How Does
Drive Behaviors?
Culture is something that greatly varies around the world. It can range from different language, customs and even how people interact with each other. Culture can determine how people act. This is because when a person has grown in a certain environment where the majority of people act a certain way, it sticks to them. Take as an example two countries far apart from each other, Nicaragua and France. If you go to Nicaragua and ask for directions, people would be very eager to help, and if you are a foreigner who can't speak spanish very well, it most likely that people would start asking "Quién habla ingles? (who speaks English)?" and they may even be eager to take you to the place you need to go.This is because people here are very friendly and open, so foreigns get surprised at how people act here. But if you go to France, asking for directions while being a foreigner is a hazard. Fresh people speak English, but people will answer you in French or simply shake their heads no when asking them in English. I have a French teacher that went to France and was wandering around for a while asking for directions because people where not eager to help. Culture can also drive people to be more individual or to have strong relationships. For example, a person that grew in a culture that really values individuality (like the U.S) will prefer to make things by himself, like buying drinks for himself rather than for the whole group. A person who grew in a culture that values relationships and amability(like Canada), would be eager to purchase drinks for the whole group in that situation.This differences in culture around the world are why individuals don't share the same behaviors or ways of thinking. The fact that not everyone acts the same is good to boost up creativity and to solve problems, but it can also cause confusion between two people that have different cultures. People may end up thinking the other person dislikes them, but in fact the reason another person acts in a strange way is because his culture has just taught him different attitudes.
There are different ways that a person can react when being exposed to a different culture:
- Confront: A person does not accept a different culture
- Complain:A person isolates himself from the different culture and does not adapt
- Adapt: A person benefits from diversity
My own reaction to a different culture
When I traveled to the United States I was exposed to a different lifestyle. The pace that people have over there is completely different from here. We would travel very long distances unlike in Nicaragua where everything is close. Another thing was that every time I watched the T.V it would be full of adds with very little screen time for the actual show or movie. Another thing was that people like to get things done very quickly there, so they value time a lot and put a lot of importance in punctuality. Another thing was the people. Some people would look at you from over the shoulder. I noticed that the foreigners we met in the U.S where the people that treated us with most kindness unlike some of the natives. But I also noticed that attendants from shops or restaurants where really dedicated to their work (they also expected you to tip, or they would get offended). I feel like over there people are really hard working due to the competitive conditions they live in, which are certainly harder conditions than here. The big malls, the long distances, the people... it was hard to adapt to that. At first I confronted that culture, I was not really used to that lifestyle and everything seemed weird to me, but in the end I enjoyed the change. It was not hard to get used to the distances and in the end I was able to try a lot of things out. Like trying different foods, visiting an aquarium and interacting with other people. So in my experience, it was a good opportunity to learn about other cultures and I took advantaged of it.
When I traveled to the United States I was exposed to a different lifestyle. The pace that people have over there is completely different from here. We would travel very long distances unlike in Nicaragua where everything is close. Another thing was that every time I watched the T.V it would be full of adds with very little screen time for the actual show or movie. Another thing was that people like to get things done very quickly there, so they value time a lot and put a lot of importance in punctuality. Another thing was the people. Some people would look at you from over the shoulder. I noticed that the foreigners we met in the U.S where the people that treated us with most kindness unlike some of the natives. But I also noticed that attendants from shops or restaurants where really dedicated to their work (they also expected you to tip, or they would get offended). I feel like over there people are really hard working due to the competitive conditions they live in, which are certainly harder conditions than here. The big malls, the long distances, the people... it was hard to adapt to that. At first I confronted that culture, I was not really used to that lifestyle and everything seemed weird to me, but in the end I enjoyed the change. It was not hard to get used to the distances and in the end I was able to try a lot of things out. Like trying different foods, visiting an aquarium and interacting with other people. So in my experience, it was a good opportunity to learn about other cultures and I took advantaged of it.
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