Though most countries have national values that form the basis of the behaviors of its members, identifying them is difficult because values differ from person to person and place to place. Values are part of culture, which refers to the beliefs, norms, and behaviors shared by a group of people. According Schwartz (2006), identifying national values is challenging because of the different cultures of the people that belong to a country. Some cultures may place significance on certain values, while other my not. At the individual level, people have different values, which makes it hard to generalize values. Due to the difference in the way cultures assign importance to values, identifying national values is not possible.
Using general terms such as Asian American and Native American when referring to cultural groups in the United States has both advantages and disadvantages. One advantage of using such general terms is the meaning of a unique group of people in terms of culture. The other advantage is the emphasis it places on what Americans share rather than what it makes them unique. By including “American” in the terms, it shows that these groups are still Americans despite their cultural uniqueness ( Griswold, 2013) . The other benefit is the communication of a culture within a culture. However, such general terms have disadvantages such as communicating the idea that these group have lost their cultural identity. The other disadvantage is that these terms are socio-historical labels that may perpetuate racism. Finally, they imply that there no U.S national identity.
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Social classes exhibit cultural differences in many ways. One way in which social classes show cultural differences is their focus on independence or interdependence. People from the middle class and the upper class emphasize of independence because they can meet their needs, but those from the working class and lower class highlight interdependence. Social class also affects how people behave. Research has shown that people from the middle class are more likely to act unethically than those from working class backgrounds (Case, 2016). Additionally, those from the working class are more likely to act altruistically than those from the middle class due to the emphasis middle class families place on individuality and the self. Finally, social class exhibit cultural differences due to the different trajectories that people from different social classes take. Those from the middle class are exposed to conditions that support higher “status attainment” than those from the lower classes.
Several cultural artifacts are important in American culture. An important cultural artifact is the Christmas tree, which represents both western religion and the commercial holiday culture celebrated during this period (Jandt, 2016). Another important cultural artifact in the United States are political paraphernalia used to declare one’s political standing. These include pins sewn onto clothing and stickers. The canoe is also another cultural artifact in the United States. It is considered a timeless boat that takes people way from the pressures of life.
Personal, social, and cultural identities are closely related. Personal identity refers to the way an individual perceives him or herself. Example include self-esteem and confidence (Wren, 2002). On the other hand, social identity is the shared identity of people belonging to the same group. Examples of social identity include men, women, whites, and blacks. Cultural identity refers to the values, beliefs, norms, and behaviors of a certain social group. These identities are related because social and cultural identities are created in relation to others who have their unique personal identities.
References
Case, K. (2016). Intersectional Pedagogy: Complicating Identity and Social Justice. New York: Routledge.
Griswold, W. (2013). Cultures and societies in a changing world . Thousand Oaks: SAGE.
Jandt, F. E. (2016). An introduction to intercultural communication: Identities in a global community, (8th ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Schwartz, S. H. (2006). A theory of cultural value orientations: Explication and applications. Comparative Sociology, 5(2-3), 137-182.
Wren, T. (2002). Cultural Identity and Personal Identity. In: Musschenga A.W., van Haaften W., Spiecker B., Slors M. (eds). Personal and Moral Identity . Library of Ethics and Applied Philosophy, vol 11. Springer, Dordrecht.
