What is a cultural norm? Describe the concept in relation to your community.-13021265

Name: idea(宋东蔚)

Class: business English class 4(经贸4班)

Number: 13021265

Cultural Norms

What we hear, what we see and what we are doing, and the behavior of people in different parts of the world, value, and so on. Can be traced to be caused by different cultural norms. First of all, I want to explain what the cultural norms is. Cultural norms, ①a cultural regulation, moral, or guideline which designates an approved and proper action within the framework of a particular society type. A communication effect theory proposed by Devre. He believes that the ②mass media the reason can indirectly influence behavior, because it sends the information to form a kind of moral culture strength, people unconsciously “reference architecture” of the media gradually provide the basis to explain social phenomena and facts, show their opinions. This is the media influence, slowly into the days and months multiplying in the minds of the audience.

Is actually a kind of indirect effect or long-term effect theory? According to this theory, mass communication not directly make the audience change, but it can effect on audiences the social and cultural environment, through changes in the social and cultural background of the action to the audience, make the concept of occurrence change.

Cultural norms and people have a close relationship, affecting all aspects of the daily life. British scholar Edward Taylor (Edward Tylor, 1891) ③culture is defined as: individuals obtained from the members of the organization of the knowledge, belief, technique, morals, law, custom, and any other aspects contains existing content and form. Hundreds of definition of culture in this, to explore the generality is not difficult to find: culture is the acquisition, sharing and from a generation to the next generation; culture is not only the parents transfer to their children, through social organizations, special groups, government, schools, and churches to pass. The influence of cultural norms is reflected in values and attitudes. In different countries, the values and attitudes of human relations are very different. Influenced by their own cultural norms. Like the success of Japanese enterprises marketing in a large extent is because they pay more attention to market share and not short-term interests, many Western companies in Japan to set up distribution channels will encounter obstacles in, that is because the Japanese value has been established the relationship, and fear and worry are not familiar with. But as a Chinese, I have different cultural norms in my community. It is embodied in values, gender, age, tradition, and customs and so on. For example, In China, the gift is a normal business activity in the business activities, usually a common means to establish a number of business cooperation. But there is a subtle relationship between gift giving and bribery, which is often considered illegal in western countries.

Many phenomena in life can be summed up as the cultural norms that people have been cognitive. For example, in the Chinese film and television culture, if the husband in a family have another person but not his wife, no matter how the story development, the final outcome will be   reconciled with his wife, or be punished, it seems not possible to have a happy ending with the other person.  That because in China’s traditional cultural norms, the marriage should be a man and a woman, a husband and a wife , if it is not, people will do not agree and accept, in a certain extent film and television work is dull and set narrow marital relationship. In my opinion, other European and American countries will be much better on such issues, including film and television works and the legal aspects of the identity of same-sex marriage. In the final analysis, it is because the foreign culture pays more attention to the individual’s freedom and the feeling of the heart, while China’s cultural norms is to require people to observe the rules.

In China also had such a news, a student on the bus did not give seats to the old man, and old man was very angry, even sit on the girl’s legs. This is also the impact of cultural norms. By Chinese etiquette, pregnant women enjoy the right to a seat just as the elderly or those carrying babies. And in China’s public transport, you can be seen such slogans everywhere. “Respect the old and cherish the young’ is the traditional virtue of China. So people will be proud of a lot of time. But the news also let people think, is that really reasonable? After news reports found that students who did not budge on that day because she’s body was uncomfortable, and the behavior of the old man is too bad. So this cultural norms in these days some of them may not unreasonable, especially in the era of equality of all. Instead, last winter I went to Japan, and in their cultural norms more self-reliance, and not to promote the so-called “respect”, in Japan if you see the old man get on the bus, you got up and offered his seat, they will not happy, because they would feel old.

Generally speaking, cultural norms can make a country as orderly as possible, but it also brings some problems. Nowadays, China face the problems caused by the cultural norms has begun to have different previous identity with the past, in my opinion, this is progress, away from the us to follow cultural norms, until now in our consciousness to cultural norms should keep pace with the times. No matter for the cultural norm itself or for the public’s living standard and the way of thinking, it is a good thing.

References:

①Written by Pam MS, NCSP | Fact checked by Psychology Dictionary staff

http://psychologydictionary.org/cultural-norm/

②http://baike.baidu.com/link?url=P5lAXrQPPvUVhjMPIme7pQNlVHbdzH2xr1OhyVX0Wha1Wt_i9Kz3kCbfhV1JCX119NaKd4J35_iBR4ZcB9zVNa

③http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_7b97b8e90101acs2.html