Renowned multiculturalist Geert Hofstede compared culture to the "software of the mind"1. He meant that each person receives from his of her culture a certain "mental programming". We can identify the "code" for such programming through various manifestations of culture such as:
VALUES are what members of a certain culture believe to be MOST important for its survival.
- HEROES embody the cultural values. HEROES may be real or fictional. For instance, "Super Man" embodied American virtues of patriotism and strength at the time in which it was created.
- SYMBOLS are words, images, pictures, gestures, etc., that have a special MEANING understood only by the cultural members. Often the same SYMBOL means different things in different cultures. For instance the U.S. American "ok" gesture is considered obscene in Brazil.
- RITUALS are certain behaviors or actions that have no meaning or relevance except for members of the culture. For instance, human beings have to eat - but only CULTURE demands that they eat seated on the floor or at a table, with or without utensils, or at certain established times.
- FOLKORE includes the stories, legends, jokes, etc. related to a culture. These stories embody the cultural values. For instance, children may learn about the heroism of ancestors or about the penalties other cultural members suffered for going against cultural rules.
- NORMS are the rules that people follow in order to be accepted by their fellow members and thrive within their culture.
Hofstede, G. & Hofstede, G. J. (2005). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
