Cultural customs - Research Paper Example

Cultural Customs - Chinese and the United s BY YOU YOUR SCHOOL HERE YOUR HERE HERE Cultural Customs – Chinese and the United s Chinese The Chinese culture is marked by very strong family values which are reinforced early in childhood. From infancy, Chinese citizens are reared with having a very close connection with both parents and have a very strong personal attachment to their caregivers (Zhang, 2005). From infancy all the way through childhood, concepts such as self-discipline are reinforced, especially in areas of educational development and excellence in learning.

During childhood and adolescence, especially when dealing with immigrants, it is common for the child to act as a language translator for parents which makes them vital to areas of social communication (Hakuta, 2005). In their homeland, children and adolescents are geared toward achieving the goal of higher education and have lessons taught about the importance of holding onto traditional Chinese cultural values (Henslin, 2003). Lessons on thriftiness, especially in relation to finance, are reinforced during this period of the life cycle.

As adults, the Chinese stress maintaining caution in areas of business and establish plans for long-term financial success much earlier than other groups (Zhang). In their homeland, Chinese often marry with the idea that it will be a life-long bond and put a great deal of emphasis on the value of personal relationships. At senior age, it is common to still be a part of the family household and is often revered for wisdom. United States The U.S. citizen is strikingly different than the Chinese and infants are often reared with much less emphasis on education, but more on securing their emotional well-being.

Infants are cared for with considerable intensity and usually the child bonds with the mother over the father. During childhood, there is much less emphasis on creating a family bond and the child is promoted to socialize outside of the family network to build skills in peer bonding and organized play (Henslin). Some of these lessons begin in early educational years and team-based concepts, outside of family values, are the most common experiences. In adolescence, children are given lessons on establishing their own sense of individuality rather than finding connection through family.

They are exposed to many cultural symbols through advertising and other media formats, therefore they have access to different external role models to base their own personalities. During adulthood, it is common to partner without taking the vow of long-term marriage and the family structure can be outside of the social norm. Lessons relating to the importance of higher education for career development have been established and it is usually during early adulthood that the U.S. adult begins searching for romantic relationships and finding liberty outside of the family household.

As a senior, this group is often the victim of age bias in a culture that values youth as a symbol of competence. Identify Formation As mentioned, Chinese develop personality based on early lessons on family structure and developing personal relationships. This is formed by modeling parents in areas of business ethics or even traditional spiritual beliefs. Americans, however, base their personality and identity through media exposure with status icons (celebrities) and from peer acknowledgement of their perceived value.

Where Chinese tend to look toward parents are wise instructors, Americans tend to value self-expression, have strong views on masculinity versus femininity, and base their self-esteem on peer feedback more than the family. ReferencesHakuta, Kenji. (2005). “Some Perspectives on the Status of Asian-Americans in the Early 21st Century”. University of California. Retrieved March 31, 2010 from http://www.stanford.edu/~hakuta/Publications/(2005)%20-%20NAS%20Asian%20Americans%20paper.pdfHenslin, James. (2003). Sociology: A down to earth approach. 6th ed. Boston: A&B Publishers.

Zhang, Hexin. (2003). “Asian-American Subculture”. Retrieved March 31, 2010 from http://frontpage.wiu.edu/~mfjtd/asian-americans.htm