Cultural difference between the eastern and western - Assignment Example

Lecturer Essay # Cultural differences between the east and the west Members of a given society tend to behave and act in a particular way that distinguishes them from other societies. Such cultural differences have a great influence on how people think and act, and how they view the world in general. For this reason, western and eastern cultures tend to differ greatly on many aspects, although some commonalities can be found. This paper briefly highlights some of the major cultural differences between the east and the west.

The first distinguishing element is family and community. The Eastern culture puts great emphasis on family unity and community. For such cultures, it is not uncommon to have more than one family living in single house. People from the East tend to put their families and community first before engaging in any activity. Western culture on the other hand focuses less on the family and more on the individual. For example, it is rare to find two American families living together. Instead, western cultures encourage people to stand on their own as opposed to relying on the family and community.

Western cultures are highly individualistic and therefore the benefits to the individual are more important than those to the family and society. Secondly, these cultures differ in the way hierarchy and leadership is viewed. According to Eastern cultures, a leader is a powerful individual who is elevated above the rest in the society. For this reason, individuals show tremendous respect to those above them in the society. As a result, Eastern cultures rarely question or challenge the decisions made by leaders.

For instance, in the workplace, top management is likely to make and impose rules to the staff members without being challenged. However, Western cultures emphasize on equality. Leaders are not seen as God-like figures but are viewed and treated almost equally with the rest. Leaders in Western countries are likely to be challenged more compared to their Eastern counterparts. Thirdly, Eastern and Western cultures have differing views when it comes to gender equality. Many Eastern cultures still believe that women are supposed to focus on raising the family and taking care of their husbands.

In these cultures, a woman’s professional life is not important but rather the family life. On the contrary, gender equality is highly practiced in the West. It is common today to find women in Western countries taking up jobs that were previously reserved for men. Women in the Western world have tremendous freedom compared to those in Eastern countries. Forth, Eastern cultures differ from the West on the issue of attitude. Eastern people are generally passive and are less aggressive. They are likely to be submissive even when the situation does not favor them.

For them, they accept a solution or view that is supported by the majority, even if they have a different opinion. Western cultures however are characterized by aggressiveness and detail. They are likely to challenge decisions and issues based on reasoning and facts to establish the truths. Such individuals are unlikely to be submissive and hence will want a solution that favors them. Finally, these two cultures have differing perceptions and views on matters of religion. Although Western and Eastern countries tend to share almost similar religions, Western cultures tend to focus on the current life as opposed to the life after death.

For this reason, western cultures focus less on religious intervention but rather on reasoning and science. This however does not mean they don’t believe in God or a supernatural being but instead focus less on religious beliefs. Eastern cultures have deeply rooted religious beliefs. Religions such as Hindu and Buddhism put great emphasis on life after death, and how actions in the current life affect one’s life after death.