Examining Cultural
Domains
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Overview
• The Intercultural Development Continuum
• Cultural Domains: A Framework for
Recognizing Cultural Similarities
• Case Studies
• Developing Culture-General KSAs
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One of these things is NOT
like the other . . .
With a partner, develop a
rationale for the answer:
Machinery & Equipment are
Non-Current/Capital
Depreciable Inventory.
Feed & Seed is
Current/Operating Inventory.
With a partner, develop a
rationale for the answer:
Medication, feed & fertilizer are
Current/Operating Inventory.
Raised breeding livestock are
Non-Current/Capital
Non-Depreciable Inventory.
With a partner, develop a
rationale for the answer:
Computers, Trees & Vines are
Non-Current/Capital
Depreciable Inventory.
Land is Non-Current/Capital
Non-Depreciable Inventory.
The Intercultural Development
Continuum (IDC)
Denial  Polarization  Minimization  Acceptance  Adaptation
Defense/reversal
Transitional Mindset
Ethnocentric mindset
Cultural relativistic mindset
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Denial of Difference
• Little to no recognition of
complex cultural differences
• Disinterested in or avoid cultural
differences altogether
• Tend to be narrow-minded and
inward-looking as it
relates to cultural
differences
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Polarization—Defense
• Uncritical view of own cultural values
and practices; overly critical view of
cultural values and practices of others
• Tend to see cultural differences as
obstacles to overcome
• Tend to have a sense of
superiority that can lead
to overconfidence
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Polarization—Reversal
• Overly critical view of own cultural
values and practices; uncritical view of
other cultural values and practices
• Tend to think that they are the “good
guys”
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Minimization
• Highlight common practices and universal
values while masking cultural differences
• Assume commonalities without fully
recognizing cultural differences when
present
• May accurately recognize cultural
commonalities and differences but may not
fully deal with the differences
• May overestimate own competence in
dealing with cultural differences
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Acceptance
• Recognize/appreciate patterns of cultural
difference/commonality in own and other cultures
• Curious and interested in
cultural differences
• Acknowledge relevance of
culture and cultural context but
are unclear on how to
appropriately adapt to cultural
difference
• Aware of cultural differences, but are still
developing intercultural skills
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Adaptation
• Able to shift cultural perspectives and
change behavior in culturally appropriate
ways
• Tend to have an increased
repertoire of cultural
frameworks and behaviors
• Function effectively and
appropriately in situations
that call for cross-cultural
competence.
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Cultural Domains
• Universal categories of knowledge, beliefs,
and behavior across all populations
– Family
– Marriage
– Religion
– Art
– Political Systems
– Sport and Recreation
– Language/Communication
– Economic Systems
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Family
• Similarities related to family
– Marriage
– Where we live when we leave home
– Who our children marry
– Who we do business with
– Who we work for
– Who we socialize with
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Religion
• What people want from religion
– Explanation for the unknown
– To find meaning for life
– Reduction in fear and anxiety
– Hope and inspiration
– A playbook for conduct and behavior
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Religion
• Similarities related to religion
– Supernatural agents
– Concept of taboo
– Sacred places
– Religious specialists
– Rituals
– Rites of passage
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Religion
• Religious Specialists
– Priests or priestesses
– Preachers
– Bishops
– Elders
– Shaman
– Mediums
– Sorcerers
– Witches
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Political Systems
• Similarities among political systems
– Organizational patterns
– State systems
– States vs. nations
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Political Systems
• Ways cultures are organized politically
– Centralized vs. decentralized
– Band
– Tribe
– Chiefdom
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Case
Studies
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Female Genital
Modification (FGM)
FGM is generally defined as the practice of modifying the genitals of
adolescent girls to remove parts of the clitoris and/or labia, although
the definition covers many other practices such as constricting the
vaginal opening through some type of stitching. Reasons cited for
conducting FGM range from maintaining cleanliness, limiting female
sexual pleasure (and thus limiting sexual activity outside marriage),
controlling female virginity, raising or maintaining social status, and
symbolically separating men and women through a rite of passage
(where men also undergo genital modification, such as circumcision).
In most cultures where FGM is practiced, older women (mothers,
aunts, grandmothers) perform the modification on younger women,
and it is often embraced by the women themselves. Due to
international attention to FGM by human rights groups, the practice is
receding in some cultures where it has been traditionally practiced,
but it has become more deeply entrenched in other cultures as a
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symbol of traditional values.
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system in which the
production and distribution of goods are
controlled substantially by the government
rather than by private enterprise, and in which
cooperation rather than competition guides
economic activity. There are many varieties of
socialism. Some socialists tolerate economic
individualism (capitalism), as long as the
government maintains the dominant influence
over the economy, but others insist on an
abolition of private enterprise.
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Child Beauty Pageants
Child beauty pageants are contests of beauty and talent held for girls
up to age 12 (after which they may participate in “teen” pageants). In
these pageants—which are modeled on adult beauty pageants—
children are judged on appearance in several outfits, poise, selfconfidence, and performance in activities such as dancing and
singing. Child pageants in this form began in the United States and
have become popular in many other cultures, particularly in Western
Europe. Reasons parents cite for participation in this practice include
the benefits gained from learning self-presentation skills and from
learning about competition at an early age. Critics of the practice
believe that pageants reward girls for their beauty, but not their
intelligence, and that pageants encourage girls to act more mature
than the culture perceives as normal for children of their age.
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First Cousin Marriage
The marriage of what Americans define as “first cousins”—the children of
one’s aunts or uncles—is an accepted cultural practice in many cultures,
including some European cultures. On the one hand, people of those
cultures do not believe that such marriages produce more children with
physical or mental disabilities than other marriages, and scientific research
shows little statistical differences in the disability rates of children from both
kinds of marriages. On the other hand, there are also cultural reasons for
practicing first cousin marriage. Some of these reasons include the desire to
maintain or increase alliances, to maintain family wealth through the
mother’s lineage or the father’s lineage, or to maintain specific bloodlines
(such as “royal” bloodlines). In addition, in some languages, the people
whom we call “cousin,” “aunt,” and “uncle” are called by distinct terms
depending on whether they are from one’s mother’s or father’s side of the
family. For example, the sisters and brothers of one’s mother’s brother may
have a different title than a girl born to one’s father’s brother, etc. These
naming rules usually help people determine who is a possible marriage
partner according to their particular cultural traditions.
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Belief in and Worship of
Multiple Gods
Also called polytheism, this practice refers to the belief in
and/or worship of more than one deity who is believed to
control aspects of nature and human behavior. The practice
has variations between cultures, such as those who believe
that many gods are a part of a supreme being, those who
worship one god but accept the existence of many gods,
those who hold that gods are synonymous with natural
forces, and those who hold that gods have human
personality traits or are spirits of one’s ancestors. It is
often contrasted with monotheism, which is the belief in
one omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent supreme
being. Approximately 30% of the world’s population
practices some form of polytheism.
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Registration of Sex Offenders
In many cultures, people are defined as sex offenders if they
have been convicted of “sexually violent offences against
adults and children and certain sexual contact and other
crimes against victims who are minors” (www.nsopw.gov).
Sex offenders in these countries are often required to
register with local and national government authorities so
the authorities can keep track of their residence and
activities. Some local governments restrict the activities of
registered sex offenders, defining where they can live and
whether they can participate in certain activities, such as
using the internet. This practice may reflect the growing
public awareness about sexual crimes and the value placed
on the justice system as a means of controlling society. 33
Developing Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes
(KSAs)
• Relationship between IDC and cross-cultural
competence
• Relationship between cultural domains and
cross-cultural competence
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Summary
• The Intercultural Development Continuum
• Cultural Domains: A Framework for
Recognizing Cultural Similarities
• Case Study
• Developing Culture-General KSAs
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