Cross-Cultural Training

Lesson 2: What is your culture?

The Roots of American Culture

No culture just "became" what it is. History and geography create cultural foundations. The purpose of this lesson is to not only let you see how history and geography have influenced American culture, but to also help you begin thinking in terms of what historical and geographical facts could be at the root of your new culture.

When I was in school, we studied British history – a lot of it. Why? Because British history has greatly influenced American culture. It helps explain the type of oppression the first settlers were trying to escape, the nature of immigrants in general, and America’s Protestant roots.

The Peace Corps has identified four defining features of American culture and American traits that are associated with them. This information illustrates just how closely American history and geography is tied to its culture.

Feature #1: Protestantism

Protestantism gives us the notion that a strong work ethic is good, the idea of predestination and the belief that through worldly success, one can find salvation

Some traits in American culture that are based on Protestantism include: the focus on celebrities and the rich and famous, the emphasis on achievement, American’s identification with their jobs, the idea of a self–made person.

Feature #2: American Geography

The early settlers first coming to America were faced with a massive amount of land offering unlimited resources. The population was sparse and, being a distance from Europe, they were rather isolated.

Some traits in American culture based on these geological facts include: the fact that American’s never really accept things as they are, the fact that they don’t save much, their belief that you can always start over, their emphasis on self-reliance, the fact that, for the most part, there is little conservation of resources, and the “modest” limits on immigration (there is always enough of everything to go around).

Feature #3: Escape From Oppression

When the first settlers left Europe, and many of those who later followed, they were running away from religious persecution, economic repression and a rigid class system.

The search for something better is one of the basic foundations of American culture. It explains why Americans are generally tolerant of differences, why America has a president and not a king, our emphasis on informality, the fact that we have no problems with and no fear of reprimand if we criticize the boss or some other figure of authority, the checks and balances of the U.S. Constitution, the notion of egalitarianism, our optimism, the desire to work for oneself and, if we do work for someone else, the fact that there is often little supervision.

Feature #4 The Nature of the American Immigrant

Most immigrants who come to America have a sense of adventure. They are willing to take risks and are usually spurred on by a dissatisfaction with their lives in their native land.

These traits have spawned a culture that looks at failure as an opportunity to learn, not as something to be ashamed of, that embraces change and along with that, doesn’t mind changing jobs or addresses.

The above has focused on American history, geography and culture. The book "International Marketing" has an entire chapter devoted to this subject and covers other countries and cultures as well.

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