Hofstede's 5 Dimensions

Submitted By capps93
Words: 2184
Pages: 9
Open Document
Imagine if you wanted to live out your dream, create something for your family and have a good life but cannot due to the country you live in. America is known to be the land of the free and opportunity, what does that really mean? Throughout this land we have countless cultures everywhere, but how did they get here? It may seem so easy and obtainable but do we really take the time to think about the struggle of those who try to live here but are not natives? Through personal conversations with friends of mine and miraculous people I met throughout volunteering, these questions will all be answered. Before the research even begins, the primary question at hand is what is culture?
David Matsumato, author of Culture and Psychology, claims, “Culture can be used to describe activities or behaviors, refer to the heritage or tradition of a group, describe rules and norms, describe learning or problems solving, define the organization of a group, or refer to the origins of a group. Furthermore, culture cam refer to general characteristics; food and clothing; housing and technology; economy and transportation; individual and family activities; community and government; welfare, religion, and science; and sex and the life cycle.” With all the different uses for the term culture, it is said to be some sort of confusion involved.
To break this down a little more, I am going to discuss Hofstede’s five dimensions. Referring back to the Culture and Psychology book written by David Matsumato, the first dimension, power distance correlates with the fact that all individuals in the same society are not equal—this shows the inequality amongst our society and community. Not only do we suffer from power distance, but this goes hand in hand with social status. The whole purpose of the power distance is for hierarchy, you do not go where you do not belong. With the social status it keeps you in your lane. In terms of Individualism, as a whole, I believe that we are an individualistic culture. The American people always worry about themselves and how it will either benefit or hurt them. Americans focus on the “I” not the “We” in problems. Our society has become unwound and is now loosely knit together. Lastly, the dimension of Uncertainty Avoidance deals with the way that a society handles the fact that we have an unforeseeable future. Without being able to control the situation it creates anxiety within the society, as does immigration because “we” physically do not have the power for anything. Speaking for myself I think that I am almost exactly like the dimensions just discussed. It is quite eye opening because I did not realize I have those qualities, I like when I can control what is happening right now. These traits were probably an innate factor in me due to me being a native in the country.
When taking into account the novel discussed during our course, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down written by Anne Fadiman, the Hmong people did not have an easy time immigrating into America. In the book the Hmong were harshly criticized for their beliefs and values, and the communication barrier did not help the situation at hand either. As I did some outside research further into Hmong Immigration, I came across an article on this very topic. According to Jefflindsay.com, many Americans felt that they (the Hmong) have “invaded” our country and polluted us with their non-American ways. The site goes on to say that their values do not match with ours and they should just leave. Yes, some of their daily routines seem taboo, for example all of the episodes with Lia’s seizures and the belief of the qaug dab peg. Naturally we Americans would just admit our child to the hospital, but in the Lee’s eyes it was proper protocol to have the spirits heal her. The most obvious conflict between Americans and the Hmong, or any other immigrant for that fact, are the culture gaps between the two. For people who do not experience anything but
Show More

Related Documents: Hofstede's 5 Dimensions

After Pearl Harbor Essay

and is now an ally with the United States. There was a time when United States and Japan weren’t allies. It happened during WWII when Japan attacks Pearl Harbor. This is when all of United States changes from being neutral during the war to getting involved. United States response to the attack helped a lot from evolving its military and to improving their economy but it also impacted some citizens in a negative way. Japan attacking Pearl Harbor drew United States into WWII which they tried to…

Words 708 - Pages 3

Research Paper On Learning Styles

Learning Styles. Throughout the years I always thought that it was just one way a person can learning. But after going to college and seeing that it is more than one way a person can learn; has me open to learning different learning styles. We all learn different so not two people are going to be the same and have the same learning pattern. How the economy is now, we all need to find a different learning style so we can get better jobs. There are three different learning styles. They are Visual…

Words 675 - Pages 3

Legacy: Improving The Quality Of Life For Residents Of South Orange County

improving the quality of life for residents of South Orange County since 1985. Currently we are experiencing a time of challenging transitions. Declining property values, increased unemployment, global instability--in such times, the value of an education is immeasurable—not only for the practical purpose of developing the skills required for employment and/or a new career, but also to establish a strong foundation for analyzing and reasoning through any problem. At IVC, learning is an ongoing process…

Words 524 - Pages 3

Assimilation: Immigration to the United States and Immigrants Essay

will see how immigrants are assimilating into our society. First of all, what does it mean to assimilate? Well, according the Merriam-Webster to assimilate to take in and utilize as nourishment: absorb into the system. When immigrants come to the United States, most of them come here in search of their own “American Dream.” However, it takes a long time of assimilation for an immigrant to reach their American Dream. Assimilation is one of many topics that can be seen in “A Raisin in the Sun.” Beneatha…

Words 1108 - Pages 5

Inferior Class Immigration Research Paper

2015 Immigrants’ problem: inferior-class immigrants suffer from “language barrier” Recently, immigration has been raise as a global issue owing to the military problem of the Syrian Republic. Many people escape from their own country to Europe, United States or Australia for survival. However, some of them even cannot even use the local language to interact with natives, just as numerous other inferior-class immigrants. These inferior-class immigrants, at least in America, are mostly unable to speak…

Words 1349 - Pages 6

Common Core Standards In Education

standards have set the guidelines for almost every student in the United States. Whether they are effective is still being questioned by many. “With Common Core Standards, the expectation is that all students have the same knowledge and learning at various stages in their educational process and then graduate with a common group of skills that will enable them to succeed in college or career,” says Kristina Valentine from the Illinois State Board of Education, “I think that many people do not like change…

Words 694 - Pages 3

Experiential Learning Project: Ojibwa Tribe

Experiential Learning Project: Ojibwa Tribe By Bryanna Austin Diversity in Society Going into the experiential learning project I was not really sure what to expect out of my project. It was a great experience, I have a whole new understanding about the life of the Ojibwa tribe, how they live, where they come from, and what their relationship with the United States is. The Ojibwa tribe also known as the Chippewa’s is one of the largest American Indian groups…

Words 903 - Pages 4

School To Prison Pipeline Research Paper

Sharon Canul My research question is how is school to prison pipeline affecting juveniles around the United States? Juveniles are being treated like criminals that are very young age, some as early as 5-year-old all the way till they are 18 or out of school Many of the juveniles are not graduating from middle school or high school because the schools are acting like prisons, instead of a fun learning environment My main key terms that I have used in my research is school to prison Pipeline and racial…

Words 582 - Pages 3

Juvenile Justice System Analysis

It is common knowledge that the children of the United States will depict the future of the nation. To help facilitate this transition, there are a number of constructive programs, opportunities, and institutions designed for children so that they may succeed in the future. Unfortunately, there also exists an avenue that is much less beneficial for the youth of the United States: the juvenile justice system. Weeping in the Playtime of Others, an exposé written in 1976 by Kenneth Wooden, uncovered…

Words 1534 - Pages 7

Elie Wiesel Reflection

a description of his experiences. Night describes Elie’s shocking and terrifying account of being in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. Elie managed to survive the Holocaust, where six million Jews were killed. Every day was a life and death struggle for EIie. There were many chances when he could have given up, but he chose not to. Night took place during a very dark time in the world. It was happening during World War II, the deadliest war in the history of mankind. Sixty…

Words 619 - Pages 3