THE PAPER OF CROSS CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

AMERICAN AND INDONESIAN DIFFERENCES OF FAMILY-LIFE

CULTURE

THE LECTURER: DRS. EDY KADARISMAN, M.PDI

PRESENTED BY THE 13th GROUP

1nd A JAMAULLAIL (18020230022)

FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION

ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
KADIRI ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY
KEDIRI
2019

i
 PREFACE

First of all, thanks to The King of The World (Allah SWT) because of the help from
Allah, The writer has finished writing the paper entitled “American And Indonesian
Differences Of Family-Life Culture” right it in the calculated time.
The purpose in this writing paper is to fulfill the one of English lessons assignment.
The writer says thanks to:
1. The Lecturer Of Teacher English Education Department Faculty,
Drs. Edy Kadarisman, M.Pdi
2. The Friends Of The B class.
The writer realized that this paper still imperfect in arrangement and the content.
Then the writer hopes the criticism and suggestion from the reader can help the writer for
perfecting the next paper. Last but not the least hopefully, this paper can help the reader
to again more knowledge it.

Kediri, Mei 1th, 2019

The Author

ii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER ...........................................................................................................................i
PREFACE .......................................................................................................................ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ..............................................................................................iii
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................1
A. Issue Background .................................................................................................1
B. Formulation of The Problem ................................................................................2
C. Purpose.................................................................................................................2
CHAPTER II DISCUSSION ........................................................................................3
A. What is the Culture and Language? .....................................................................3
1. Definition of Culture ......................................................................................3
B. Family culture between American and Indonesian ..............................................3
1. Family Values ................................................................................................3
C. American Family Life ..........................................................................................4
1. Trends in American Family Life....................................................................4
2. Delayed Marriage...........................................................................................4
3. One-Parent Families.......................................................................................4
4. Remarriage .....................................................................................................5
D. Indonesian life culture..........................................................................................5
1. Marriage .........................................................................................................6
2. Divorce ...........................................................................................................6
CHAPTER III FINAL ...................................................................................................7
A. Conclusion ...........................................................................................................7
B. Advice ..................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................8

iii
 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

A. Issue Background
Culture is the power of the mind in the form of copyright and flavor, while culture
is the result of a copyright sense, initiative, and a sense of the Koentjaraningrat
(1986:28). Culture is owned by every nation, and therefore the cultures of every
nation are mutually different. As in discussion is that how can we facilitate a positive
impression of the people of different cultures with us, of course we must first
understand their culture so as not occurred clash culture between our culture with
their culture.
The Americans use eye contact and handshaking in their introduction with all
people. They assume that eye contact is the polite side if talking to someone. Besides
that when shaking hands, they shake firmly and briefly. They do not like making the
prolonged handshaking.
Different from Indonesians, in introductions, they have some styles of handshaking
and eye contact. It depends of the age and the gender. If someone meet another one
who same genre and age, make handshaking and eye contact is common and polite.
Different way if a man wants to know a girl, he has to care full, because there is a girl
who does not do handshaking. It based on the religion. Eye contact does not need if
they are talking to elder people whom they have to kiss the elders’ hands. It is
impolite in Indonesia. Talking about using of titles in introductions, In America using
the title in the name is based on the status or age. The people of lower status and age
have to call Mr., Prof, Dr, or Madam with the second, last or the family name. In out
of the office or classroom, they prefer to call their professor with the nick name or the
first name. It is commonly in informal situations.
It is very different from Indonesia. Either formal or informal situations the students
must call their teacher with the title. It is so impolite if they call their teacher’s name
without title Mr. or Mdm. Small talk in Americans’ introductions are about the
general information.
The Indonesians do the opposite of those. They always give personal questions
after introduction. The questions contain asking about statue, address, until number of
mobile phone. It is very common. In additional, the Americans always greet each
other (although they do not know each other) at a glance even make us feel have a
1
 2

fellow human being. Say hello, chat briefly about the weather or the child is still the
custom in the middle of the more individualistic American society. The Indonesians
never do something like that because of another reason

B. Formulation of the Problem

1. Knowing what is the Culture and Language.
2. Family culture between American and Indonesian.
3. Knowing American Family Life.
4. Knowing Indonesian life culture

C. Purpose
The purpose of this paper includes:
1. In order to know what is the Culture and Language.
2. In order to know about Family culture between American and Indonesian.
3. In order to know American Family Life.
4. In order to know Indonesian life culture.
 CHAPTER II
DISCUSSION

A. What is the Culture and Language?

1. Definition of Culture
Culture is closely connected with the community. Melville J. Herskovits and
Bronislaw Malinowski argued that everything contained in the society is
determined by the culture of which is owned by the community itself. The term
for that opinion is Cultural-determinism. Herskovits view culture as something
handed down from one generation to another, who then called super organic.
According to Andreas Eppink, contains the entire understanding of the culture
of social values, social norms, and overall knowledge of social structures,
religious, etc., in addition all intellectual and artistic expression that characterizes
a society. According to Edward Burnett Tylor, culture is a complex whole, that it
contains the knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and other capabilities
from any person as a member of society. According Selo Soemardjan and
Soelaiman Soemardi, culture is a means of work, taste, and the copyright
community.
Of the various definitions, it can obtain an understanding of the culture is
something that will affect the level of knowledge and includes the system of ideas
or the ideas contained in the human mind, so that in everyday life, the culture is
abstract. While the embodiment of culture are objects created by human beings as
a cultured form and behaviour of objects that are real, for example, patterns of
behaviour, language, equipment life, social organization, religion, art, etc., which
all of which is intended to help establish a life in human society.

B. Family culture between American and Indonesian

1. Family Values
When the Americans is still child, they are taught to independent either in their
life themselves or in money. They have accustomed to earn money in their young
age. The American children work to be babysitter in another’s home in adult age.
The babies also learn about independent life. They are accustomed to stand up and
take something by themselves. Indonesian’s babies always get special act from
their parents. The parents always give the things that their children want. In
3
 4

additional, when the wife still in pregnancy, the husband have to do also his wife
asking. During the time of the child is still underage, they still in responsibility of
their parents. There is no way of earning money by them self. If they want to buy
something, the parents should buy it as long as it is good for the kid. In many
families in America, the children (18 until 21 years) are given freedom to make
decision by themselves. Usually they leave their home to life independently.
Indonesia children in 18 until 21 years still depend on their parents. Usually, all
goal of life is based on parents’ decision, mainly on girls. It sometimes there are
some children who cannot agree with their parents. It makes conflict; because the
parents command to follow their decision without hear what their children want.

C. American Family Life

1. Trends in American Family Life
Over the past few decades, the traditional family with the father as the sole
breadwinner and the mother as the homemaker has become the exception rather
than the rule in the United States. Dual-earner families, one-parent families,
childless couples, and stepfamilies now are com-mon features of American family
life. Sociologists are par-ticularly interested in these and other developments, such
as delayed marriage, delayed childbearing, and remarriage.
2. Delayed Marriage
In marriage aspect, Americans is included as the people who are having high
rated rank of age in marriage. There are some various reasons why Americans
choose to marry later. First, marriage is highly considered step of life. It is
because they consider marriage as one big step of their life, marriage is one of the
high considerable of choice and then they also think marriage should be done only
once for the rest of their life. Second, they consider education is far more
important for their individual quality. So, they take higher and higher education
before they think of marriage. To build a family they should have bunch of
education to produce educated child or children. Those are two example of factors
why American choose to delay their marriage because individual reason for
quality.
3. One-Parent Families
One-parent families are formed through separation, divorce, death of a spouse,
births to unwed mothers, or adoption by unmarried individuals. However, in the
 5

United States most one-parent families are the result of divorce, or of births to
unwed mothers. All families experience problems, single par-ents are subject to a
special set of stresses and strains. Soci-ologist Robert S. Weiss identified three
problems common to the single-parent experience. Weiss labelled one source of
stress found among single parents as responsibility overload. In two-parent
households, husbands and wives share the responsibility of making plans and
decisions. Single parents, on the other hand, often make their plans and decisions
alone. They are also generally alone in pro-viding the care needed by their
families. The major source of stress for most single parents, particularly single
mothers, is the lack of money, families led by women accounted for more than
half of all poor families. Many of the women who lead poor families are young
unwed mothers or divorced moth-ers who did not work when they were married.
For the most part, the only positions open to these women are low-skilled low-
paying jobs. As a result, they find it very difficult to climb out of poverty.
4. Remarriage
Stepfamilies, also called blended families, arise when one or both of the
marriage partners bring children from their previous marriages into their new
family. Becoming part of a stepfamily may involve a period of adjustment. The
marital partners take on the parent-ing roles formerly held by biological parents.
This process is sometimes a source of conflict in the family Children may resent
stepparents who appear to be try-ing to take the place of a biological mother or
father. Similarly stepparents may resent not being treated with the love and
respect usually given to parents. Studies have shown that it takes approximately
four years for children to accept a stepparent in the same way that they accept a
biological mother or father.
Learning to accept new stepparents is not the only adjustment that children in a
stepfamily have to make. They may also have to adjust to having new
step-brothers or stepsisters living in the home with them. This adjustment often
involves learning how to share a parent’s affections with their new siblings.
Adjusting to life in a stepfamily takes patience, understanding, and a willingness
to work together. The reward can be a strong family unit. However, the pressures
of family life sometimes prove too much for these marriages as well.

D. Indonesian life culture

 6

1. Marriage
In Indonesia, commonly people will have marriage after their finish certain
education (Undergraduate degree, High school, etc.). It happened because there lie
considerable age for marriage such as 30 is the maximum for men and 25 for
women. There is no law punishment for that, but there is cultural punishment for it
such as they become a mumbling for the elder or neighborhood surrounds them.
Those occur because reason, the elder think if the couple or person not get marry
as soon as possible after finish particular goal such as education and job.
2. Divorce
A divorce in Indonesia is known a legal proceeding that may be carried out by
either party inside the marriage. In Indonesia, a divorce is considered as the
ultimate step to terminate a marriage legally. An Indonesian divorce petition must
be submitted to the related Indonesian court, the Indonesian district court for
submitting a divorce petition for non-moslem and The Indonesian Religious Court
for terminating a marriage held in Moslem.
The Indonesian law stipulates that an Indonesian divorce proceeding can only
be executed in front of the Indonesian court hearing, and after the court has
attempted and fail to reconcile both parties. An Indonesian divorce proceeding is
legal process to take, if the parties had try to maintain their marriage and
considered a divorce as the legitimate solutions for their marriage.
 CHAPTER III
FINAL

A. Conclusion
In summary, most definitions characterize culture as something that is widely
shared by members of a social group and shared in virtue of belonging to that group.
As stated, this formulation is too general to be sufficient (a widespread influenza
outbreak would qualify as cultural). Thus, this formulation must be refined by
offering a specific account of what kind of shared items qualify as cultural, and what
kind of transmission qualifies as social. The definitions reviewed here illustrate that
such refinements are matters of controversy.
There are several differences between those both American and Indonesian culture.
Those differences could be an element to complete each other culture because each
other culture must have their own weakness that should be completed during the life
time is progressing and depending on human need, technologies and knowledge. But
in other hand it could be potentially causes of disaster between those two. Because if
we think negatively it could be an dangerous weapon to bring out racist, diversity
even war.
We are as living creature should take that as a tool to bring all human being as one
and there is no differences should take any causes of damage. Any differences can be
considered as a tool for complete each other weakness because obviously there is no
culture is perfect in this world.

B. Advice
We are as the writer want to apologize for the shortage of the paper. We know that
this paper is still far from perfect so that we need the suggestion from the reader for
the perfection of this paper. Thank you very much for the reader.

7
 REFERENCES

Brake, Terence, et al. Doing Business Internationally: The Guide to Cross-Cultural

Success. New York: Irwin, 1994.

Hall, Edward T. The Silent Language. Greenwich, CT: Fawcett Publications, 1959.

Herskovits, M.J. (1948). Man and his Works: The Science of Cultural Anthropology.
New York: Knopf.

Hickson, David J., and Derek Salman Pugh. Management Worldwide: The Impact of
Societal Culture on Organizations Around the Globe. New York: Penguin USA,
1996.

Mead, Richard. International Management: Cross-Cultural Dimensions.Cambridge, MA:

Blackwell, 1998.