Facebook-square Youtube Instagram

Culture Questionnaire

What is your Culture?

Time

In some cultures, time is considered to be like a river (a part of nature, not in our control)  In others, time is money  (a resource to be used wisely). You might be like your culture, or unlike your culture.  We're interested in how YOU answer that question for yourself.  If the perspective "Time is a river." is "1" on the scale below and "time is money" is "5", where are you on that continuum?
Can you give us an example of something you do that illustrates your approach to time?  A story about being late?  About NEVER being late? Or casting aside your worries about being late?  Or when your sense of time differed from the place in which you found yourself?

Societal Roles

In some cultures,  people are clearly assigned roles, and those roles hold great weight.  In other cultures, the roles are more fluid.  One easy way to see this pattern is in family roles;  do fathers and mothers have distinct roles?  Does the eldest always have particular duties among children?  You might be like your culture or unlike your culture.  We're interested in how YOU feel about people playing their assigned (and often traditional roles),  If "Things work better if people fulfill the expectations that are generally held held for roles (in family, work, etc.)" is "1" and "People should follow their own instincts and not be ruled by outside expectations about their role"  is '5', where are you on that continuum?  
Can you give us an example of something you do that indicates how fixed or how interchangeable your approach to roles is?  A story about following expectations?  Or contradicting expectations?  Or when you became aware that your idea about "how __________(mother/father/other roles) should behave" was different from the place you found yourself in?  

Past, Present, Future

In some cultures, people are more likely to think about the future than the past, or present. In others, they are more rooted in the past, and often feel that honoring tradition is a bigger value than change. You might be like your culture or unlike your culture. We're interested in how YOU focus. If "Focussed on the future" is 1 and "Rooted in the past " is 5, where are you on that continuum?  
Can you give us an example of something you do that illustrates that? Can you tell us a story or example of when your most frequent way of focusing on future or past might have differed from the place you found yourself?

Emotional Expression

In some cultures, people tend to be expressive about their emotions. In other cultures, they tend to refrain from showing emotions. You might be like your culture, or not like your culture. We're interested in how YOU behave. If "My emotions are right out there for all to see; I'm an open book when it comes to feelings." is 1, and "I tend to keep feeling private, and usually present a neutral face to the world, no matter the circumstances" is 5, where are you?
Can you give us an example of something you do that illustrates how expressive you are with emotions? Can you tell us a story or example of when your way of expressing yourself might have differed from the place in which you found yourself?

Fate vs. Individual Mastery

In some cultures, people seem to see the world as great forces, largely outside their control. In other cultures, the world is something to be conquered, and, in many cases, the circumstances can be overcome. If "Navigate the seas skillfully; go with the flow." is 1 and "I am the master of my Fate." is 5, where would you say your attitude toward forces outside yourself falls on that continuum?
Can you give us an example of how your actions reflect how you see the world of outside forces? Can you tell us a story or example of when your way of your perspective about outside forces greater than yourself might have differed from the place in which you found yourself?
In the questions above, we referenced categories (time, family, emotions, etc.) that are generally agreed upon by those studying culture as categories that nearly all cultures provide their members with general guidelines for. How familiar are these concepts to you?

Understanding culture

A good definition of culture is "the unwritten rules that groups of people devise over time to solve problems. They usually pass these on to other members of the group." That definition can fit whether the 'culture' is a family, a neighborhood, a company, a religion, a region or a country. Indeed, all those things do, to some degree, have a culture. Pick thegroups that you are a member of, from the list below, that you think probably had a significant influence on you. (To pick more than one, hold down the command or control key.)
Do the questions above seem relevant to making your home in a new culture? Does identifying your cultural perspective (as different than other cultures) seem easy for you?
How well would you rate your knowledge of French culture? In particular, how knowledgeable do you think you are about the cultural differences between your own culture and the French culture.

Hi!  We noticed you’re not registered with our site yet.   Please register using the form below; it just takes a minute.  If you’ve registered already, please login here (so you don’t see this popup anymore)

Register/Free

 

E-mail *
First Name *
Username *
Last Name *

Check your email for the link that puts you back on the site, a registered user free to browse all you please.

Click here
Reset Password
Password
Repeat Password