Chapter 2 Your Environment Affects Who You Are
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background influences your life? Special holiday
traditions, foods, heirlooms, and ancestral
costumes all remind you of your cultural
heritage, 2-3. You can learn many
important lessons from your ancestors.
It is interesting to note ways in
which a family’s cultural heritage
may influence family relationships.
For example, some families are
influenced by cultures in which
family members prefer not to show
their affection for one another
outwardly. In contrast, families from
other cultures may like to show their
affection openly.
Families from some cultures tend to
place a high level of importance on close,
frequent interaction, even after children
have become adults. Adult children and parents
may contact one another or get together several
times a week. Much of their leisure time is spent
in family-centered social events. In other, equally
loving families, contact among family members is
less frequent.
Appreciating Cultural Diversity
Family traditions and customs help make each family unique.
However, people can benefi t from learning about the values, beliefs, and
behaviors of families in other cultures. To expand your appreciation of
cultural diversity, you could try to learn a different language. You could
make an effort to enjoy the food dishes of other cultures. You could take
time to learn about the ways other cultures observe family events such
as births and weddings. Even everyday events such as family mealtimes
reflect cultural practices. Studying the modern dress and traditional folk
costumes of various cultures also provides an interesting perspective.
In this culturally diverse world, it is important to appreciate the
contributions of cultures other than your own. If you know someone
from another culture, knowledge of that person’s background may be
helpful in understanding him or her. Learning about other cultures will
also be useful to you when you enter the workforce. Developing an
understanding and appreciation of various cultures can help you get
along with others and be more effective in your work relationships.
2-3
A young woman
demonstrates a dance and the
ceremonial dress of her culture.