Chapter 7: Qualitative Approaches to Studying Cultural Values

APA Multicultural Guidelines define culture as “the belief systems and value orientations that influence customs, norms, practices, and social institutions, including psychological processes (language, care taking practices, perceptions of others) and organizations (media, educational systems)” (American Psychological Association, 2003, p. 380). Our own favorite definition of culture is the way a group of people have created systems to solve the problems of everyday life, such as what to eat, how to eat, how to raise and educate children, and how to manage relationships among people. Embedded in this, of course, are the values that influence how cultural groups think about work, how they prepare for work, when to work, the role that work plays in everyday life, and the way that the work role is viewed in relationship to other roles. These are just some of the ways that cultural values influence the work and career choices that people make.