>I am currently working in an area where I am training people in the use of
>various tools and techniques in a business environment. One of the
>elements I cover is cultural differences. So, as with Chris, the work that
>Greg is doing is also of particular interest to me (having recently
>developed a Train the Trainer pack myself).
>
>Currently I refer to either anecdotal evidence of differences and use PCP
to
>underpin my approach (e.g. understand the other culture from within, etc.)
>snip
>John M Fisher
>
>Kluckhohn & Murray [1948] stated: " Every person is in certain respects (a)
like all others, (b) like some others, (c) like no others." which sounds
quite Kellian.
>In my experience the real issue and difficulties are less about
facilitating awareness of cultural or ethnic difference - but the promotion
of the realisation that we share 'universals' as humans. Such universals are
recorded by the Yale University's Human Relations Area Files started in
1936, which have gathered material from over 300 cultures. The research has
identified some 88 categories of 'universals' in human nature [ Murdock
1961].
>To this can be added Bronislaw Malinowski's seven basic needs of all humans
[1944] and Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs [1941].
> Noam Chomsky promotes the 'universal' of the grammatical regularities
pointing to the 'deep structures' below the surface organisation of grammar
[1960].
>Claude Levi-Strauss makes a similar point about the 'universality' of the
structure of the psyche.
>Gregory Bateson introduced the concept of the interdependent though
parallel 'systems' of personality and culture [1936], later developed to a
more holistic 'systems perspective' [1972].
>Perhaps this is one subject where bipolarity is unhelpful?
>
>Mike Ellis, <mikellis@globalnet.co.uk>
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