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2/17/21; Week 7: Response to Culture and Psychology
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Have you ever heard about "Culturally-Created Ought Self"?
According to Professor John J. Ivers from the BYU-Idaho University, "culturally-created ought self" accounts for tendencies that a culture bestows prestige or shame depending on certain activities. That means that in some cultures certain talents, abilities, appearance, and practices are exalted while in other cultures the same talents, abilities, appearance, and practices are minimized or even debased. For example, as I mentioned in this POST a couple of weeks ago, a woman in Tongo is considered beautiful if she's not thin when in the USA (and in Brazil too) is the opposite.
Every culture has its own "culturally-created ought self", and, of course, there is a real self that sometimes does not correspond to that. Professor Ivers explains that "the higher the correspondence between the real
self and the ought self, most likely, the higher self-esteem one will enjoy. But the lesser the correspondence between the
culturally-created ought self and your real self, then it is harder to have
that self-esteem".
In my home culture, Brazil, there are many "culturally-created ought self" that are irrationally causing people to have low self-esteem. Let me point out some of them: a real man is one who has his own house, a great car, a Bachelor's Degree, and a brilliant career; a real woman is one who has a great career too, but at the same time can handle all the responsibility for the household and the kids, and, of course, have a thin, perfect body.
I would like to emphasize the last element. Brazil is one of the Top 3 countries in the world that more makes plastic surgery. Our culture says that for a woman to have value she needs to have an "amazing" body and show it. However, this culture has killed a lot of women who have been submitted to unnecessary surgeries made by unprepared doctors.
Recently I've got to know about a Brazilian woman and digital influencer who died after a liposuction.This "unattainable search for an ideal of feminine beauty that does not exist" is rooted in our culture so strongly that has costed a high price, the life of many women, and also the sadness, frustration, and shame of others who try so hard to achieve this ideal.
We need to open our eyes and see what really matters. As teachers, we have a great power and responsibility to help our students to set attainable and reasonable goals for their studies and for themselves.We have to put value on things that are everlasting. We need to be grateful for what we have and for who we are. When we understand that those "culturally-created ought self" exist in all nations and cultures it will be easier to get through them and not to be psychologically harmed by them.
Hi Larissa, I liked how you approached the topic by mentioning current facts that are happening in our culture. Unfortunately we are far from living in a society free from judgements but we can do our part by exercising self-love and encouraging our students to do the same. That was a great post!
How Do Different Cultures Perceive Time? Monochronic vs. Polychronic Have you ever been invited to a Brazilian party? If you haven't, I need to tell you two things? First, it will be very fun, you will find a friendly environment and a lot of food. Second, it won't begin at the time scheduled. Now you can ask me "Why won't a super cool party begin on time? Well, this is because Brazil, as well as many other countries around the world, is a polychronic country. Professor John Ivers from the BYU-Idaho University mentions the words of the anthropologist Edward T. Hall to explain that cultures around the world can be divided by monochronic and polychronic. Professor Ivers explains that "i n a polychronic world, they're [people] not ruled by the schedule. They're ruled by relationships and family". Then Professor Ivers quotes Hall saying that monochronic time , "on the other hand, is oriented to tasks, schedules, and procedures.” 👇Below you can
Personal Space Differences in a TESOL classroom Imagine the following situation, you, the teacher, are in the classroom and approach a student who is struggling to understand the content taught that day. You come closer to your student to see his notebook and show willingness to help him. However, he steps back away from you. What would you think? You may think he is ashamed, or he is sad, or even he is not like you. Well, this situation may happen because different cultures have different personal space levels. Regarding this issue, Professor John J. Ivers from BYU-Idaho University says that we "have to be very careful [because] there is some very serious room for misinterpretation". The zone distance can vary from one culture to another. For instance, in my culture, it's very common to hug and kiss people when you first meet them. However, for some cultures, like in Germany, this seems very inappropriate. Personal spaces are associated with the population density of
Good or Bad Manners? Have you ever thought that cultural differences also include manners? Well, I've found out that differences in cultures around the world cover more aspects than I imagined. For example, did you know that in some countries in East Asia belching is considered a compliment to the chef? In Brazil is considered very impolite to do it when you're eating. What about the "okay" sign, did you know that in Brazil it is an offensive gesture? Handshakes are also on the list, did you know that a bone-crushing handshake is a sign of aggression in the Philippines, while in Brazil is a demonstration of professionalism? As you can see, a good manner may be considered a bad manner in some cultures, and vice-versa. A great tip to not pass through an embarrassing situation is given by Professor John J. Ivers from the BYU-Idaho University. He says that if we are surrounded by people from another culture we need to "see what everyone is doing", in other wor
Hi Larissa,
ResponderExcluirI liked how you approached the topic by mentioning current facts that are happening in our culture. Unfortunately we are far from living in a society free from judgements but we can do our part by exercising self-love and encouraging our students to do the same.
That was a great post!