Beliefs and Values

1. Beliefs and Values The unseen core of every human group

2. Learning Outcome • Identify and explain the difference between values and beliefs • students are able to identify their own values and beliefs • Students will be able to identify values and beliefs of another country or culture

3. Sorting Activity Think about and sort these beliefs and values into the order that is most important to you! Choose ten. God, family, religion, sport, music, dance, food, studies, film, books, friends, computer games, health, money, travelling, love, work, career, self esteem, cell phones, internet, tv Are there any others you could add?

4. Introduction • Beliefs, values and norms within an group are a part of what is commonly referred to as “culture.” • Norms and beliefs are expressions of values. • Every group develops distinct beliefs and patterns over time. Many of these are subconscious or taken for granted. • They are demonstrated in the rituals, stories, ceremonies and other symbolic forms. List examples of ceremonies that show Kazakh culture

5. Beliefs • A belief system embodies the myths, values, and ideologies of the group. • beliefs are often invisible to those who hold them • they shape practices, guide how people do things, and, in turn, determine what skills and capabilities people develop • Why would you stand up for an old person on a bus?

6. Negative Impact • Culture is often so strong and so powerful that when there is a conflict between the current culture and goals of change, the culture will win. • Significant changes in the environment are often ignored when the group continues with its beliefs and is inflexible. • Culture informs people of exactly what is expected of them. In a strong culture, people waste little time deciding how to act in a given situation. • A groups strong culture is directly related to it’s effectiveness and has everything to do with its success or failure. • Identify one negative thing in Kazakh culture – alcohol?

7. Beliefs What to look for… • What do buildings look like? • How are people dressed? • How much interaction is there? • Who is talking to whom? • How does the place “feel”? • Read news and other documents. • What values are emphasized? • Who is held up for praise? • Are parties, celebrations, or other ceremonies mentioned? • What sorts of things are discussed? • What “face” is being presented to the world?

8. Comparison with another country or culture Choose a country and compare their culture, beliefs and values with Kazakh culture, beliefs and values

9. Values • Values are the social principals, goals, and standards that cultural members believe have worth. • They define what the members care about most and are revealed by their priorities. • Values are what is a desirable or “good” • Values can be good or bad. They are concerned with what it is good to desire.

10. Values influence every aspect of our lives: • our moral judgments, our responses to others, our commitments to personal and goals. • Values set the parameters for the hundreds of decisions we make every day • Values guide our behavior, help our decision making, motivate us and keep us focused.

11. Think about some of your values and beliefs. Write them down. • How do you think they would be different if you lived in another place or were of a different gender or race? • What aspects of your life affected the values and beliefs you have today?

12. Dominant Culture • The dominant culture is the most powerful group in society. • It receives the most support from major institutions and constitutes the major belief system. • Social institutions in the society perpetuate the dominant culture and give it a degree of legitimacy that is not shared by other cultures.

13. Subcultures • The cultures of groups whose values and norms of behavior differ from the dominant culture. • Members of subcultures interact frequently and share a common world view. • Subcultures share some elements of the dominant culture and coexist within it.

14. Countercultures • Subcultures created as a reaction against the values of the dominant culture. • Members of the counterculture reject the dominant cultural values and develop cultural practices that defy the norms and values of the dominant group. • Nonconformity to the dominant culture is often the mark of a counterculture.

15. Popular Culture • The beliefs, practices, and objects that are part of everyday traditions. • It is mass-produced and mass-consumed. • Has enormous significance in the formation of public attitudes and values, and plays a significant role in shaping the patterns of consumption in contemporary society.