‘For if one were to offer men to choose out of\nall the customs in the world such as seemed to them the best, they would\nexamine the whole number, and end by preferring their own; so convinced are\nthey that their own usages far surpass those of all others’

Herodotus, The Histories, 420 BC

Ethnocentrism is a belief\nin the superiority of your own culture. It results from\njudging other cultures by your own cultural\nideals. Ethnocentrism is linked to cultural blind spots. Blind spots occur\nwhen we fail to attribute differences between our behaviours and beliefs\nand those of others to differences in cultural schemas.

Cultural schemas are mental frameworks for interpreting the\nworld that are shared by members of a cultural group. They act as\nsocial codes to guide individuals’ behaviour as they strive to fit in and\nsucceed in a particular cultural context.

There is great variation\namong the cultural schemas of different social groups, but when we do\nnot appreciate the diversity of cultural schemas, we are limited to\ninterpreting the world narrowly through our own cultural filter—our\nnatural cultural code defines our reality and determines what is true and\nright for us. Any variations are deemed bizarre, wrong, or inferior.

Learning\nto appreciate our differences

The opposite of\nethnocentrism is cultural relativism: the judging of cultural\nelements relative to their cultural context.

Groups of people develop\ndistinct patterns of thoughts, emotions, and behaviours as they respond to the\nsurvival challenges of their shared environment. Culture is flexible and\nhas helped human beings adapt and survive in nearly every socioecological\nenvironment on the planet.

Recognising the\nadaptive nature of culture supports cultural relativism. Every culture has\nsucceeded as a system for human survival. No culture can be judged\nas evolutionary superior to another and cultural features can only be\nunderstood in terms of their role in the complete system.

Cultural\nrelativism encourages respect for different cultural values, beliefs,\nand practices. We are less likely to interpret differences as bizarre,\noffensive, or deficient if we consider them in terms of their own\ncultural context.

Does\ncultural relativism imply approval for all cultural practices?

Critics argue that\ncultural relativism discourages cross-cultural criticism, rejects\nuniversal morality, and sanctions human-rights abuses and terrorism.

Anthropologists\ncounter-argue a distinction between ‘methodological’ and ‘moral’ relativism. As\na methodological tool, cultural relativism seeks to understand cultures within\ntheir own context but it does not extend to endorsing the moral legitimacy of\nany cultural practice.

Cultural\nIntelligence and cultural relativism

When you interact with\ndiverse others, there will be times when your own values conflict with the\ncultural ideals of your partner. Cultural Intelligence does not require\nyou to abandon your own cultural values or to support the practices or\nbeliefs of other cultures. Cultural Intelligence encourages a nonjudgmental\nrespect for difference. This improves your interactions—when people feel\nrespected, they are more likely to reciprocate the favourable sentiment\nwith pro-social behavior and you are more likely to achieve your goals.

How\ndo I convey respect for a position I oppose?

Our cultural frameworks\nare intimately tied to our self-concept. Differences in values, beliefs, and\nbehavioural norms can trigger emotional resistance or backlash.

For example, asking two\nindividuals on opposite sides of the abortion or same-sex marriage debate to\nembrace each other’s viewpoint is likely to be met with anger and frustration\nor provoke strong arguments against the opposing belief. Attempts at persuasion\nmight even strengthen the intensity of each partners’ point of view. The notion\nof respect as acceptance, affirmation, or appreciation of different\nperspectives or ways of being may be too unrealistic.

But neither does respect\nhave to involve reluctant tolerance. Tolerance is a negative term. It implies a\ngritting of one’s teeth: a quiet endurance of differences privately perceived\nto be deviant, immoral, or even abhorrent.

Luckily, there\nis notion of cultural respect that lies midway between complete\nacceptance and reluctant endurance: civility. Respect as civility\nis about treating others with courtesy, politeness, and concern. Civility\nis respecting the humanity of diverse others. It does not involve\nendorsing their specific ideas or behaviour. Respect as civility means showing\na positive regard for others as equals. It involves disagreeing without\ndemonising, and hearing diverse opinions without attacking.

Cultural Intelligence\nembodies this notion of respect as civility. It involves neither the sacrifice\nnor the moderation of personal convictions. It does, however, make us\nmore expansive in our thinking and promotes reflection. We might even decide\nthat our way is not the only or the best way after all!