Traditional and Nontraditional Cultures
Traditional and Nontraditional Cultures
Introduction
Culture refers to a set of beliefs, principles and value systems that influence the actions or conduct of individuals in a given society (Marsden, 2006). In essence, culture is passed down across different generations. Consequently, a traditional culture conforms to specific belief systems and set of values. In contrast, nontraditional cultures are open to change and conform to sets of belief systems from different cultures. Most nontraditional cultures are highly individualistic because people tend to enhance their wellbeing.
The Indian culture is an excellent example of a traditional culture. Indians conform to specific belief systems and their conduct is largely governed by traditional principles. The United States culture is an excellent example of a nontraditional culture. This culture borrows heavily from other cultural entities such as the Indians, Europeans and Africans. This analysis comprises of an evaluation of the United States and Indian cultures as nontraditional and traditional cultures respectively. The analysis comprises of the inherent resemblance and divergences between the two cultures. The conduct, principles and values of both cultures also forms an integral component of this analysis.
Traditional Culture: The Indian Culture
The Indian culture represents an excellent example of traditional culture. The Asian region is home to many traditional cultures and the Indian culture is not an exception. This culture is extremely diverse in terms of beliefs, perceptions about life, religion and general way of life. Indians have strong value for manners and treat everyone with the utmost respect. Individuals from this culture value social life and they thus interact freely with other people. Unity is another notable attribute of the Indian culture. Through unity, Indians believe they can conquer almost all challenges. Consequently, individualism has no place in this culture (Spilsbury, 2009).
Nontraditional Culture: United States Culture
The United States culture borrows a lot from different cultures. This presents it as a typical western culture that conforms to modernism rather than traditional beliefs. Technology is an essential element in this culture. It is used for communication, treatment, education and other aspects of life. In essence, it is possible to trace most features of the United States culture to specific cultures (Marsden, 2006). Consequently, diversity is an essential element of this nontraditional culture. Individualism is another notable attribute of the United States culture. Individuals in this culture pursue personal gains at the expense of community gains.
Similarities between the Traditional and Nontraditional Culture
Various similarities are evident between the Indian and United States cultures. Firstly, both cultures have strong value for human life. Human life overrides other perspectives in both cultures. For instance, Indians do not tolerate murder. The same case applies to the United States culture. Respect is another cultural value that is evident in the two cultures.
This is because the cultures accord tremendous value to human dignity. Education is another attribute that highlights the similarity between both cultures. Education is an integral component of the Indian culture. Indians perceive education as an excellent stepping stone for success in life (Spilsbury, 2009). This situation is also evident within the American culture. Americans have strong value for education. In the American culture, education is considered as a basic requirement for all individuals. It is serves as an essential tool for the advancement of humanity.
Differences between the Traditional and Nontraditional Culture
The differences between the two cultures are evident from numerous perspectives. Firstly, the Indian culture has strong values for ethics and social manners. Indians are expected to maintain the appropriate standards of ethics not only in the society but also within the family unit. For instance, it is unacceptable to use vulgar language while addressing other people. The situation is different within the nontraditional American culture. In this culture, ethics is not a critical aspect of people’s behavior. It is not unusual for individuals to hurl insults at one another while communicating in private or in public.
Dress code is another perspective that highlights the differences between the two cultures. Within the nontraditional American culture, people can dress according to their preferences. There are not restrictions or limitations for the dress code (Marsden, 2006). In contrast, such limitations are evident within the Indian culture. Within the Indian societies, some dress codes are more or less intolerable. This mostly applies to dress codes that seem to reveal too much of an individual’s body. Such behavior is not acceptable within the traditional Indian culture.
In this culture, when an individual dons scanty dress codes, he or she elicits negative perceptions from the public. The assessment of personal behavior serves as another perspective that highlights the differences between the two cultures. Within the traditional Indian culture, customs form the basis of evaluating a person’s behavior.
An individual’s behavior is unacceptable if it does not conform to the traditional beliefs. However, this is not the case within the American culture. The assessment of conduct depends on personal decisions and choices. This is because the culture does not bind the nature of individual behavior. Consequently, an action might be acceptable to an individual but unacceptable to other people. Within the American culture, truth depends on competitive ideas (Shiraev & Levy, 2010). On the other hand, truth is constant within the traditional Indian culture. The evaluation of good and evil actions is another element that highlights the difference between the two cultures.
Within the traditional Indian culture, there is a precise differentiation of evil and good actions. Some actions are evil while others are socially acceptable. Within the nontraditional American culture, the situation is dissimilar. There are variations for evil actions as well as acceptable behavior. Inequality is highly tolerable within the traditional Indian culture in comparison to the American culture (Spilsbury, 2009). All these aspects highlight the prevailing differences between the traditional Indian culture and the nontraditional American culture (Spilsbury, 2009).
Conclusion
The paper examines the traditional Indian culture and the nontraditional American culture. There are notable differences as well as similarities between the two cultures. Most nontraditional cultures are highly individualistic because people tend to enhance their wellbeing. The Indian culture is an excellent example of a traditional culture. Indians conform to specific belief systems and their conduct is largely governed by traditional principles. The American culture is an excellent example of a nontraditional culture. It borrows heavily from other cultural entities such as the Indians, Europeans and Africans.
Indians have strong value for manners and treat everyone with the utmost respect. Individuals from this culture value social life and they thus interact freely with other people. Human life overrides other perspectives in both cultures. For instance, Indians do not tolerate murder. Respect is another cultural value that is evident in the two cultures. This is because the cultures accord tremendous value to human dignity.
References
Is this your assignment or some part of it?
We can do it for you! Click to Order!
