Through this course we have covered a lot of different facets of culture and the importance of each to create a valid and thorough understanding of culture and its mechanics. It is complex, it is unique, and one may not mimic another, but it may in some aspects and not in another.

Enculturation, the concept of self-identity, and psychological disorders are easily the three biggest things I have learned about, and have been the most intriguing. These three topics in my opinion intertwine, and all are all influential on each other. For example, the process of enculturation, and the possible loss of cultural self-identity, and the results of psychological disorders that can make one in essence feel abnormal or out of place for losing their cultural identity while adapting to the culture they exist in.

These three topics really emanate when I think back about the issues of cultural differences in values between Americans and Japanese people. I can only imagine how an immigrant from Japan, may feel out of place or weird, trying to assimilate in American culture, and the sense of tension and discomfort that may raise some psychological issues down the road. This same thought process goes for an American immigrant in Japan, or a student studying abroad may encounter some levels of conflict in the Japanese society and culture.

In a previous course, I/O psychology, there is a common theme of differing personalities and diversity that can bring benefits to the workplace, as well as conflict. I think the ideas of enculturation, self-identity, and psychological disorders, tie in to the diversity complex in the workplace that we focused on in I/O psychology. The diversity in the workplace, although very advantageous, can often make people of different cultures, feel that they need to fit in, or assimilate, and failing at that can be a reason not to succeed in their career.