Cultural Values and Identity Assignment...According to the text, "Culture seems to be an invisible force, something so very basic to our existence that we are unaware of its influence until we come into contact with someone whose culture is different from our own." Through the following activities you are going to reflect upon, and become more aware of your particular culture, cultural values and identity.
You are to complete Activities one, two, in the eText for the course. When completing this assignment you must demonstrate in your responses an understanding of the research and material on culture found in Chapter 1. You will do this by answering allquestions in the activities. For the "Insight" and "Reflection" sections at the end of each activity. write at least 1 page for each activity demonstrating what you think, feel, and learned from each activity.
ACTIVITY one:
VALUES IDENTIFICATION EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS:
This activity will help you prioritize your values. Part 1 lists some terminal values, or values that refer to overall life goals. In part 2 you will find instrumental values, or values that refer to types of behavior that we strive for or prefer. For each list, choose the values that are most important and least important to you and rank that list from 1 to 18. Your number 1 should be your highest value on that list, number 2 your second highest, and so forth, down to number 18, which is your least important value.
PART 1: TERMINAL VALUES
A Comfortable Life (a prosperous life)
An Exciting Life (a stimulating, active life)
A Sense of Accomplishment (making a lasting contribution)
A World at Peace (free of war and conflict)
A World of Beauty (beauty of nature and the arts)
Equality (equal opportunity for all)
Family Security (taking care of loved ones) Freedom (independence, free choice)
Happiness (contentedness)
Inner Harmony (freedom from inner conflict)
Mature Love (sexual and spiritual intimacy)
National Security (protection from attack)
Pleasure (an enjoyable, leisurely life)
Salvation (saved, eternal life)
Self-Respect (self-esteem)
Social Recognition (respect, admiration)
True Friendship (close companionship)
Wisdom (a mature understanding of life)
PART 2: INSTRUMENTAL VALUES
Ambitious (hard-working, aspiring)
Broadminded (open-minded)
Capable (competent, effective)
Cheerful (lighthearted, joyful)
Clean (neat, tidy) Courageous (standing up for your beliefs)
Forgiving (willing to pardon others)
Helpful (working for others' welfare)
Honest (sincere, truthful)
Imaginative (daring, creative)
Independent (self-reliant, self-sufficient)
Intellectual (intelligent, reflective)
Logical (consistent, rational)
Loving (affectionate, tender) Obedient (dutiful, respectful)
Polite (courteous, well-mannered)
Responsible (dependable, reliable)
Self-Controlled (restrained, self-disciplined)
PART 3: SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
1. What are your top three terminal values? Your top three instrumental values?
2. It is thought that we have the best chance of achieving our terminal values when we act in ways consistent with these goals, or in other words, when the behaviors we say we value (our instrumental values) really reflect our most common behaviors. For each of your top three instrumental values, give an example that illustrates how frequently you act consistently with this value.
3. Overall, what insights did you gain from this activity?
INSTRUCTIONS: For each of the following 11 statements, rate how strongly you agree or dis- agree with the statement using the following 7-point scale:
1 2 3 4 5 6
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
1. I would not let my cousin(s) use my car (if I have one).
2. It is enjoyable to meet and talk with my neighbors regularly.
3. I would not discuss newly acquired knowledge with my parents.
4. It is not appropriate for a colleague to ask me for money.
5. I would not let my neighbors borrow things from me or my family.
6. When deciding what kind of education to have, I would pay no atten- tion to my uncles' advice.
7. I would not share my ideas with my parents.
8. I would help, within my means, if a relative told me he or she were in financial difficulty.
9. I am not interested in knowing what my neighbors are really like.
10. Neighbors should greet each other when we come across each other.
11. A person ought to help a colleague at work who has financial problems.
SCORING To score your questionnaire, first reverse your scores for items 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9. This means that if you scored the item 1, change it to 7, or 7 becomes 1. Similarly, if you scored it 2, change it to 6, or change 6 to 2. Finally, if you scored it 3, change it to 5, or change 5 to 3. If you scored it 4, that remains the same. (If you'd like to know why certain scores are reversed, ask your instructor!) Next, total all your scores, using the new numbers for the items whose
scores were reversed. You should end up with a number between 7 and 77. Lower scores indicate more individualism. Higher scores indicate greater collectivism.
APPLYING AND COMPARING YOUR SCORE On the following continuum, place an X to indicate where you scored.
!--------------------------------------------------------------------------!
7 21 35 49 64 77
High Individualism High Collectivism
QUESTIONS FOR
REFLECTION 1. What is your initial reaction to your score? Are you surprised? How does your actual score compare to what you thought your score would be?
2. What factors (e.g., parents or family, peers, your educational system, religion, nationality) have most influenced the development of your belief system con- cerning individualism-collectivism?
3. How does your score compare to the scores of some of the other students in your class? In small groups, discuss the similarities and differences in your scores, along with how your individual cultural backgrounds influenced your scores.
1. Based on your IC score from Activity 1.3, place an X on the following scale to indicate your placement. |---------------------------------------------------------------------------| Individualist
Collectivist 2. List two or three examples of your own behavior patterns or values that explain the placement you selected on the IC continuum.
PART 2: POWER DISTANCE (PD)
3. Based on your understanding of the PD dimension and the common behavioral patterns that characterize each value system, where would you place yourself on the PD scale? Place an X on the following scale to indicate your answer.
High PD Low PD 4. List two or three examples of your own behavior patterns or values that explain the placement you selected on the PD continuum.
PART 3: UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE (UA) 5. Based on your understanding of the UA dimension and the common behav- ioral patterns that characterize each value system, where would you place yourself on the UA scale? Place an X on the following scale to indicate your answer. |------------------------------------------------------------------------------| High UA Low UA 6. List two or three examples of your own behavior patterns or values that ex- plain the placement you selected on the UA continuum.
PART 4: MASCULINITY-FEMININITY (MAS) 7. Based on your understanding of the MAS dimension and the common behavioral patterns that characterize each value system, where would you place yourself on the MAS scale? Place an X on the following continuum to indicate your answer. (Remember that high MAS refers to separation be- tween gender roles and low MAS refers to equal roles, rather than to the traditional masculine or feminine behavior patterns.) |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
High MAS Low MAS 8. List two or three examples of your own behavior patterns or values that explain the placement you selected on the MAS continuum.
PART 5:
REFLECTIONS 9. Which of these four dimensions seems to have the most impact on your life? Explain your answer.