Chapter 3: What are the Essential Cultural Value Patters

Values

Shared ideas about what counts as important/unimportant, fair/unfair, ethical/unethical conduct.

Cultural Values

Exist on personal and cultural system levels, providing stability and guidance during crises.

Sense of Self

Infused with myriad values including gender, personal, spiritual, ethnic, professional, and relational.

Crisis

A situation where one's values are being challenged.

IC Communication Knowledge

Promotes introspection on cultural beliefs and values, aiding in finding common ground.

Cultural Level Values

Set by the dominant group and are pervasive within a culture.

Personal Level Values

Influenced by family socialization, life experiences, and popular culture.

American Values

Include freedom, equity, justice, diversity, hard work, innovation, respect, and patriotism.

Individualism

Prioritizes individual identities and personal choices over group identity.

Collectivism

Emphasizes group identity and interdependence over individualism.

Masculine Values

Distinct social gender roles with a focus on material success and assertiveness.

Feminine Values

Fluid social gender roles with an emphasis on quality of life and relational connections.

Small Power Distance

Values equal power distributions and equitable rewards based on performance.

Large Power Distance

Accepts unequal power distributions and hierarchical structures.

Weak Uncertainty Avoidance

Encourages risk-taking and tolerates conflict and innovation.

Strong Uncertainty Avoidance

Prefers clear procedures and avoids conflict, with defined roles.

Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck

Identified universal questions humans seek to answer regarding meaning, destiny, and time.

Meaning (Doing)

Focus on achievement-oriented activities and tangible accomplishments.

Meaning (Being)

Emphasizes emotional vitality and relational connections with significant others.

Meaning (Being-in-Becoming)

Focus on self-development and achieving human or spiritual potential.

Destiny (Control)

Belief in mastery and control over nature and the environment.

Destiny (Harmony)

View that humans, nature, and spirit are interconnected.

Destiny (Subjugation)

Fatalistic attitude towards nature, believing in forces beyond human control.

Internal Locus of Control

Belief that one can change the outcome of situations.

External Locus of Control

Belief that outcomes are beyond one's control.

Time (Future-Oriented)

Focus on planning for future development and setting objectives.

Time (Present-Oriented)

Valuing the present moment and current relationships.

Time (Past-Oriented)

Honoring ancestral ties and wisdom of elders.

Time (Past-Present)

Understanding the present through historical context to plan for the future.