Cultural Self Analysis: Exploring Identity and Cultural Influences

This essay presents a detailed cultural self-analysis, originating from an Indian background, exploring the author's identity formation shaped by family, religion, and societal norms. It examines the impacts of socialization on language acquisition, social identity, and biases developed through cultural conformity. The analysis delves into the dimensions of personal identity, including the influence of names, cultural practices, and sexual identity. The essay further investigates how cultural influences and identity are challenged and reinforced in different settings, particularly after moving to a new country, and how these factors affect intergroup and intercultural communication, highlighting challenges faced due to cultural differences, language barriers, and working styles. The author reflects on the evolution of their identity and the complexities of belonging across different cultural contexts, referencing several academic sources to support the analysis.

1
Cultural Self Analysis
Cultural Background
I am an Asian and hail from India. It is a diverse and varied country where more than a
thousand language are spoken and 5 major religions are identified. English is in much use in
India and is the language for official proceedings along with Hindi. As a result, I grew
learning at least three languages. My mother tongue was a facet of my religion and the
geographical state I lived in. Whereas, Hindi and English were taught in school for the ease
of communication as they are the national languages. As a result, I am tolerant to other
people who speak different language or are unable to understand mine. My background and
identity have been shaped by my family and people from my environment. At an early age, I
came across the cultural norms which have been strengthened in me through positive
reinforcement and have now become an integral part of my identity (Tsui & Tollefson, 2017).
Since my family were very religious, culture was of importance. As a result of which I am
also religious and believe in the existence of a higher being. Even though I am not devoutly
religious, my life has benefitted from my spirituality. My cultural background has taught me
to be polite, welcoming and non-aggressive. It has also shaped the way I view marriage love
and family. The system of family propagation in India is stringent and necessitates that the
man and the woman are married. Marriage is considered as a holy unity of the body and soul.
It is a custom to get married after the family agrees upon a suitor.
Examination of the impacts of socialization
Socialization is the process of inculcating the norms and ideologies of the society of which an
individual is a part of. Socialization begins at an early age. Since, a baby is in contact with his
parents and family members the most, it forms the first agent of socialization. The first thing
that is taught to a child is the mother tongue. Since, my mother tongue was different from the
one that was popularly spoken in my state, I began to treat one language as fit to be spoken in
home and other in external environments. This made me attach certain emotions and feelings
with the language which was strengthened by the positive reinforcements that I received from
the people close to me. Another aspect taught through socialization is the social identity. In
my culture, the society is a powerful agent that requires all the individuals to abide by the
common practices. Digression is considered as religious disrespect and is highly frowned
upon. It is met with strong censure (Lindner & Nosek, 2018). As a result, I have developed a
bias that, all other religions and societies in the world are equally stringent. However, that
was not the case, I learnt that when I interacted with people from different cultures and
countries. It was a bit difficult for me to accept their differences and their individuality that
was allowed in their culture. I have grown with a bias that conformity is safe and healthy for
the survival of an individual. It ensures that the individual continues to receive undivided
support from the people he is living with. However, this bias was broken and I have now
learnt to accept a person for what they are and for their own beliefs (Colburn, 2019).
Exploration of identity and its dimensions
I believe that my name and my culture are the primary aspects of consideration where
identity is concerned. Indians have names that can easily use to distinguish the religion, state
and mother tongue of the person. The names generally are derived from the mother tongue of

2
Cultural Self Analysis
the individual and have a meaning. There is a clear demarcation between the names based on
gender. The last name is derived from the fathers last name and is changed only when a
woman is married. This has continued through the centuries and still stands strong. Women
have started using their maiden last names along with their husband’s family nowadays. This
practice can be traced back to the Vedas and can be linked to the practice of transferring
property from one generation to another through the male line (Brock & Tulasiewicz, 2018).
However, today daughters and wives are also having a right to inherit the property and
demand alimony ion case of divorce. The above specified aspects of identity are passive and
have been assigned by others and have been inculcated through repetition. My sexual identity
and orientation form the basis of a more personal identity that may or may not have been
shaped by cultural forces. In India, like most counties in the world the sexual identity is
considered to be the same as the gender identity and only one sexual orientation is accepted
and permitted.
Ways in which values and identity are challenged or reinforced in another culture
My facial features have become of importance after I moved in India. My wheatish skin tone,
dark hair and comparatively lean stature has enabled people to easily identify me as an
Indian. I had not realized that my facial dimorphism was also a part of identity back when I
was in India (Blankenship & Stewart, 2017). This situation has helped me to reinforce my
cultural identity as an Indian. The setting plays as an important role in defining the chief
identity dimension that I identify with. For instance, in most places I am my own person but
in other setting I am Indian or north Indian or a foreigner or a male. As a result, my identity
has been reinforced depending on the setting I am present in.
My identity has also been challenged as I discovered that my life outside India has also had
an impact upon it., After returning to India, I learned that my habits and norms have been
changed. The society now is not as important and conformation is not the ideologies that I
believe in. My eating patterns and preferences have also changed. The greatest change has
been brought in my language. After speaking English for many years, it has invaded my
mother tongue and I am now unable to speak it fluently. This has led the people close to me
in India to identify me as someone who is a foreign residence. It makes me question the place
where I truly belong to and the importance of culture and nationality.
Ways in which cultural influences and identity can affect intergroup and intercultural
communication
The world around us is not ideal and the differences that exist between people can sometime
be difficult to overcome. I have faced difficulty after leaving India and moving in Canada.
Even though, I had the basic knowledge about how to read and write in English, I was not
fluent in it. It was difficult to interact with the people and I could see them judging me
because of my cultural background. I speak with a clear Indian accent which may not be
difficult to understand but may draw censure and ridicule from some people. My cuisine and
eating preferences have been shaped my culture and were difficult to change.
Discrimination based on cultural and ethnic identities is a common and widespread. Internal
biases against a religion and ideologies of supremacy pose as an obstacle for intercultural

3
Cultural Self Analysis
understanding and interactions (Whelan, 2016). Additionally, my working ethics and style is
drastically different from people with other culture. I have a more dogged and stringent
pursuit and find it hard to let go of things. When working in a team, I find it difficult to make
other people agree to my working style as they might prefer a more languid pace.

4
Cultural Self Analysis
References
Blankenship, B. T., & Stewart, A. J. (2017). Intersectional identities, identity dimensions, and
academic contingencies of self-worth. Identity, 17(3), 109-124.
Brock, C., & Tulasiewicz, W. (2018). Cultural identity and educational policy. Routledge.
Colburn, A. (2019). The Relationship Between Identity Dimensions, Gender Conformity, and
Satisfaction with Life.
Lindner, N. M., & Nosek, B. A. (2018). Dimensions of Subjective Age Identity Across the
Lifespan.
Tsui, A. B., & Tollefson, J. W. (2017). Language policy and the construction of national
cultural identity. In Language policy, culture, and identity in Asian contexts (pp. 11-
32). Routledge.
Whelan, Y. (2016). Heritage, memory and the politics of identity: New perspectives on the
cultural landscape. Routledge.