Different Cultures - Research Paper Example

? Different Cultures Different Cultures: Problem ment Culture plays an important role in the build up of a society. Leung et al (2005) defined national culture “as values, beliefs, norms, and behavioral patterns of a national group” (p.357). It is not necessary that the cultural norms such as values, beliefs, norms and behavioral patterns of one culture are the same as that of another culture. People living in different parts of the world have different cultural norms even if they belong to the same religion or community. For example, Roman Catholics and Protestants are two of the prominent communities in the Christian culture. However, they have different customs and rituals. Moreover, it is not necessary that the Roman Catholics in America and India may have same cultural traits. Same way, Muslim religions has many communities such as Shia, Sunnis Kurds, Arabs etc. All these communities have different beliefs and customs even though they belong to the same religion. In short, different cultures have different customs, beliefs and traits even if they belong to same religion. This paper analyses different cultures with respect to beliefs, values, norms, behaviors etc. Literature Review/Discussion “Some cultures put more emphasis on universal commitments (like honesty) while others put more weight on loyalty to particular people and relationships” (Ghemawat and Reiche, 2011, p.2). For example, people from some cultures give more importance to relationships rather than values. Therefore, they may not show any reluctance in telling lies to save the friends and relatives. In courts, plenty of people tell lies to save the friends from punishments. On the other hand, there are many other people who show reluctance in telling lies even for saving the life of beloved ones. This is because of the differences in beliefs and attitudes of people of different cultures. In short, cultures are entirely different in terms of universalism and particularism or rules and relationships. Those who have belief in universalism or groups may exhibit more care towards others whereas those who have belief in particularism or individuals work only for the selfish interests. Killing of enemies of religion is accepted as a holy act by some religions and cultures whereas other cultures argue that killing of even animals cannot be justified. Same way, some cultures have no problem in advocating more than one wife for a male at a time whereas other cultures, advocate only one wife for an adult male at a time. In short, cultural beliefs with respect to social life are different for different cultures. Treatment of women is different in different cultures. For example, Indian culture gives more respect to women whereas Chinese culture has no hesitation in providing hard labor to women. In fact Chinese society is more male dominant compared to societies in other parts of the world. Men- Women equality rests only on papers in China. On the other hand, American and European women enjoy almost similar status with men. It should be noted that belief in religion is extremely strong in Western culture than in Chinese culture. That is why western culture treats women as human rather than an instrument for sexual activities. Culture has long shaped individuals' response to problems. A classic puzzle in the sociology of health and illness is discrepancy between theory and research regarding cultural beliefs and medical care service use. 'Utilization research,' examining individuals' responses to the onset of health problems, has not consistently found an effect of culture on the uptake of formal treatment. While ethnographic research often describes how culture shapes illness behaviors, survey-based studies rarely find significant effects of predispositions once 'need' is controlled (Pescosolido & Olafsdottir, 2010, p.655) People of some cultures are reluctant to seek medical services when they are ill. For example, Jehovah's Witnesses never support blood transfusions. Even in chronic situations, Jehovah's Witnesses deny the treatment with blood transfusions. It should be noted that neither Christians nor Jews have any problems in having blood transfusions. Even though the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses are almost similar to that of Christians and Jews, they never believe in blood transfusions like treatment options. From the above descriptions, it is evident that the values and beliefs of even similar cultures are different. Ciani et al. (2012) pointed out the differences in play behavior of different cultures. In their opinion, “differences in play behavior often illuminate complex ecological parameters and social differences. In primate societies, including humans, individuals acquire information through play. It is adults in every community that are most committed to managing social practices” (Ciani et al., 2012, p.1313). It should be noted that fundamental Muslims societies do not encourage women play. It is difficult for a Saudi or Afghani Muslim girl to participate in global sports and games events just like other girls. Religious beliefs prevent them from doing so. Even women education is not encouraged in fundamental Muslim societies. The case of Pakistani girl Malala is relevant here. Verbal and nonverbal communication means are different for different cultures. For example, Americans, Australians and British people speak English. However, the accent of Americans is different from that of British people or Australian people. Same way, Indians speak Hindi whereas Chinese people speak Mandarin. In short, different cultures have different languages. Even nonverbal communication means are different for different cultures. For example, Chinese people bow their head in front of others as a gesture of greeting or respect whereas Americans shake hands for the same purpose. On the other hand, Arabs and Muslims embrace each other to express their greeting. Conclusion Different cultures have different norms, beliefs, values, and behavior. Religion plays an important role in shaping cultural beliefs and traits. However, religion has some limitations in controlling cultural traits and behaviors which is evident from the fact that people of same religion have different customs and traits at different parts of the world. Verbal and nonverbal communication means are different for different cultures. Even while accepting medical treatments, different cultures show different behaviors. Moreover, social activities such as sports and games are perceived differently by different religions. References Ciani, F; Dall'Olio, S; Stanyon, R & Palagi, E. (2012). Social tolerance and adult play in macaque societies: a comparison with different human cultures. Animal Behavior. Dec2012, Vol. 84 Issue 6, p1313-1322. Ghemawat, P. & Reiche, S. (2011). National Cultural Differences and Multinational Business. Globalization Note Series. Retrieved from http://www.aacsb.edu/resources/globalization/globecourse/contents/readings/national- cultural-differences-and-multinational-business.pdf Leung, K., Bhagat, R.S., Buchan, N.R., Erez, M. & Gibson, C.B., (2005). Culture and international business: recent advances and their implications for future research. Journal of International Business Studies (2005) 36, 357–378. Pescosolido, B. A.& Olafsdottir, S (2010).The Cultural Turn in Sociology: Can It Help Us Resolve an Age-Old Problem in Understanding Decision Making for Health Care?. Sociological Forum. Dec2010, Vol. 25 Issue 4, p655-676. Read More