Essay Sample on the Dynamics of Ethical Values in Diverse Cultures

Culture is defined as social behavior, beliefs, and customs practiced by certain people who share many similar environmental attributes, such as a societal setting. The people who share similarities end up having many common attributes, which enable them to have similar patterns in life. When the patterns are nurtured and cultivated in the lives of the individuals, they have many similarities (Arnold, 2018). The similarities in a certain culture may be different from another type of culture, because of the difference in the constitution of the factors that are responsible for defining and developing the culture. One of the aspects that may be different in culture between two types of cultures is their ethics. Ethics is the specification of the various moral principles which control the behavior of people. The ethics re responsible for specifying the wrong conduct, from that which is right and acceptable in society. The ethics of one culture may be different from that of another culture. That is based on various cultural factors. Therefore, it is worth highlighting the various ethical factors that influence the ethical relationships in, or between different types of culture.

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One of the major differences that exist among cultures, and is responsible for the difference in ethics is the issue of customs. Customs defines the widely accepted ways of conduct in a certain society. The acceptance of given conduct is as a result of the preferences nurtured in the culture being considered. For example, in most cultures, there is a custom of fairness or celebration, which is incorporated in the daily lives of the people. That shapes society's activities towards a certain type of behavior, guiding people to have their beliefs and values shaped in a certain way. What happens in the case of ethics, too, in a certain society. The ethics that a culture embraces are a product of the customs that the people embrace. The customs the people in a culture hold on to are fundamentally different across different societies. Therefore, it goes a long way in determining the specification of the ethical relationships that exist among the people in society. Furthermore, the customs in culture affect the way the culture interacts with people from other cultures. Therefore, customs are an important aspect in explaining the ethical relationships in or between different cultures.

The other cultural factor that affects the development of ethics between different cultures, or for a specific culture, is politics. Politics define the activities that are involved in the governance of people in a certain area of jurisdiction. In advancing the politics of a certain area of jurisdiction, there are the major parties, who are the leaders. The leaders have different ideologies, upon which society's welfare is based (Lane & Ersson, 2016). Furthermore, the leaders are tasked with the role of making rules and regulations, which are based on the ethical preferences of a certain culture. For example, a certain culture may have their ethics based on religious ideologies, while another has theirs based on economics. The two types of policies will lead to a difference in the ethics that are applied. The culture based on religion might have fairness, while the one based on economics may have the sole aim of increasing productivity. The ethics that are applied in culture, based on the political perspective, are motivated by the laws and government that is associated with a certain culture. Therefore, the difference that exists in the political framework of a culture largely affects the type of culture and difference that exists between cultures.

Religion is the other cultural factor which influences the development of ethical relationships in cultures, or between them. Religion is a social-cultural system which is based on the belief and worship of a certain supernatural being. Religion is an integral part of ethics, as it determines what is right or wrong conduct among people affiliated to it. The morals, behavior and practices that people of a religious practice determine the ethical composition of the culture. Different types of religions have different religious beliefs, practices and worldviews, which they use for guiding the conduct of people (Beyers, 2017). Some religions are specific and unique to certain cultures. They are responsible for determining the type of conduct acceptable among the people at a given time. The religion in a different culture, in most cases, is likely to expose them to a given pattern of conduct. Therefore, there will be a difference in their ethical framework, which is determined by their religious affiliation. The god or prophets that religion is based on might have different messages which the people embrace. The difference in the messages sets up a basic difference among the people. That ends up creating a difference in the ethics that the morality of the people is based on. Religion is one of the most important factors that explain the difference in ethics applied by people in a culture, and between different types of culture. That is because religion cuts across most of the aspects of life that the people in a society culture engage in.

Based on the ethics embraced by a culture, different ways are used to develop, maintain, and end relationships. For example, based on a religious perspective, there is tolerance in developing a relationship and its maintenance. Furthermore, ending relationships is minimal and is only chosen as a matter of last resort. That is different from another perspective, for example, a political one. In most political settings, the motive is personal gains and influence. Therefore, the development of relationships is not solely based on relationships, but the need for control. Therefore, the maintenance of the relationship is based on the perceived benefits that the parties involved get. The perspective of maintaining, nurturing and abandoning relationships is different among the cultures, too, based on the values incorporated among the people. For example, when a culture is more religious, they are more tolerant of relationships than a politically motivated culture.

A conflict style is a definition of how a resolution is arrived at, by parties who may be disagreeing. Various conflict styles can be applied in the case of a disagreement. The styles that are used by people are majorly affected by their cultural perspectives. The values, beliefs and practices that people have to affect their conflict resolution styles (Gunkel et al., 2016). For example, for a culture that is majorly influenced by power and influence, there will be the likeliness of using a competing conflict resolution style. That is because of the need to show power and influence in finding a solution to an issue. However, for a more religious culture, the styles used may be accommodative, compromise and collaboration. Therefore, a culture's conflict style in finding a solution to grievances is affected by the key attributes that a culture is established. When there is a cross-cultural conflict, the differences in the cultures will affect the conflict's resolution.

The difference in conflict styles can be illustrated by an example of the styles adopted by a Mexican and United States of American comparison. In the culture that is applied among most cultures in Mexico, there is more preference for negotiation and social influence in finding solutions to conflicts. That is shaped by their culture, which is reflected in their conflict styles. Furthermore, based on the Mexican culture, there is a preference for collectivism when taking responsibility for a conflict (Gomez & Taylor, 2018). On the contrary, in the United States, there is individualism, where people are held responsible for their faults without more support as the case in Mexican culture. Moreover, the perception of fairness and negotiation is more valuable in American culture than the Mexican culture. Therefore, based on the example, it is evident that different conflict styles are used by people from different cultures. That may affect the resolution of cross-cultural conflicts.

Intercultural relationships are affected by the culture of the parties that are interacting. The culture of the parties is based on the elements that are responsible for defining the culture. For example, there are the political and religious aspects that affect how people relate. On that basis, the relations of people within a culture and between various cultures may be different. The differences are manifested in different ways, which affects cultural and cross-cultural relationships. There are various instances where the differences are displayed in culture and across different cultures. One of them is during conflicts, where the parties' beliefs and attitudes will affect the adopted resolution style. Therefore, it is essential to understand the differences that exist between cultures, and working ways to enhance cooperation even in the face of the differences.

References

Arnold, M. (2018). Culture & anarchy. e-artnow. http://public-library.uk/pdfs/2/614.pdf

Beyers, J. (2017). Religion and culture: Revisiting a close relative. HTS Theological Studies, 73(1), 1-9. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0259-94222017000100010

Gomez, C., & Taylor, K. A. (2018). Cultural differences in conflict resolution strategies: A US–Mexico comparison. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 18(1), 33-51. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1470595817747638

Gunkel, M., Schlaegel, C., & Taras, V. (2016). Cultural values, emotional intelligence, and conflict handling styles: A global study. Journal of World Business, 51(4), 568-585. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090951616300074

Lane, J. E., & Ersson, S. (2016). Culture and politics: a comparative approach. Routledge.https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=FhYpDAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=culture+and+politics+&ots=Z8D_nejUG9&sig=C8I1jAi58qvbB-IG8KHC9yg2DCk&redir_esc=y