Sharon Hook

Culture And Identity

Culture is defined differently in accordance with the society and an organisation. Therefore, culture defines the norms, values and art of a particular group of people or society or the way of behaving, thinking and working that is stipulated in a lack of work or organisation. On the other hand, identity defines the fact that one has an unchanged perception of belonging to a particular group of people or organisation and behaves or lives by the standards set by that group of people or organisation.

Cultural identity is, therefore, the sense of belonging to a particular culture and behaving in a particular way as suggested by that culture. Different cultures have different values, beliefs and norms. Similarly, different organisations have a different code of behaviour, values and standards that have to be followed by their members.

The pillars of culture and identity

Unexamined cultural identity is the first pillar of culture and identity. This is the first stage of acquiring the cultural identity and it is characterised by the lack cultural exploration and being unaware of cultural differences. This phase is substantially associated with children as they tend to considerably ignore the cultural differences. At this stage, children are mostly concerned with ethnicity and they absorb anything they receive from their parents, media and the community. Children go by the ideas of others, and, therefore, they are incapable of forming an own cultural identity.

Cultural identity search is the second pillar of culture and identity. This stage is characterised by numerous questions about your culture and the need to learn more about it to establish the consequences of belonging to the particular culture. During this stage, an individual is exposed to different cultures and is ready to examine and analyse own culture against other cultures to establish the origin of cultural beliefs and their implications in their lives.

Lastly, the final pillar of culture and identity is cultural identity achievement. During this stage, individuals have fully made up their mind to belong to a particular culture. Belonging to a particular culture is very crucial as it helps in building one self-confidence and also foster personal psychological growth.

The importance of culture and identity

Cultural identity is very crucial for people’s sense of self and in their relation to others. High sense of identity is very significant in an individual’s overall wellbeing. Identifying with a particular culture gives people a sense of belonging thus making them feel secure. Strong and established cultural identity is a major contributor to academic and career success.