When many different cultures live together in one society, misunderstandings, biases,
and judgments are inevitable—but fair evaluations, relationships, and learning experiences are
also possible. Cultures cannot remain entirely separate, no matter how different they are, and
the resulting effects are varied and widespread.
Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is the tendency to judge another culture by the standards
of one’s own culture. Ethnocentrism usually entails the notion that one’s own
culture is superior to everyone else’s.
Example: Americans tend to value technological advancement, industrialization, and the
accumulation of wealth. An American, applying his or her own standards to a culture that does
not value those things, may view that culture as “primitive” or “uncivilized.” Such labels are
not just statements but judgments: they imply that it is better to be urbanized and
industrialized than it is to carry on another kind of lifestyle.
People in other cultures, such as some European cultures, also see American
culture through the lens of their own ethnocentrism. To members of other cultures, Americans
may seem materialistic, brash, or arrogant, with little intellectual subtlety or spirituality.
Many Americans would disagree with that assessment.
Cultural Relativism
The opposite of ethnocentrism is cultural relativism—the examination of a
cultural trait within the context of that culture. Cultural relativists try to
understand unfamiliar values and norms without judging them and without applying the standards
of their own culture.
Example: In India, the concepts of dating, love, and marriage differ from those in the United
States. Though love is important, parents choose their children’s spouses according to
similarities in educational levels, religions, castes, and family backgrounds. The families
trust that love will develop over time but believe that a wedding can take place without it.
From an American ethnocentric perspective, arranging marriages appears to be a custom that
limits individual freedom. On the other hand, a cultural relativist would acknowledge that
arranged marriages serve an important function in India and other cultures.
Culture Shock
The practices of other cultures can be and often are jarring, and even the most adept
cultural relativist is not immune to culture shock. Culture shock is the surprise,
disorientation, and fear people can experience when they encounter a new culture.
Example: Visitors to Western Europe from Islamic countries often experience culture shock when
they see women wearing what they consider to be revealing clothing and unmarried couples
kissing or holding hands in public, because these behaviors are forbidden or frowned upon in
their own cultures.
Culture Lag
In 1922, the sociologist William Ogburn coined the term
culture lag. Culture lag refers to the tendency for
changes in material and nonmaterial culture to occur at different rates.
Ogburn proposed that, in general, changes in nonmaterial culture tend to lag behind changes in
material culture, including technological advances.
Technology progresses at a rapid rate, but our feelings and beliefs about it, part of
our nonmaterial culture, lag behind our knowledge of how to enact technological change.
Example: Though the technology that allows people to meet online has existed for years, an
understanding of what the proper conduct is in an online “dating” situation lags behind the
knowledge of how to use the technology. No definite answers exist to many important questions:
How long should people talk over the internet before meeting in person? What is the right
interval of response time between emails? New technology has brought with it new questions and
uncertainties.
Cultural Diffusion
Cultural diffusion is the process whereby an aspect of culture spreads
throughout a culture or from one culture to another.
Example: In the United States in the early 1990s, only people who needed to be available in
emergencies, such as doctors, carried cell phones. Today, every member of a family may have
his or her own cell phone. In some developing nations, where standard telephone lines and
other communications infrastructures are unreliable or nonexistent, cell phones have been
welcomed enthusiastically, as they provide people with an effective communication tool.
