1. Culture is something that we often assume only other people have. In what ways are you aware of the cultural influences on your own behavior?
2. The United States is sometimes criticized for being as individualistic as it is. What are some positive aspects about growing up in an individualistic culture? In what ways would growing up in a collectivist culture be positive?
3. What does your culture highly value? Achievement? Equality? Respect? Authority? Honesty? Loyalty? How do you see your cultural values being transmitted and reinforced in your society?
4. In what ways has your self-concept changed over the course of your adolescent and adult life? What parts of your self-concept have remained relatively constant?
5. Can you think of a situation when you have been the recipient of inappropriate self-disclosures? Did this self-disclosure become a burden to you? How did you feel in that situation? In what ways were the self-disclosures inappropriate
Samaple Answer
Exploring our own cultural and psychological frameworks is a bit like a fish trying to describe water—it’s so pervasive that we often don't notice it until we step out of it. Here is a reflection on these dynamics of identity and social interaction.
1. Awareness of Personal Cultural Influences
We often think of culture as "festivals" or "foreign languages," but it is actually the "software" for our daily behavior. I am most aware of my culture through Communication Norms and Time Orientation.
Directness: Growing up in a Western-influenced digital environment, I value direct, low-context communication. I realize this is a cultural bias when I interact with people from high-context cultures where "saving face" and indirectness are signs of respect.
Chronemics: My "behavior" is dictated by a monochronic view of time—the idea that being "on time" is a moral virtue rather than a fluid suggestion.
2. Individualistic vs. Collectivist Cultures
Positive Aspects of Individualism:
Self-Actualization: There is immense freedom to "find yourself" and pursue a career based on passion rather than family obligation.