Often in the United States, people place a high value on being self-sufficient this can reflect that the United States is a highly individualistic culture. In the US it is more normalized that people move out once they become an adult which is usually 18 to early 20’s. This can be caused by the heavy push to be independent and to have more privacy.
A highly individualistic culture can often include the desire to put your own needs and wants above the needs of the larger group. I feel that it is normalized more in America to act on your own needs above others compared to other countries. The US places a high importance on personal growth and achievement and this can cause isolation and less cohesion. In some situations, I feel that I stick with what is most familiar to me instead of trying new things and risking not knowing. The feeling of everything being a competition also influences my sense of community. I feel that in the US competition is very important to most people so everything in life becomes one and I feel like I can’t just live and enjoy my own accomplishments because I’m constantly comparing my success or lack of it to others around me.
Cultures outside of the US that are more collectivist may not agree with how much importance we put on independence. In the US it is normal for people to move out and start providing for themselves at a younger age whereas in other cultures it is more normalized to stay living with your parents till you are older and even married. In the US we value our own needs above others whereas in collectivist cultures they look for what is best for the whole group and there is a lot of value placed on creating cohesion among a group. There also might not be a desire to have lots of privacy due to the push for a community which is different from the US because privacy tends to be more desired.
This exercise puts it into perspective that there are lots of factors that go into someone’s culture. It is also interesting to think that just because two people are from the same place that does not mean they have the same culture. Culture consists of beliefs and habits and goes deeper than just a location. It is important to respect everyone’s culture no matter if you have different values and cultural norms. This exercise is also important because it allows me to sit down and think about my values and attitude towards certain things and then to put myself into someone else’s shoes to then see how these might look to someone else.