Cultural Values

Geert Hofstede's cultural dimensions can help to inform our understanding of our own cultures. My background is mostly Spanish, with a little bit of Pascua Yaqui on my mother's side. I would characterize my culture as having a high power distance where we are taught to always respect authority. This happens in school, church and in the family as well. Everybody has a position within the family and within society, and you must stay within that position. The culture is also very collectivist in that way. I was raised to believe that we work as a unit, without worrying too much about individual goals. The exception is that you are expected to work to make yourself better, which I think reflects more of a traditional American value that has come from being here.

An example of how this works is with my ancestors' grandfather. He was from Andalucia...
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