Monday, June 16, 2008
Chapter 5: Socialization
Chapter 5 defines socialization as the process by which people learn the rules, norms, and expectations of a culture over time and thereby become members of that culture. For example, parents teach their children how to be accepted into their families, communities, religions, etc. I think socialization is a very important aspect because without it, we as may feel uncomfortable in a society we are put in. If we do not know anything about the community or so, we tend to feel like an outcast because of all the different traditions being practiced within that community. For example, I'm from two different cultures and my parents are always teaching me little things about their culture. My dad is Filipino and my mom is Dutch. They both came from two different countries and migrated to America. I haven't been to Germany yet, but I went to the Philippines with my dad last year. If he didn't teach me the little norms that they practiced I would have felt very uncomfortable because I didn't know the traditions being practiced. For example, in order for children to gain respect from their elders, they must ask for the elder's hand and place it against their forehead. This is a sign of a "blessing" from the elders. My dad made sure that I was aware of that practice so that the "filipinos" wouldn't think that I was disrespectful and knew a little bit about their culture.
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2 comments:
Interacting with different cultures always provides an interesting scenario on how people should and should not act. It is great that your dad provided you with some tips to be more aware of the culture and rituals. My company has global operations and we constantly welcome visitors from other countries. We know it is important to understand each other’s cultures and basic business rituals so that we can focus on the business objectives of the meeting instead of the cultural mistakes we might make. In fact, we also have cultural guides available on our company intranet for reference.
As residents of the Bay Area, we are able to observe many different cultures. Whether it be so impersonal as to being at the grocery store, there is great opportunity to get an idea of the differences in mannerisms, language and (broad) social behavior. Being alert and aware of these casual interactions can benefit widely in the professional world, global or not. I find that in my area of work, I am constantly shifting my approach of customer service with the different cultural groups that come through.
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