Good Essay About Ethnocentrism

Introduction

Ethnocentrism is the false notions of the superiority of one’s culture and way of life over that of the others. Ethnocentric people perceived others through the standards of their own culture and ethnicity, more particular in terms of language, behaviour, and customary beliefs. Ethnocentrism is defined as the perception one has over other cultures, measured through the standards of one’s own culture and values. This judgmental inclination can be obvious or sometimes concealed, and sociologist viewed it as a natural tendency of human thinking and behaviour. Ethnocentrism can serve a positive function in societies; on the other hand, it can also be detrimental as one who is too absorbed with his culture may fail to see the beauty of that of the others.

Positive Aspect

Negative Aspect
While ethnocentrism can be good to societies and individuals, it also has detrimental effects. It can be problematic to communities as one may have difficulty accepting cultural and ethnic differences, owing the dissimilarities to that of the inferiority of the other culture. This aspect carries with it “a lack of acceptance of cultural diversity, a general intolerance for out-groups and a relative preference for ones in-group over most out-groups” (quoted in Diversity). For instance, one may have the inclination to cast judgment on others based on what one is good at, setting aside the other aspect where the other group may excel. There are other effects of ethnocentrism as presented in Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies: a) It often resulted to disapproval of other ethnic groups and cultures and being blind to the richness and beauty of other cultures, b) It is sometimes used to justify the ill-treatment of other cultures, c) There is the tendency to view other set of beliefs as wrong or immoral due to limited understanding of diverse cultures (Zikargae). With the negative effects of ethnocentrism presented, one can see that this aspect, when carried to an extent can create unfavourable effects. It can lead one to make false assumptions on cultural differences (Why is) as one uses one’s own cultural norms to generalize about traditional norms and customs of others.

Conclusion

Ethnocentrism is a powerful aspect in sociology; it has a positive effect to society as it fosters cooperation among individuals of a certain culture but it can also be damaging when observed to an extent. Too much regard of one’s superiority can be injurious to intercultural relationships. In order to minimize the negative effects of ethnocentricity, there is a need for others to experience the culture of others and perceive them on the viewpoint of that culture. It frees one to understand others on a much wider concept, rather than to the limit of only one culture.

References

Diversity, Perception and Ethnocentrism: A Multilevel Analysis of Ethnocentrism in Belgian Communities. Retrieved from https://soc.kuleven.be
Kendall, D. Sociology in Our Times. Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Why is Ethnocentrism Bad? Retrieved from home.snu.edu
Zikargae, M., The Impacts of Ethnocentrism and Stereotypes on Inter-cultural relations of Ethiopian Higher Education Students. Retrieved from www.ojcmt.net