Friday, February 1, 2013

Culture



Culture can be defined as the sum total of all of the things held, or shared, in common within a group of people including behavior, language, ideas, values, customs, and overall way of life.


As suggested by Choudhuri (2012) there are different levels of culture from things a human beings have in common to things that are unique to an individual small group. Within the context of this journal, the societal culture is going to be the main focus even though the content may include other types of cultures to varying degrees. 


Culture has an impact on everyone, but the impact can be different from individual to individual. The view one has is primarily built upon their worldview which delineates their beliefs, values, and attitudes. While worldview is based on beliefs "about" things, there is also an identity factor that plays out in each person's life. Cultural identity is basically how someone views his or herself as a part of, or within a given culture. This identity can be developed through assimilation within the dominant culture, or they might choose their culture identification and recognize the influence of the dominant culture, but choose to remain part of a different culture. 

References


Choudhuri, D., Santiago-Rivera, A., & Garrett, M. (2012). Counseling and diversity. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

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