Role of Cultural Values

Culture is a pattern of responding to basic needs for food, shelter, clothing, family
organization, religion, government, and social structures. Culture can be further

described as discrete behaviors, traditions, habits, or customs that are shared and can
be observed, as well as the sum total of ideas, beliefs, customs, knowledge, material
artifacts, and values that are handed down from one generation to the next in a society.
Cultural artifacts are the objects or products designed and used by people to meet
reoccurring needs or to solve problems. Institutions are structures and mechanisms of
social order and cooperation governing the behavior of two or more individuals. Cultural
norms are rules that are socially enforced. Social sanctioning is what distinguishes
norms from values.
Values are core beliefs and practices from which people operate. Each culture
possesses its own particular values, traditions, and ideals. Integrity in the application of
a “value” over time ensures its continuity, and this continuity separates a value from
simple beliefs, opinions, and ideals. Cultural groups may endorse shared values.
However, a given individual within that culture may vary in agreement with the group
cultural values.
Role of Cultural Values

Cultural universalism asserts that all human beings create culture in response to
survival needs. Only humans rely on culture rather than instinct to ensure survival of
their kind. What seems unique to humanity is the capacity to create culture. Cultural
relativism informs us that each culture possesses its own particular traditions, values,
and ideals. Judgments of what is right or wrong, good or bad, acceptable or taboo are
based on particular cultural values. Values underlie preferences, guide choices, and
indicate what is worthwhile in life. Values help define the character of a culture, but they
usually do not provide a specific course of action. Values generally prescribe what one
“should” do but not how to do it. Because values offer viewpoints about ideals, goals,
and behaviors, they serve as standards for social life. All groups, regardless of size,
have their own values, norms, and sanctions.
Although it may seem obvious that values are rooted in the culture from which they
originate, this has not always been the way values have been operationalized.
For many years in the United States, the fundamental values of White European
American males were often accepted as universal rather than culturally specific.
Deviations from mainstream values were labeled as abnormal and inferior rather than
merely different. Psychologist Gilbert Wrenn challenged the notion that White European
American culture was universal by writing about the “culturally encapsulated counselor,”
and the multicultural counseling movement has expanded the notion of culturally bound
values.
Formation of Cultural Values

Cultural values are formed through environmental adaptations, historical factors, social
and economic evolution, and contact with other groups. Individuals develop cultural
perceptual patterns that determine which stimuli reach their awareness. These cultural
perceptual patterns also determine judgments of people, objects, and events. When the
individual or society prioritizes a set of values (usually of the ethical or doctrinal
categories), a value system is formed.
Values dictate what is important. They serve as a guide for the ideals and behavior of
members of a culture. As guided by its values, culture can be seen as a dynamic
system of symbols and meanings that involves an ongoing, dialectic process where past
experience influences meanings, which in turn affects future experience, which in turn
affects subsequent meaning. Cultural values provide patterns of living and prescribe
rules and models for attitude and conduct.
For example, several culture-specific values have been identified for specific groups. It
should be noted, however, that there is considerable within-group variability in what is
valued. In traditional Hispanic and Latino/a cultures, the following have been identified
as shared cultural values among many of its members: an emphasis on family unity,
welfare and honor (familismo), a preference for close personal relationships
(personalismo), and respect (respeto) for elders and authority figures.
Some researchers suggest that cultural values can be divided into six main categories:
(1) ethics (notions of right and wrong, good and evil, and responsibility); (2) aesthetics
(notions of beauty and attractiveness); (3) doctrinal (political, ideological, religious, or
social beliefs and values); (4) innate/inborn (values such as reproduction and survival;
this is a controversial category); (5) non-use/passive (includes the value based on
something never used or seen, or something left for the next generation); and (6)
potential (the value of something that is known to be only potentially valuable, such as a
plant that might be found to have medicinal value in the future).
In multicultural societies, cultures may come into conflict. Parochialism occurs when
members of a given culture believe their way is the “only” way. They do not recognize
other ways of living, working, or doing things as being valid. Equifinality has been
suggested as a more appropriate assumption to make in a multicultural world. This
assumption asserts that the way of any given culture is not the only way.
Instead, there are many culturally distinct ways of reaching the same goal or living one’s
life. Another conflict may involve ethnocentrism. This occurs when members of a culture
recognize the existence of other cultures and yet believe their way is the “best” way and
all other cultural valuations are inferior. The notion of cultural contingency may be a
more appropriate response in a multicultural world; that is, cultural values are seen as
choices that are equally valid for the individuals involved.
CUSTOMS: Filipino
 Handshakes are common but they are soft handshakes. A strong handshake
isn’t necessary to assert yourself.
 Kissing as a greeting is inappropriate, as are pats on the back and touching the
shoulder until you’ve developed a personal relationship.
 Family is important and extended families live together. You can expect to see
families in the hospital, curious about your patient and attentive.
 Losing control, raising your voice or shouting at all is usually considered
shameful to one’s family.
 Filipino’s would rather avoid embarrassment and often do so through laughter.
 In conversation, Filipino’s often say ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’ rather than ‘no’. It’s all about
keeping things positive and saving face, as in other countries in the region.
 Don’t complain - keep a harmonious atmosphere. “Be like a sponge. Soak up as
much of the experience as possible.” Rob Kidd, 2013
 “Hello” is well understood and Mr and Mrs. are also appropriate at first. As you
make friends the locals and our staff are sure to teach you comfortable
alternatives in Hiligaynon, which is spoken in Iloilo.
 Thank you - Salamat (add ‘po’ for formality and when speaking to an elder i.e.
salamat po)

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Culture is a pattern of responding to basic needs for food, shelter, clothing, family

organization, religion, government, and social structures. Culture can be further

Role of Cultural Values

Formation of Cultural Values

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