WEEK 6 RESONSES 3 & 4 386

Cultural relativity suggests that all human behavior is to be assessed at first by the context of the individual’s culture (Dale & Smith, 2013). Culture is an important aspect to understanding the beliefs, behaviors, and values of groups of people which can help to the generalist practitioner better serve their communities. Becoming more culturally competent can be a step in the right direction for embracing cultural relativity. Gathering information regarding culture can help shed some insight into why certain behaviors occur and offer guidance into how to respond. Once the culture is better understood the generalist can build on that understanding to determine what strengths are available for the individual. Another important step a generalist can take is to acknowledge any biases that they may have and acknowledge any ethnocentric views they may have regarding their own culture. This is important for both the individual and the community in the aspect of becoming more socially acceptable to those who hold different views and beliefs than what they do. According to Dale &Smith (2013), social capital is making a comeback which is shared norms or values that promote social cooperation and instantiate social relationships. In order to achieve this, there has to be a level of understanding and tolerance towards those who are different. The United States is a melting pot of individuals who come from various backgrounds and hold different cultural values. Without embracing cultural relativism it is nearly impossible to function as a functioning society.

Reference

Dale, O., & Smith, R. (2013). Human behavior and social environment: Social systems theory. Pearson. ISBN-13: 9780205036486