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Kari Stepp FHS 328 April 24, 2012

Culture encompasses the set of beliefs, moral values, traditions, language, and laws (or rules of behavior) held in common by a nation, a community, or other defined group of people. Culturally determined characteristics include, the language spoken at home, religious observances, customs including marriage, customs that often accompany religious and other beliefs acceptable by gender roles and occupations. Culture even includes dietary practices, intellectual, artistic, and leisure-time pursuits and many other aspects of behavior. In the United States and in other nations with large immigrant populations, there is a wide range of cultural diversity, religious beliefs, customs, and values. What grabs me first when thinking about cultural factors is normalcy. With the world having so much diversity and variation in it, my mind wants to contract and respond with how can we even have a word such as normalcy used in such a context with such a large contrasting population but if I stop and think about it with an open mind, although there are countless areas filled with numerous variations, there are also areas that have normal expectations no matter where, who or what your background, genetics or lifestyle. An example would be children and the expectable age for sex and marriage. Many communities expect their children to be older before sex and marriage now that we are in the twentieth century but even that has exceptions and variations depending on the community your living and being brought up in. Some communities in Canada, The legal age for consensual sex varies by province. Between males and females it ranges from 12 to 18 years of age. Male/male sex is legal at 18 years of age and female/female sex is legal between 12 and 14 years of age. In many areas 12 years old would be considered way to young by the community and would more than just be frowned upon. Life events and the effect that they have on a child as an adult are very interesting. The topic brings to mind how one traumatic event can affect two different children so differently. This leads to the thought that the word traumatic can also have varying definitions. It makes me wonder what plays a role, and what would cause one child to be more sensitive to the event over the other child. Would it be genetics, copping skills or other environment and cultural factors? Although anatomically the brain is not a muscle, it atrophies and continues to grow and strengthen the more it is stressed and supported with healthy diet and sleep. So I wonder and also presume a healthier brain would have an effect on how much a childs brain would consider a traumatic event to be considered traumatic. Along with cultural factors and strengthening the brain to resist against traumatic events, I think it would be interesting to see in which way or what types of activities are most successful in working at strengthening the brain then taking those activities that are most successful and implementing them in to a childs structure as a preventative measures.

Kari Stepp FHS 328 April 24, 2012

References
Hepburn, S., & Simon, R. (2006). Womens roles and statuses the world over. New York: Lexington Books.

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