Culture and Psychology - week 7 - October 28th/2020
Culture and Psychology
During this week’s studies to become an ESL teacher, I learned about the effect culture has in all aspects of our lives. Our culture has a great effect on the way we see life around us. Most of the things we do or not do in life are because we are affected by our culture. Culture has such a great power that it can influence our emotions, behaviors, attitudes, and even our psyche. In all cultures, there are preconceived ideas about how people from those cultures should behave and act.
In my culture, there is a tendency to think that men and women are not equal when it comes down to doing household chores. Many people think that women are supposed to do all of the housework, look after the children, and have things ready for when the men come tired from work. Although this idea is changing little by little, there are still many people who think that way. These people would even say that those women who do not follow after this pattern, are not real women.
To add more, many people think that if men help with household chores, it is because their wives dominate them, and take all the decisions in the house. Men in these circumstances are often bullied because of these. Although these ideas are more common among older people, they are still seeing among some young people who have learned this way. I used to go eating at my grandmothers’ house. I remember that one time, I stood up from the table, went to the kitchen sink, and started washing the dishes. When my grandma saw that, she said “Stop doing that. There are three women (my grandma, my aunt, and my wife) here who can do that”. I told her I could do it, and she grudgingly accepted.
Many things can be done to change these ideas that have been in my culture for hundreds of years. As a TESOL educator, I can surely address the topic of equality between men and women. I can speak about paradigms and how they are changing. I can debate and discuss with students, and all together gain a larger understanding of these things.
What things cause people in your culture to have low self-esteem?
Pablo Paez,
ResponderEliminarIn my country, child abuse was a decisive factor in low self-esteem. My ancestors of part of my mother suffer child abuse. It makes that they felt shame having challenges in their relations with their children. The words, actions, and less care have a depth impact on the life of the people.