How can such diametrically opposed teachings exist in the same culture? Such is the dilemma of Goals and Means of Achievement. Yet, paradoxically, as soon as a person becomes a legal adult, self-defense is a Constitutionally protected right, even if the person defending themselves kills the offender. She cannot fathom that the teachers of such a great country, known for its power and authority, teach children to fear the punishment of standing up for themselves more than being a victim, or that standing up for yourself is punished at all. My girlfriend was appalled to find out that American schools punish children for standing up for themselves through suspension, expulsion, and even criminal charges, even if the child was defending themselves. In this way, both individuals grow spiritually, through toughness. Children are taught, and expected, to stand up for themselves and fight back, giving victims the opportunity to build themselves up, and bullies the opportunity to learn the wrong of their ways. Instead, this type of behavior is left to be corrected by other students as a sort of life lesson for the bully and the victim. For example, in Vietnamese schools, bullies are not dealt with by the faculty. The Vietnamese culture, and many other Asian cultures, hold spiritual satisfaction with very high regard, with a healthy mixture of toughness or tenderness, depending on the specific circumstance. My girlfriend, a Vietnamese immigrant, and I have been together for over six years and this is one area her and I have discovered great differences in between our cultures. This is, essentially, how success and its achievement is defined or respected in a given culture, such as material wealth or spiritual satisfaction, or being tough or tender (Hughes, Ginnett, and Curphy, 2012). One of those seven dilemmas is Goals and Means of Achievement (Hughes, Ginnett, and Curphy, 2012). What differs is how each culture deals with those dilemmas. Interestingly, however, is the fact that there are seven main dilemmas that people of all cultures face (Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, 2012). It comes as no surprise, then, that culture also influences how we interpret good and bad leadership. Consider how men who wear pink are viewed in the US, while men wearing pink in various Asian cultures is not associated with being feminine whatsoever. There is nothing dictating the association of those colors with certain sexes, but we take them as givens in our respective cultures and even shun people for not following these cultural codes. As a simple example, certain colors are associated with the female sex while others are associated with the male sex in Western cultures, whereas completely different colors (even vice versa) can be used in Eastern cultures. Our values, religious beliefs, language, entertainment, behaviors, and much more are derived from what we are taught by our culture. Culture develops and redevelops over time and we simply absorb it as we grow and interact with our environment. Culture is not a given, we are not born with it, and it is not determined by genetics or some law of nature. Most of us pay no attention to our culture and the things we learn from it, good or bad, and assume much of what we learn from it as “given”.Ĭulture, as defined by Hofstede (2001) and Hughes, Ginnett, and Curphy (2012) is the “learned behaviors characterizing the total way of life of members within any given society.” The most important word in this definition is learned. Culture is but one of the many environmental aspects that influence our thinking and behavior, but in my experience and knowledge, it appears to be the most subtle. Throughout my undergrad program I’ve been regularly surprised by how easily the human mind can change and be influenced, without it being aware of that change or the faulty thought processes it acquires. Sociology and psychology are two of my favorite subjects because they both relate to how the human brain processes the environment around us and how we respond to it, which I find fascinating.
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