Having a different cultural background does not mean that one is wrong or right or that one has a superior culture. It is all a matter of perspective (Bernal I, 2003). As a believer in the Christian faith, I was brought up to believe that the only people who have not converted to the Christian faith are those who have not been properly exposed to it. In my opinion, therefore, anyone who adhered to any other faith apart from Christianity is wrong and I have a fundamental obligation of correcting them. As I grew older I encountered individuals who were even more informed about my own faith than I was, yet they did not believe in it. The same individuals were extremely committed to their own faiths and albeit they knew a lot about my faith, I did not know much about theirs save that they must be wrong.
The greatest advantage that I drew from this religion based acculturation experience is the understanding that religion is a relative concept and no religion is outright supreme to the other (Bernal II, 2003). This has enabled me to be a more knowledgeable and enlightened person. Unfortunately, acculturation interfered with my firm and blind belief in my faith which caused some conflict with loved ones. The greatest lesson that I learned from this area of acculturation was what a Muslim friend does to adapt to acculturation stress. This is seeking to study and understand the culture of other people with a view of making interactions easier. After carefully studying about the different religions of the different people I interact with such as Islam, Hindu, and Jewish culture, I am now able to interact better intercultural without too much stress. I, therefore, realized that cultural differences cannot be a problem unless I make it into one.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
References
Bernal, G. I (2003). "Stress, coping, and minority health: Biopsychosocial perspective on ethnic health disparities" In Handbook of racial & ethnic minority psychology . (pp. 377-400) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Bernal, G. II (2003). "Instrument development: Cultural adaptations for ethnic minority research" In Handbook of Racial & Ethnic Minority Psychology . (pp. 220-236). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
