Main Cultural Practice in the United States

A prevalent societal practice in the United States is shaking hands when meeting someone for the first time or as a form of salutation (Margolin, 2019). A person from another culture may respond to this practice in a culturally relevant fashion by being conscious that different societies have different methods of welcoming each other, and that holding hands is not the ubiquitous standard. For example, in some societies, people might kneel, embrace, or even peck on the cheek when meeting someone for the first time. Thus, a person from another culture might acknowledge the practice of holding hands in the US while acknowledging that it is not the only method to welcome someone.

On the other hand, someone might respond in an ethnocentric fashion by evaluating the practice of holding hands as preferable to other forms of salutation or by declining to participate in the practice completely because it does not correspond with their cultural standards (Katila et al., 2020). For example, someone from a society that values physical contact may find it unusual or indifferent to clasp hands and may perceive it as frigid or unpleasant. This could cause them to regard the practice of shaking hands as substandard or unnatural.

It is essential to understand and appreciate cultural distinctions, including disparities in behaviors and standards, to prevent making conclusions or judgements based on one's own cultural values and beliefs.

References

Katila, J., Gan, Y., & Goodwin, M. H. (2020). Interaction rituals and ‘social distancing’: New haptic trajectories and touching from a distance in the time of COVID-19. Discourse Studies, 22(4), 418-440.

Margolin, V. (2019). Social design: From utopia to the good society. The Social Design Reader, 17.

By Shem Kipkoech 1 year ago . Marked as helpful (130). Marked as unhelpful (218)

Main Cultural Practice in the United States

A prevalent societal practice in the United States is shaking hands when meeting someone for the first time or as a form of salutation (Margolin, 2019). A person from another culture may respond to this practice in a culturally relevant fashion by being conscious that different societies have different methods of welcoming each other, and that holding hands is not the ubiquitous standard. For example, in some societies, people might kneel, embrace, or even peck on the cheek when meeting someone for the first time. Thus, a person from another culture might acknowledge the practice of holding hands in the US while acknowledging that it is not the only method to welcome someone.

On the other hand, someone might respond in an ethnocentric fashion by evaluating the practice of holding hands as preferable to other forms of salutation or by declining to participate in the practice completely because it does not correspond with their cultural standards (Katila et al., 2020). For example, someone from a society that values physical contact may find it unusual or indifferent to clasp hands and may perceive it as frigid or unpleasant. This could cause them to regard the practice of shaking hands as substandard or unnatural.

It is essential to understand and appreciate cultural distinctions, including disparities in behaviors and standards, to prevent making conclusions or judgements based on one's own cultural values and beliefs.

References

Katila, J., Gan, Y., & Goodwin, M. H. (2020). Interaction rituals and ‘social distancing’: New haptic trajectories and touching from a distance in the time of COVID-19. Discourse Studies, 22(4), 418-440.

Margolin, V. (2019). Social design: From utopia to the good society. The Social Design Reader, 17.

By Shem Kipkoech 1 year ago . Marked as helpful (130). Marked as unhelpful (150)