Questions Of Cultural Identity

Cultural issues cover a broad range of concerns including race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, and disability. Culture is a term that we use to refer to beliefs and customs employed by a particular group. Cultural identity issues have a relationship to mental health both in terms of different attitudes to wellbeing, self, personality and family, as well as issues surrounding struggles with identity and feelings of belonging. It can be difficult to find your place in two different worlds and to feel that you are accepted when you are a minority in one.

Questions of Cultural Identity

Some people experience confusion about their identity as first or second generation immigrants, especially where their upbringing was different from their ethnic and cultural background or that of their parents. It can be hard growing up different in a majority culture, or not being able to identify with the culture of their background. Meeting the expectations of two different cultures can put pressure on the individual. Immigrants and their children may struggle with adjustment or experience discrimination in such areas as school, work and other closed communities.

There may also be specific challenges in mental health diagnosis and treatment because of different cultural understandings of mental health, the role of family and religion. In some cultures the stigma of mental health is even greater than it is in the culture at large.

Therapy is not one size fits all, but you can find a therapist who is sensitive to cultural diversity and difference and/or familiar with the client's ethnic background and language. You can look for a therapist who speaks your language using the welldoing.org directory; you can also use our questionnaire to filter by BAME and LGBTQ+ affirmative therapists. The therapist will know when to generalise and when to individualise, to help you work out if your feelings are related to issues around your cultural identity or a different, underlying problem.

In high school or college, you might be assigned to write a cultural identity essay. Topics on the subject are quite easy to find, given that culture surrounds us everywhere we go. However, choosing one relevant idea can become an issue. Are you going to discuss an American or Canadian identity essay title? Or are you willing to talk about the history of pop culture around the globe? In either case, this article will be helpful for you.

If they share too much about their cultural background, they risk being professionally penalized or socially ostracized by the majority. To play it safe, many minority employees downplay their differences in the workplace.

Arnett said rich cultural-identity expression increases inclusivity and professional opportunities in three ways. First, it causes people to have more respect for their minority coworkers. By sharing culturally relevant information, minority employees may be able to debunk or reframe stereotypes held by majority colleagues and raise their social worth.

Second, rich expression fosters closeness because sharing personal information about cultural differences is an act of trust. It signals to majority colleagues that they are confidants who will understand and appreciate what is being shared.

Arnett wanted to know whether rich cultural-identity expression can be effective not only when covering positive topics, such as the pride that a person feels in his or her background, but also negative topics such as experiences with prejudice and discrimination. For the most part, she found that both positive and negative topics were well received. For instance, minority employees in her studies were supported by their colleagues after richly discussing topics such as difficulties with immigration or racial barriers to career success.

If it is a cultural norm to marry at a young age, it is likely that your behaviour (getting married at 21, for example) will reflect this. Similarly, if it is a cultural norm to take your shoes off before entering the house, you are likely to follow this norm every day without giving it too much thought.

In terms of cultural shifts, globalisation can look a lot like Westernisation or Americanisation. This is because most of the iconic global brands come from the USA, e.g. Coca-Cola, Disney, and Apple. Some sociologists are critical of Americanisation and claim that globalisation is negative because it creates one homogenised culture everywhere in the world, instead of preserving the cultures and traditions of specific countries.

At the same time, in many countries, people want to retain their traditional culture and identity and resist introducing Western culture and the English language. This is particularly noticeable in the Middle East and parts of Africa. Here, rejections of Western influence have been accompanied by assertions of Islamic identity.

Functionalists suggest that the norms and values in culture are a 'social glue' that bonds people together by creating shared interests and values. Everyone internalises societal norms and values. These norms and values become a part of an individual's identity.

The Marxist perspective sees society as inherently conflicted between social classes. Marxists believe that culture upholds the capitalist agenda and reinforces the power dynamic and structural inequality between the bourgeoisie (upper capitalist class) and proletariat (working class). Capitalist society uses cultural institutions to perpetuate culture and to prevent workers from achieving class consciousness. This means the proletariat will not revolt.

Marxists argue that mass culture distracts the proletariat from their problems; cultural ideals and expectations (such as the American Dream) give the working class false hope and motivate them to work hard.

Neo-Marxists argue that cultural beliefs and products help 'glue' people together, specifically the working class, so they feel they have something in common. Therefore, the proletariat expresses its identity through popular culture.

Postmodernists argue that culture is diverse and reject the idea that culture can help unify people. Postmodernists suggest that diversity in culture creates fragmented identities. Individuals can construct their identities from a range of different cultures. Nationality, gender, ethnicity, religion, and political beliefs are all layers of identity.

Cultural identities are the distinct identities of people or groups in culture or subcultural categories and social groups. Categories that make up cultural identities include sexuality, gender, religion, ethnicity, social class, or geographical region.

Culture refers to the collective characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people such as traditions, language, religion, food, music, norms, customs, and values. On the other hand, identity refers to the values, beliefs, characteristics, appearance, or other forms of expression.

People form societies based on common values, norms, traditions and language among other things. Speaking a language can connect an individual to a specific social group and society. Socialising into a culture through language also means that both the culture and the language would be significant in the person's personal identity.

Identity is the name given for the values, beliefs, characteristics, appearance or other forms of expression. A person's identity can include their race, ethnicity, gender, social class, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.

This is false. We are often born into our cultural identities, which include characteristics such as sexuality, gender, religion, ethnicity, social class, or region. Participation is not always voluntary.

Social identities are parts of the identity that come from being involved in social groups that individuals are personally committed to. These are voluntary commitments to social groups that frequently stem from interests or hobbies, whereas we are often born into cultural identities.

Marxists believe that culture upholds the capitalist agenda and reinforces the power dynamic and structural inequality between the bourgeoisie (upper capitalist class) and proletariat (working class). Capitalist society uses cultural institutions to perpetuate culture and to prevent workers from achieving class consciousness. This means the proletariat will not revolt.

Coming from two completely culturally different countries, I was, perhaps surprisingly, brought up to know and understand both of my cultures equally. My Serbian mother spoke only Serbian to me when I was a child. She taught me the history of Yugoslavia, the local traditions such as Slava, and we spent every summer in Serbia. My Chinese father, on the other hand, spoke only Chinese to me, and taught me the history of the Qing dynasty, the traditions of The Dragon Boat festival, and we spent every Chinese New Year in our hometown in China.

In Serbia, I am often seen as only Chinese, because in Serbia, I do not look Serbian enough. Here, if I refer to myself as Serbian and Chinese, the Serbian side is overlooked. It is not uncommon that people judge me based on my smaller than average eyes or my thicker than average eyebrows. Here, they choose not to see my rather Slavic nose and my fluent Serbian. I am in fact a foreigner in my own country once again. The questions on how to say something in Chinese and comments on how weird Chinese food and culture are haunt me whenever I introduce myself.

The challenges surrounding racial and cultural identity range from racial bias and microaggressions to intergenerational trauma. For example, someone may experience discrimination due to their physical traits or cultural identity, or they may experience personal conflicts between their values and the expectations of their culture.

Although aspects of cultural and racial identity can provide strength and support, they can also contribute to stress, pain, and anxiety. In some cases, stress and anxiety surrounding identity can lead to mental health conditions. 041b061a72