Cultural values guide us as to how to act and react in given situations. They tell us what behavior is right, and what will be expected by those around us. They are the underlying principles that guide our lives. On the screen you'll see a list of values. Choose just two that were most important in your family and community when you were growing up, and then choose two that are most important for you now, it's hard to choose just to by not choosing a value, you are not saying that you or your family don't hold that value. This exercise is to help you rank what values are most important.
I'll ask you to pause the video while you choose. After you've chosen two values on each side, started again pause The video now. Welcome back. I hope you chose just two values on each side. When we are in a situation where two values are in conflict, we feel tension. We sometimes feel torn between values.
Picture this situation. You're with your cousin brother driving down the highway and you're in an accident. Your brother was speeding and was definitely in the wrong. A police officer asked you how fast was your brother driving? What do you tell him? What values are in conflict.
You want to protect your cousin brother but you also want to be honest and truthful. So the values of family and community and honesty and integrity or intention. Another situation you're in your friend job after college. There's a project that is coming due and your cousin's sisters marriage is coming. Do you take off work to attend the wedding? Or do you stay at the job and disappoint your family?
What values our intention, responsibility, and family and community? I've done this exercise hundreds of times while training in India, about 99% of the time family and community rank at the top as the chosen value for a group of Indian participants. within our own culture, we understand why the values are important. And even if we feel the tension of making decisions between those values. When we cross cultures, it becomes even more difficult because people do things that are contrary to our values. And we think why Why did they do that?
How rude how in considered it, we don't understand the importance of the value within their culture. When we understand what shapes the culture, we begin adapting, we can better understand why people are acting the way they're acting. Before moving to India, I read culture shock India and a number of other books about India. But I also read another book culture shock USA. And I found myself thinking, yes, that is the way we are. And it helped me reflect on the values that were indeed my American cultural values.
As you move to the US, be prepared to think about Indian cultural values and how they have impacted you. We're going to look at three American cultural values that are prominent in shaping in their American society and how these values may impact you.