¡ the study of human societies and

cultures and their development.
 CULTURE DEFINED
¡ Culture is a group which 
shapes a person's values and 
identity. Cultural identities 
can stem from the following 
differences: race, ethnicity, 
gender, class, religion, 
country of origin, and 
geographic region. 
 CULTURAL CONFLICTS

¡ Cultural conflicts arise because of the

differences in values and norms of
behavior of people from different
cultures. A person acts according to
the values and norms of his or her
culture; another person holding a
different worldview might interpret
his or her behavior from an opposite
standpoint. This situation creates
misunderstanding and can lead to
conflict.
 CROSS-CULTURAL
COMMUNICATION

¡ We communicate the way we do

because we are raised in a
particular culture and learn its
language, rules, and norms.
Different cultures (and subcultures)
may have different rules and norms.
Understanding the other's culture
facilitates cross-cultural
communication.
 How Do I Manage Cultural
Diversity?
¡ Since everyone is the product of their
own culture, we need to increase
both self-awareness and cross-
cultural awareness. There is no book
of instructions to deal with cultural
diversity, no recipe to follow. But
certain attitudes help to bridge
cultures.
 Admit that you don’t know
¡ Knowing that we don’t know
everything, that a situation
does not make sense, that
our assumptions may be
wrong is part of the process
of becoming culturally aware.
Assume differences, not
similarities.
 
 Suspend judgments

¡ Collectas much
information as possible so
you can describe the
situation accurately
before evaluating it.
 Empathy
¡ Inorder to understand
another person, we need
to try standing in his/her
shoes. Through empathy
we learn of how other
people would like to be
treated by us.