Cultural Perception & Gendered Interpretation: A Communication Obstacle - Essay Sample

Introduction

Culture shape how people select, organize, and interpret information about the world. Every culture has its worldview, and therefore, a person's cultural backgrounds determine perception. The existence of cultural differences explains why people from different backgrounds have varying ways of looking at the world. However, this type of perception gap hinders communication since people everywhere do not see things the same way.

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Gender affects perception since the social and psychological dimensions of feminine and masculine behaviors shape people's viewpoint of the world. In societies where social roles are rigid, people have varying perceptions because of a gap in understanding of the world (Adler and Proctor117). The existence of defined social roles means people stick to socially defined functions approved for men and women. Differences in exposure to the world affect perception.

How Culture and Gender Affect Emotional Expressions

Culture influence how people from various places value and express emotions. Thus, culture determines the extent to which people display their feelings. The primary cultural factor that affects emotional expressions is the position of an individual's way of life in the collectivism-individualism spectrum. People of collectivistic cultures discourage the expression of negative emotions, unlike individuals from individualistic cultures who are comfortable expressing feelings to individuals with who they are close (Adler and Proctor 147).

Gender roles and biological sex shape the experiences of women and men and how they express sensations. Women tend to express their emotions within and across cultures, unlike men, who are less likely to display their feelings. In terms of emotional expressiveness in online communication, men are less likely to express their affections than women do.

How Gender Has Affected My View of Quincenera

I have noted that my gender has influenced my view of a quinceanera, a Guatemalan party held to mark a teenager's passage from childhood to womanhood. As per the Guatemalan traditions, a quinceanera is celebrated during a girl's fifteenth birthday, where she is ushered into adulthood. I learned about this event three years ago, when I had accompanied my parents to a quinceanera party for a family friend in Guatemala. From my experiences, a quinceanera is an outdated and barbaric practice that should not exist in the 21st century. However, I was astonished that my mother, sisters, and aunties like quinceanera. Early this year, we were invited to another quinceanera, but this time, I did not accompany my parents because I had terrible experiences in a previous event. However, I later noted that women from various cultures like quinceanera and that my gender affected my view of the event.

Couple's Misperceptions From the Video

The couples in the video agree that women and men are at odds with each other and that their brains are distinct (Gray 00: 05 - 00: 14). There are several mistaken beliefs about men and women from the video. The first misconception is that men show their capabilities by handling problems singlehandedly and exercise their abilities by solving problems quickly. The second misinformation is that men can easily develop aggressive behaviors because they do not rate their feelings highly. The third one is that women should not help men because unsolicited assistance undermines men's efforts to address problems independently.

Emotions That the Couples are Experiencing

The couples are experiencing severe emotional issues. The first one is anger. In this case, the pair are uncomfortable because of hostile responses in their conversation. The primary causes of anger are misunderstanding and ineffective communication between couples. Gender differences have created a disconnect between the partners, which has resulted in anger. The second one is excitement. The cause of this emotion is the magical love between the Venusian and Martian couples who look forward to discovering their differences. In the first parts of the video, the partners are delighted being together and thus the cause of excitement. The third emotions are contempt. The women feel the husband is looking down on her and cannot appreciate her love. The cause of contempt is the differences in how a man and a woman show love to one another.

Suggestions to the Couples

The couples are facing multiple challenges, primarily because of misunderstanding and emotional problems. Several ideas will help them improve their relationship. First, the partners should appreciate their differences and cease expecting to act the same way. An understanding of such variations will enable couples to raise their dignity and self-esteem while inspiring personal responsibility, mutual trust, greater love, and increased cooperation. Secondly, they should improve their intimate conversations and learn to listen to each other as partners. The couples should share positive feelings and try to understand one another's intentions, needs, and wants. Thirdly, marriage partners should influence each other's behaviors whenever conflicts of goals arise as a way to control emotions.

Works Cited

Adler, Ronald B., and Russell F. Proctor II. Looking out, looking in. Nelson Education, 2017.

Gray, J. "Men Are From Mars, Women Are from Venus, But We Have to Live on Earth." 27 June 2013.