From a cultural psychology perspective, it is essential to appreciate that our lives are shaped and reflected by our cultures. Similarly, our cultures are significantly impacted by their people (Heine, 2015).In this research paper, I will interviewee a person from a different cultural background from mine. The interviewee is Tiffany Sang, a nurse by profession and a single mother of two boys. She is thirty-eight years old. She was born and raised in Spanish town Jamaica and hailed from a single-parent home where her mother raised her. Spanish Town Jamaica is a location that has rich historical and cultural background since it is home to many national archives and numerous memorials that the residents relate take as part of cultural heritage. It is a religious town since it is considered one of the oldest Anglican churches outside England. The cultural differences and similarities of the interviewee's family set up, and my family will be critical factors in the discussion.
Cultural Similarities and Differences
As the interviewer (Stephanie), I was born in the Bronx, New York. I was raised in a single-family with my mum as the single breadwinner, and there is a striking similarity with the interviewee. My mother is not close to my grandmother and my aunts. My family is relatively small and followers of the Catholic faith. However, it was my personal choice not to attend church. Unlike me, Tiffany (the interviewee) is very close to her grandparents, uncles, aunties, and cousins. Family unity and cohesion is an entrenched tradition where the extended family has Sunday dinners together. Attending a church for the interviewee is mandatory and not a personal choice like in my situation. Tiffany's family setup is big compared to mine, which is much leaner (Favaretto et al., 2016). Stephanie's mother is incredibly open, and hence the information and contacts about her father can be available. Tiffany has no contact with her biological father or his family. Stephanie's mother was not overly concerned with pushing her children in their education. In contrast, in the interviewee's family set, scaling greater heights of education in tertiary institutions of higher learning is a must. Homosexuality was accepted in the interviewers family set up while it was abhorred and outlawed in the interviewee's family circles. Tiffany's family allowed for divorce when the marriage ties became unbearable.
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Acculturation Challenges and Helpful Behaviors
The interviewer experienced difficulties in understanding the exercise of religious and sexual inclinations could be dictated within the context of family norms and ideals. Such is because from the interviewee's cultural background, it was mandatory to go to church, and sexual inclinations could only allow for same-sex relationships and nothing to the contrary (Cohen et al., 2016). There were helpful behaviors that could be seen in the interview, such as the interviewee's parent's push for the children to pursue higher education levels, contributing to improving a person's later professional life. Family unit ties and cohesiveness are helpful behavior that the interviewer observes through Sunday dinners with members of the extended family. Having a more profound religious attachment where attending church was mandatory is a helpful behavior that helps enrich their faith and spiritual life observed from the interviewee's family culture.
Hofstede's Dimension
Power Distance
The interview's power distance can be seen on the part of the interviewer since there are perceived tensions between Stephanie's mother and her sisters as they are not close. Racial discrimination is a culture that runs in the interviewer's family since they are not allowed to date people outside their date. This is because they may see their race as superior or powerful compared to other races, which they perceive as inferior (Santos et al., 2017). Strict monitoring and control in the interviewer's family include not being allowed to play outside or have friends inside their home. Stephanie's family may perceive as powerful and in a superior socio-economic status compared to others, hence creating boundaries limiting their interaction with persons they perceive of lower status and class.
Individualism versus Collectivism
Stephanie and the family set up that she comes from are reserved and secluded in their relations and interactions, making them inclined towards individualism. They have a small and lean family that is not close with any of their extended family, such as the aunts and grandmothers, who are expected to have stronger ties in the family units. The interviewer does not allow or are not comfortable with people of a different race from them. The interviewer could not play outside or bring friends home, making them individualistic (Ellis & Stam, 2015). The interviewee's family set up is guided by collectivism, which is evident through Sunday dinners for the extended family members. Tiffany maintains close ties with aunts, cousins, grandparents, and uncles. They believe in a shared life that entrenches good social and interpersonal relations.
Masculinity versus Femininity
The interviewee and interviewee are more inclined towards femininity since they are raised in single-parent homes with their mothers as the sole breadwinners. However, Stephanie's are more feminine and racist since they allow for homosexual relations. With the interviewer being female, she has the leeway to engage in same-sex relations (Kashima, 2016). The interviewee can experience masculinity since they enjoy close family ties with their grandfather, uncles, and male cousins, which they may not have witnessed in the nuclear family set up. The interviewer's family is more feminine as they do not have established relations with male members of their extended family by their own volition.
Uncertainty Avoidance
Tiffany's family set up has no established contacts with her father or his family. This may be intentional to avoid the ties and unions that existed, leading to the interviewee's birth. This may explain the rigidity and avoidance of a past life that could have been characterized by strenuous relations and psychological suffering hence cutting any ties that may exist in the future (Guo et al., 2018). The interviewer's small family set avoids having any interactions with people of different races from theirs. This may be because of their unknown fears and reservations since they do not allow Stephanie to bring friends home or play outside.
Long Versus Short Term Orientation
The interview's family set's long-term orientation is to a flexible life that is not bogged by strong religious, conventional sexual orientation, marriage, or education as long one is comfortable with themselves (Beugelsdijk & Welzel, 2018). They also envision having no closer family ties and interactions with people from a different race than theirs. On the other hand, Tiffany is pushing short-term goals such as education, religion, and strong family bond and ties for long-term gains in the foreseeable future.
Indulgence versus Restraint
The interviewer's pursuits of life are inclined towards indulgence since she seeks personal gratification and fulfillment due to their sexual persuasions, religious freedom, and choices such as not going to church. Stephanie is free to reach any level of education that she desires. A part of the interviewer's life is also restrained since she cannot have friends of a different race. She was also restricted from bringing friends home or playing outside (Uz, 2015). The interviewee's life is restrained since strict norms guide her family in religion and pursuit of education. The interviewee's family norms and guidelines dictate the importance of cultivating stronger family bonds and ties with the extended family members for cohesion purposes.
Plan to Adapt
Having come from different cultural backgrounds with the interviewee and traveling and staying for six months with them requires many adjustments for me to blend in and get assimilated easily. Learning about their mannerisms and having an interest in their language are some of the adjustments that have to be made (Frese, 2015). Learning about their food culture, social norms, and ethics could impact my stay since I would know to carry and present myself with Tiffany. Their transportation systems would be of great consequence to my stay since I would be required from time to time in the course of the time that I would spend there. I would be required to learn about the interviewee's specific details and family attitudes and beliefs to be aware of the dos and don'ts. The country's safety and security are of paramount concern since Tiffany has advised me against staying out late. My nightlife culture of hanging out with friends over a drink did not have a place at Tiffany's home due to the strict norms. Regular attendance at Sunday mass is a family norm that I would have to strictly follow during my stay in the interviewee's country. Attending Sunday mass was a bit overwhelming since I had not experienced it in a long time. I felt a little bit out of place for the first two Sundays, but I adapted later quite quickly and enjoyed the rest of the masses. There was a complete contrast in the interviewee family's understanding and way of life compared to what I experienced back at home. Eating dinner with family members and joining in on the hearty conversations about how life, work, and other life issues were going captivated my interest as I did not experience in my family space. This helped to strengthen the family ties and bonds and enhanced the care and affection associated with the family. The interviewee also warned against bringing men inside the home as it was contrary to their family norms, and I found this a bit relatable to what I experienced while growing up. It was also against the prescribed code of conduct and ethics to curse or enter anyone's bedroom. The bedroom was not supposed to be locked if any emergency occurred to facilitate a quick response. It was a family tradition at the interviewee's home that after having dinner or any other meal, one took individual responsibility to wash their dishes. This was something that I found interesting in encouraging personal responsibility, and I thought I would try it when I got back home.
Summary Conclusion
From the interview, I learned that different aspects of our lives shape our personality and attributes on what we become and how we relate to other people and precisely the family unit. I appreciated that we are guided by a different set of norms, values, and ethics in the various social backgrounds that define us. I believe that the family unit's value and cohesiveness are cultivated and entrenched by checking each other and meeting when the time allows. This has awakened the realization that our families are the first line of defense in our lives, and family bonds should be made more robust. One of my major highlights in conducting the interview is that we may differ in our religious and sexual inclinations in the different social backgrounds, but they do not take away the value of family. Our socio-cultural background shapes our character and personal attributes. How we established relations that contribute to making our lives better in our different social contexts depends on our interactions' norms and values. Religion and sexual inclinations are critical components in the contemporary social set up have attracted a lot of criticism and opinions, leading to a heated debate in public forums. On the same breadth, these two issues (religion and sexuality) are directly related to society's morals and fabric. Some societies are accommodative and rigid and strictly conservative on what they allow on these contentious issues. The social norms and ethics in contemporary society are radical and dynamic compared to previous generations.
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