In our daily lives, we are surrounded by variables. How people look is one of the most obvious differences. Language, age and gender are powerful variables too, and we have little control over them.

But there are many other dimensions as well (Trompenaars, 1995; Ingram, 2001; LeLaurin, 2012, Clay, 2014). Our religious beliefs, marital status, education, income, occupation, parental status, service in the armed forces and geographic location shape our lives in important ways. So do the way we display our feelings, our consciousness of time, our style of communication, and our comfort level with uncertainty. Even the way we support our favorite sports teams shows our differences! Diversity is the mix of these and other dimensions.

Take a moment to think about where you fall on the continuum in some of these dimensions of diversity:

• Group vs. individual identity
• Status vs. equality hierarchy
• Winning vs. caring purpose
• Avoidance vs. tolerance of uncertainty
• Task vs. relationship focus
• Indirect vs. direct communication
• Strict vs. elastic time consciousness
• Universalist (strict adherence) vs. particularist (modifiable) focus on rules
• Neutral vs. affective display of emotions
• Specific (direct) vs. diffuse (indirect) involvement
• Achievement-oriented vs. ascription-oriented rewards and respect
• Internal vs. external control within an environment

Recognizing your own dimensions of diversity helps you avoid stereotyping others (Farmer, personal communication, Jan. 13, 2015). It also gives you an appreciation of just how colorful the mosaic of differences may be in other people you though were “just like you.”

Researchers have also found that diversity within organizations and teams enhances creativity, encourages better problem solving, helps bring forward new perspectives and ultimately changes the way people think (Phillips, 2014). This is true of race and gender as well as other traits like political beliefs and geographical location.

One of the possible reasons for this is that when we notice social diversity, it causes us to anticipate different perspectives and opinions (Phillips, 2014). We expect that we will need to work harder cognitively. And this leads to better outcomes.

What about culture?

Culture is not the same as diversity. It is a combination of social norms, common beliefs, values, thoughts, skills, and behaviors.

Sometimes life patterns passed on through generations become part of a family’s culture (e.g., Fierro & Escamilla, n.d.; LeLaurin, 2012). Life experiences also contribute to developmental variations among children. Unique behaviors, learning patterns and language help children get along in their environment. These are often valued, expected and encouraged by their caregivers (Trawick-Smith, 2006).

Depending on their life experiences, people’s worldviews can be very different, regardless of the cultures surrounding them (Farmer, personal communication, Jan. 13, 2015). Even in a seemingly homogenous group, varying experiences shape individuals’ perceptions and actions.

Deep and surface culture

Understanding the general rules of and values of a culture does not always predict the values and behaviors of an individual family. Think about how families eat, how they greet, and how they play. These practices are diverse amongst families.

It is easy to believe that when we know about the elements of someone’s culture, we understand or perhaps really “know” the person and the family. But the part of culture that we can easily see and identify is only one part of the family’s culture; it adds up to surface culture and doesn’t tell the whole story (Holtzman, 2000; LeLaurin, 2012).

We can think of culture as an iceberg with surface or visible culture above the sea line. This is the part of culture that we can easily see and identify. Food, music, clothing, dance and architecture are some examples. There are generally fewer misunderstandings around surface culture.

Below the ocean surface, making up the larger part of the iceberg, is deep culture. This is the part of culture that is often invisible and unspoken but is critical to grasp in order to understand the complexities of the lives of parents and children.

Unspoken rules are the uppermost level of deep culture. They include eating behaviors, social interactions, courtesies, use of time, treatment of elders, courtship and marriage, spiritual beliefs, and child-rearing practices. When misunderstandings occur, they can produce negative feelings – but at the same time, these elements of culture are often learned through trial and error, so mistakes can usually be corrected.

Deeper below the ocean surface are unconscious rules about touching, tone of voice, body contact, nonverbal communication and personal space. These are typically learned through modeling and observation during childhood. Violations may be taken personally, affecting relationships.

In looking at a situation when we can’t see the whole iceberg, we may not be able to tell what is happening. We bring our own cultural frame, experiences and personality into our interpretation (LeLaurin, 2012; Farmer, personal communication, Jan. 13, 2015).

As we become increasingly open to multiple cultures, multiple truths and multiple “rightways” we may experience some discomfort as some of what we thought was clear gets a little blurry.

Having parents reflect on what they’ve learned from those around them and on their own experiences can help them come to understand why they make certain choices.

This is part of the process of being able to incorporate multiple cultures and perspectives – and we encourage you to “lean into the discomfort.” 

References

Clay, N. (2014, Dec. 11). Listen. Talk. Learn: Dialoguing across difference [Presentation]. Diversity Awareness Partnership, St. Louis, MO.

European Center for Modern Languages. (2014). The celebration of linguistic diversity. Retrieved Feb. 26, 2015, from http://edl.ecml.at/Home/Thecelebrationof
linguisticdiversity/tabid/2972/language/en-GB/Default.aspx.

Fierro, L. D., & Escamilla, D. (n.d.). Cultural myths and their impact on a child’s development in the at-risk family. Retrieved Jan. 21, 2015, from http://aia.berkeley.edu/media/sc_
conference/fierro.pdf.

Ingram, P. D. (2001). An overview of diversity awareness. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

LeLaurin, S. (2012, Nov. 8). Cultural considerations in serving diverse families. Presentation at Parents as Teachers National Conference. St. Louis, MO.

Parents as Teachers National Center. (2013). Foundational Curriculum. St. Louis, MO: Author.

Phillips, K. W. (2014). How diversity makes us smarter. Scientific American, 31(4), 1-4. Retrieved from www.scientificamerican.com.

Trawick-Smith, J. (2006). Early childhood development: A multicultural perspective (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Trompenaars, F. (1995). Riding the waves of culture. London, UK: Nicholas Brealy.