Eastern And Western Culture: Cultural Differences And Aspects Of Aging

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Because the term culture is broad and vague, it becomes arduous to agree on a single definite and specific meaning. However, culture is essentially integrated into our daily lives, and it is categorized into two major groups, the East and the West, which each has its similarities and differences. The most common amongst both culture is the theme regarding successful aging. Aging happens in every culture and every society, and successful aging concerns many researchers as they try to discover an answer to that may be able to apply to all cultures. Through the analysis of various research of numerous factors, it modifies the typical stereotypical thinking about cultural attitudes toward aging and strengthens the perspectives and understanding of Eastern and Western cultural differences.
One of the essential differences between the …show more content…

While people tend to live with the elders in Eastern cultures, Western cultures send them to nursing houses. Because of these cultural actions, hypothetically that older adults would receive more respects and reverence in the East (North & Fiske, 2015). However, there are no evidence that Eastern culture necessarily intended to show more reverence towards older adults. Huang (2013) believes that Eastern cultures only show more reverence to elders because they have been greatly influenced by Confucianism for the past centuries. Because Confucianism emphasizes that elders are knowledgeable people due to their age and their experiences (Huang, 2013). Due to this long-lasting influence and culture, Eastern culture may keep these practices regardless the time period (Huang, 2013). Yun and Lachman (2006) explains that the reason that elder respect is not as greatly emphasized in Western cultures as it is in Eastern cultures is because Western cultures tend to have a youth-oriented society while it is the opposite in the East. Moreover, Sung and Dunkle (2009) concentrated specifically in the practices of elder respect in East Asia, in

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