DIVERSE CULTURAL NORMS

AND VALUES IN RELATION TO

PERSONAL AND COMMUNITY
ISSUES
DIVERSITY: is not only about differences, but
about the similarities between things as well.
When you looked at the pictures of fruit, you
saw a variety of different kinds of fruit. Usually
when one asks people to define “diversity” they
equate it to “difference”.
Is Culture………. The way people behave. The
way people dress. The food people eat. The
religions people follow.
Norms
▣ That which is regarded as normal or typical; a
rule that is enforced by members of a
community.
Gender
▣ The socio-cultural phenomenon of the division
of people into various categories according to
their biological sex, with each having
associated roles, clothing, stereotypes, etc.;
those with male sex characteristics are
perceived as "boys" and "men", while those
with female sex characteristics are perceived as
"girls" and "women. "
Trait
▣ An identifying characteristic, habit or trend.

Culture
▣ The beliefs, values, behavior and material
objects that constitute a people's way of life
▣ Cultural diversity: is the quality of diverse or
different cultures, as opposed to monoculture,
as in the global monoculture, or a
homogenization of cultures, akin to cultural
decay.
▣ The phrase cultural diversity can also refer to
having different cultures respect each other's
differences.
▣ The phrase "cultural diversity" is also
sometimes used to mean the variety of human
societies or cultures in a specific region, or in
the world as a whole.
▣ The culturally destructive action of
globalization is often said to have a negative
effect on the world's cultural diversity.
▣ Cultural norms. Can be defined as the rules
that a specific group uses for stating what is
seen as appropriate and inappropriate
behaviours, values, beliefs, and attitudes.
▣ Norms are cultural products (including values,
customs, and traditions) which represent
individuals' basic knowledge of what others do
and think that they should do.
▣ Sociologists describe norms as informal
understandings that govern individuals'
behaviour in society
 Norms
▣ Norms can be defined as attitudes and behaviours
common to members of a particular For example, most
cultures require that people wear clothes. Some even
have laws to enforce this dictum: in many western
countries, a naked person in public will be arrested
with a charge of “indecent exposure”.
▣ We have norms about how we speak. How you address
your grandmother is probably different to how you talk
with your spouse, and this is also different to how you
speak to your boss, or your children.
▣ Your choice of words, your tone, and your body
language are all norm-based.
▣ Nearly everything in human society is governed by
norms of some kind.
▣ This is why it feels so strange to go to a very different
culture, where their norms are so different to what we
are used to – but it is normal to them.
Cultural Norms
▣ Cultural norms are behaviour patterns that are
typical of specific groups. \
▣ Such behaviours are learned from parents,
teachers, peers, and many others whose
values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours take
place in the context of their own organizational
culture.
▣ Some norms are healthy and some are not.

▣ Some contribute to the betterment of

individuals, families, and communities;
others are precisely the kinds of high-risk
behaviours that mainstream American society
would like to reduce or eliminate.
▣ Cultural norms often are so strongly ingrained in
an individual's daily life that the individual may
be unaware of certain behaviours.
▣ Until these behaviours are seen in the context of a
different culture with different values and beliefs,
the individual may have difficulty recognizing and
changing them.
▣ The goal of prevention and effective youth
development is to understand and improve
cultural norms, and thereby reduce alcohol,
tobacco, and other drug use.
Unity in Diversity

Unity in diversity is a slogan which seeks to celebrate

how a nation can be stronger be welcoming different
cultural, social and ethnic elements.
▣ Unity in diversity seeks to transcend the notion
that an ideal nation should be composed of a
certain ideology or ethnic group.
▣ It suggests that far from being weakened by
different cultural strands, a nation / group is made
stronger by acceptance of the many different
contributions made by its constituent parts.
▣ Unity in diversity seeks to move beyond mere
tolerance of other ethnic, cultural and religious
divisions, but seeks to promote the idea that each
distinct constituent part plays a valid contribution
which strengthens the whole.
Why Do I Need to Learn About Cultural
Diversity?
▣ Learning about cultural diversity allows us to
learn, grow, and change.
▣ Caring for patients and working with people
from many cultures and backgrounds benefits
everyone.
▣ Raising our awareness of other cultural
preferences and comparing them to our own
allows us to show respect and understanding.
The keys to showing respect are:
▣ What makes us unique.

▣ Our cultural viewpoints.

▣ The viewpoints of others.

There are many other aspects of
diversity that are under the
surface such as:
▣ Sexual Orientation
▣ Social status within a community
▣ Economic status
▣ Beliefs/Values/Religion
▣ Nation of origin
▣ Linguistic ability/Literacy
▣ Disability –that cannot be seen
Aspects of diversity:
▣ Ethnicity

▣ Gender

▣ Age

▣ Basic Appearance

▣ Disability –that can been seen

 The influence of culture and
gender on personality
▣ Personality is influenced by both biological and
environmental factors.
▣ Culture is one of the most important
environmental factors that shapes personality
▣ Research shows that the strength of personality
traits varies greatly across cultures.
▣ People who live in individualist cultures tend
to value independence, competition, and
personal achievement.
▣ While people from collectivist cultures tend to
value social harmony, respectfulness, and
group needs.
▣ In much the same manner that cultural norms
can influence personality and behaviour,
gender norms also emphasize different traits
between different genders and thereby
influence the development of personality.
 Culture and Personality

▣ The term culture refers to all of the beliefs,

customs, ideas, behaviors, and traditions of a
particular society that are passed through
generations.
▣ Culture is transmitted to people through
language as well as through the modelling of
behavior, and it defines which traits and behaviors
are considered important, desirable, or
undesirable.
▣ Within a culture there are norms and behavioural
expectations.
▣ These cultural norms can dictate which
personality traits are considered important.
▣ The researcher Gordon Allport considered culture
to be an important influence on traits and defined
common traits as those that are recognized within
a culture.
▣ These traits may vary from culture to culture
based on differing values, needs, and beliefs.
▣ Positive and negative traits can be determined by
cultural expectations: what is considered a
positive trait in one culture may be considered
negative in another, thus resulting in different
expressions of personality across cultures.
▣ Considering cultural influences on personality is important
because Western ideas and theories are not necessarily
applicable to other cultures (Benet-Martinez & Oishi, 2008).
▣ There is a great deal of evidence that the strength of
personality traits varies across cultures, and this is especially
true when comparing individualist cultures (such as
European, North American, and Australian cultures) and
collectivist cultures (such as Asian, African, and South
American cultures).
▣ People who live in individualist cultures tend to believe that
independence, competition, and personal achievement are
important. In contrast, people who live in collectivist cultures
tend to value social harmony, respectfulness, and group
needs over individual needs.
▣ These values influence personality in different but substantial
ways; for example, Yang (2006) found that people in
individualist cultures displayed more personally-oriented
personality traits, whereas people in collectivist cultures
displayed more socially-oriented personality traits.
▣ People who live in individualist cultures tend to
believe that independence, competition, and
personal achievement are important.
▣ In contrast, people who live in collectivist cultures
tend to value social harmony, respectfulness, and
group needs over individual needs.
▣ These values influence personality in different but
substantial ways; for example, Yang (2006) found
that people in individualist cultures displayed
more personally-oriented personality traits,
whereas people in collectivist cultures displayed
more socially-oriented personality traits.
 Gender and Personality

▣ In much the same manner that cultural norms can

influence personality and behaviour, gender norms
(the behaviours that males and females are
expected to conform to in a given society) can also
influence personality by emphasizing different
traits between different genders.
▣ Ideas of appropriate behaviour for each gender
(masculine and feminine) vary among cultures and
tend to change over time.
▣ For example, aggression and assertiveness have
historically been emphasized as positive masculine
personality traits in the United States.
▣ Meanwhile, submissiveness and caretaking have
historically been held as ideal feminine traits.
▣ While many gender roles remain the same, others
change over time.
▣ In 1938, for example, only 1 out of 5 Americans
agreed that a married woman should earn money
in industry and business.
▣ By 1996, however, 4 out of 5 Americans approved
of women working in these fields.
▣ This type of attitude change has been
accompanied by behavioural shifts that coincide
with changes in trait expectations and shifts in
personal identity for men and women.
 Value (personal and cultural)
▣ A personal value is an individual's absolute or
relative and ethical value, the assumption of which
can be the basis for ethical action.
▣ A value system is a set of consistent values and
measures. A principle value is a foundation upon
which other values and measures of integrity are
based.
▣ Some values are physiologically determined and
are normally considered objective, such as a desire
to avoid physical pain or to seek pleasure.
▣ Other values are considered subjective, vary
across individuals and cultures, and are in
many ways aligned with belief and belief
systems.
▣ Types of values include ethical/moral values,
doctrinal/ideological (religious, political)
values, social values, and aesthetic values.
▣ It is debated whether some values that are not clearly
physiologically determined, such as altruism, are
intrinsic, and whether some, such as acquisitiveness,
should be classified as vices or virtues.
▣ Values have been studied in various disciplines:
anthropology, behavioural economics, business ethics,
corporate governance, moral philosophy, political
sciences, social psychology, sociology and theology to
name a few.
▣ Values can be defined as broad preferences concerning
appropriate courses of action or outcomes. As such,
values reflect a person's sense of right and wrong or
what "ought" to be. "Equal rights for all", "Excellence
deserves admiration", and "People should be treated
with respect and dignity" are representative of values.
Values tend to influence attitudes and behavior