MINI PAPER OF CROSS CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
THIS PAPER TO COMPLETED MIDTERM TEST OF CROSS CULTURAL
UNDERSTANDING COURSE
LECTURER: Mr. ABDUL RAUF, M.Pd.
CREATED BY:
ANDITA APRILIASARI
(2019850022)
BING-6
ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
FACULTY OF EDUCATION SCIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF MUHAMMADIYAH JAKARTA
2021
I. INTRODUCTION
Cross-cultural understanding is a person's ability to recognize, interpret and respond
appropriately to people, incidents or situations that could potentially lead to misunderstanding
due to cultural differences. Broadly speaking, this cross-cultural understanding includes an
understanding of values, beliefs, attitudes, thinking patterns, customs, habits, language and
ways of communicating. The importance of understanding cultural crossings is that Cross-
cultural values create values to determine what is acceptable to other cultures. Cross-cultural
makes humans able to communicate well and in the end, cross-cultural can strengthen human
bonds with other humans and give uniqueness to humans and society. By sharing experiences
and knowledge, understanding and complementing each other through cross-cultural
communication, peace and harmony of life will be created.
II. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CULTURAL VALUES AND
CULTURAL NORMS?
Values are everything that is considered good and bad in society. Values are
influenced by the culture of the community. Meanwhile, norms are rules in the form of
prohibitions which are determined by mutual agreement. If you violate the norms, you will be
given certain penalties or sanctions. The main difference between norms and values is that
norms are accepted standards of behaviour, whereas values are principles that help you to
decide what is right and wrong. Norms are standards of behavior that play a major role in
maintaining social order and stability. Values, on the other hand, are abstract concepts that
help us to decide what is wrong and right. While values are general guidelines, norms are
specific guidelines.
III. WHY DOES THE CULTURAL SHOCK HAPPEN? HOW DO YOU ADJUST
TO FOREIGN CULTURE?
Culture shock is a condition in which individuals unfamiliar with a new culture.
Usually,people experience culture shock when they arrived in an area where the customs of
localresidents is very different from the home region.
The Cause of Cultural Shock
1. Cultural differences
The outcome of culture shock appears to be a function of thedifferences between the
own and the foreign culture. As these differences aremultidimensional, the cultures
may be very similar on one factor and very different onothers.
2. Individual differences
This aspect refers to differences in personality and the ability tocope with new
environments. It also includes demographic variables such as age, sex,socio-economic
class, and education.
3. Sojourn experience
The experiences sojourners have and the treatment they receivefrom members of the
host society have a strong influence on the adaptation process.
We can see examples of culture shock during the pandemic when learning activities
have completely shifted to online mode. Many students and even lecturers who are teachers
who experience culture shock often feel stressed because they are forced to continue to be in
front of the screen. Coupled with the burden of learning online features to support learning.
For those who are not used to it, this online learning activity will certainly feel very tiring.
The impact can be very diverse, ranging from physical and psychological exhaustion, to
depression.
How Do I Adjust to Foreign Culture?
Living abroad is an exciting opportunity to experience different cultures and environments —
to meet people from all over the world. However, there is often an adjustment period after
moving to another country. It takes time to learn a new language, new habits too.
1) Be open-minded and curious - Adjusting to a new culture does not mean that you
have to change your own values, but it is important to respect those of other people.
When you find yourself in an unfamiliar situation, try to think of it as a new
adventure. Allow yourself to be curious about the way things are perceived and done
in this new environment.
2) Be patient- Adapting to a new culture and country takes time. Be patient with yourself
and allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them as you go along.
3) Take care of your physical health - mindful about keeping a healthy diet and getting
enough exercise and rest. Try to find an activity that you enjoy and make it part of
your routine. Being physically active can help reduce your stress level.
IV. COMPARE GENDER SITUATION BETWEEN WESTERN AND
INDONESIAN PEOPLE.
Gender equality is one of our human rights as human beings. The right to live in
honor, free from fear and free to make life choices is not only intended for men, women also
have the same rights in essence. Unfortunately, until now, women are often considered weak
and only become complementary figures. Moreover, there is a mindset that the role of women
is only limited to working in the kitchen, wells, taking care of the family and children, so that
in the end things outside of it become unimportant.
Culturally, Indonesians have recognized sexual and gender diversity as part of their
daily lives. Indonesia has a rich history of homosexuality and transgenderism. This fact
contradicts the common belief that they are Western imports. People regard homosexuality
and transgender as a product of Western culture. Indonesian culture has long been
accustomed to gender diversity before colonialism and modernity exerted a strong influence
on society. Indonesia's rich and complex tradition of gender diversity has been diminished by
colonialism. Colonialism redefined the concepts of gender and sexuality according to modern
religion and values. Religion places great emphasis on heterosexuality in marriage. Sex is
considered a moral issue, so sex that occurs outside of marriage or between non-heterosexual
partners is immoral.
V. HOW ARE THE FAMILY AND WORK CUSTOM OF AMERICAN?
Family Structure - The average American family has classically been understood as a
nuclear family (husband, wife and children) with extended family living separately. While the
nuclear family structure is still common today, it can no longer be an exact social expectation
as divorce, remarriage, cohabitation of couples and births outside of marriage have become
more common.
Family Dynamics - Individualism influences many American family dynamics. There is a
pervading cultural idea that you are what you make of yourself and who you choose to be.
Therefore, people are expected to be self-reliant and personally responsible for their choices.
For example, it is relatively common for American parents to a emphasise a child’s
independence and support their pursuit of personal aspirations, even if they differ from the
family’s preconceived expectation. Similarly, American school systems often teach children
to think of themselves as ‘special’ or ‘unique’ as they grow up.
The cultural emphasis on independence also sees many elderly Americans choose to live
alone, preferring to be self-reliant in their old age rather than ‘burdening’ the younger
generations of their family by living with them
Gender Roles - American society has traditionally viewed men as the breadwinners of the
family, while women were seen as housewives and primary caregivers of the children.
However, such attitudes towards women's gender roles have changed significantly since the
mid-20th century. Now the participation of American women in the workforce and in
positions has a high share. The share of female household breadwinners and women-owned
businesses continues to grow consistently. American women have also attained higher levels
of education, outpacing the average male in most cases (especially among the younger
generation). In fact, in 2012 it became more common for wives to be more educated than
husbands among married couples of the opposite sex. However, while women enjoy equal
rights and opportunities to choose the form of their contribution to domestic dynamics,
traditional views of the family and household duties persist.
VI. CONCLUSION
The importance of learning Cross Cultural Understanding because learning a foreign
language is not part of learning the culture of the language user. This is to help them avoid
non-language errors, and to help with knowledge to understand those native speakers of the
language, furthermore if they have the opportunity to go abroad, they can survive culture
shock. Many things can be learned from understanding cross-cultural where many things
must be considered. We need to study several aspects of language, not only linguistic
knowledge but also the culture of the people who use the language. Every culture basically
has values and attitudes where its members think that these values are something that is right
and acceptable. But often a person's attitudes and behavior do not always reflect these values.
From this we learn that the differences in the various cultures of different countries strongly
reflect the behavior that may be required to follow that culture when we are in a country. This
means that Cross Cultural Understanding is a way to understand cultural differences in
various countries so that there are no misunderstandings.
