3.1: What are cultural values?

Mind the Gap: How Power Distance Plays out in College

Coming from a high power distance culture, I was always taught to respect authority and to know my place. That mindset shaped how I interacted with my professors in college—sometimes in confusing or surprising ways. One experience was deeply positive. My undergraduate advisor, Dr. Molly Smith, was warm, caring, and an inspiring role model. Students adored her, and I felt fortunate that she agreed to mentor me. Despite her insistence that we call her by her first name, “Molly,” I could never bring myself to do it. Even after graduation—when I babysat her kids, or when she attended my wedding and signed a card, “Love, Molly”—she was still “Dr. Smith” to me. Only years later did I feel grown up enough to finally call her by her first name.

Another professor left me with the opposite impression. During my first visit to his office hours, unsure of his academic title, I greeted him as “Professor Holden.” To my shock, he slammed his fists on the desk and shouted, “You will refer to me as Doctor Holden! I worked hard to earn my doctorate and you will call me by the correct title!”

Both experiences reveal the same tension: power distance shapes how we perceive authority, but authority figures themselves may interpret those boundaries in very different ways. What feels respectful in one culture - or to one professor - may feel distant or even disrespectful to another.

In this chapter, we will explore these kinds of contrasts in more depth. We will look at Geert Hofstede’s influential framework - including power distance, individualism versus collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, and other cultural dimensions - to better understand how values shape behaviors across cultures. You’ll see how these values influence friendships, workplace expectations, and even how people show respect. By the end of the chapter, you will have some practical tools to better understand why people from different cultures may think and act the way they do - and how to communicate more effectively across those differences.

3.1: What Are Cultural Values?

Values and Culture

Value systems are fundamental to understanding how culture expresses itself. Culture can be defined as the shared patterns of behaviors, interactions, cognitive constructs, and affective understanding that are learned through socialization (Lustig & Koester, 2018). It encompasses language, customs, beliefs, and values that shape how we perceive and engage with the world.

Values are deeply felt and often serve as principles that guide people in their perceptions and behaviors. Using our values, certain ideas are judged to be right or wrong, good or bad, important or not important, desirable or not desirable. Cultural values are learned, mostly subconsciously, and are hidden deep within the language and traditions of the surrounding society (Luster & Koester, 2018). Shared cultural values form the customs, guide the behaviors, and shape the attitudes of its members. Therefore, analyzing cultural values can be a useful way to understand fundamental differences between cultures.

Geert Hofstede, sometimes called the father of modern cross-cultural science and thinking, developed a framework for comparing values across cultures. Through his research, he identified six key value dimensions (individualism/collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity/femininity, long/short term orientation, and indulgence/restraint) that analyze and interpret the values of a national culture (Hofstede, 1980). These dimensions influence how we communicate, form relationships, and how we respond to conflict or uncertainty. These norms can vary widely across cultures and are often the source of misunderstandings in intercultural interactions.

Ultimately, cultural values are closely tied to worldview - the overarching framework through which we perceive reality. Worldview encompasses assumptions about time, human nature, relationship, and the nature of truth. Because values are embedded in this framework, they influence not only how people behave but also how they interpret others’ behavior. Understanding cultural values, then, is essential for developing intercultural competence and communicating effectively across cultural boundaries.

Student Voice

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Figure 3.1.1: La Llorona Lego Figurines by photo Arturo (Manny) Mendoza (2025)

La Llorona and Cultural Values:

Growing up as a Mexican American in Los Angeles, if I misbehaved, my mother would scold me by saying, “If you keep misbehaving, La Llorona WILL get you!” She knew those haunting words would quickly get me back in line. La Llorona is a well‑known story across generations in the Hispanic community, serving as a cautionary tale about choices and consequences. It warns us about the dangers of letting grief and anger control our actions.

In the story, Maria felt so betrayed by her husband’s infidelity that she drowned her children and then took her own life. Because of this, she was not allowed into heaven and now wanders the earth searching for her children, unaware they are already at peace. She is doomed for eternity to walk the earth, forever seeking what she cannot find. Like a Shakespearean tragedy, La Llorona shows how betrayal and grief can lead to irreversible mistakes, instilling the cultural values of self‑control, responsibility, and respect for family. La Llorona is such a well‑known part of Mexican folklore that one can even purchase La Llorona Lego figurines when traveling in Mexico!

Arturo "Manny" Mendoza, Cerritos College, Film Studies Associate in Arts 2025

Comparative National Values in the 21st Century

As we learned above, values are guided by our beliefs and tell us what is right or wrong, good or bad, important or unimportant, desirable or not desirable. Like communication and culture, values are learned, often taken for granted, and can be both visible (such as symbols like the American flag for freedom) and invisible (such as work ethic), and can exist on a personal level, in family systems, at a societal level, and are different from culture to culture. Do you have a sense of your personal values? Do you have a sense of what others value?

Comparing attitudes towards values across cultures may help us better understand what individuals and cultures prioritize as important and unimportant in their communication, decision-making, and daily lives. Table 3.1.2 synthesizes data from the World Values Survey (Wave 7) (Haerpfer, et al, 2022) and Schwartz’s (2014) National Value Orientations, illustrating how these "invisible" priorities differ across seven distinct cultural landscapes by showing what percentage of the surveyed population found the value to be important.

Table 3.1.2: Cultural Values Comparison Chart

Value / Priority	USA	Mexico	Brazil	China	India	Denmark	Nigeria
Family	92%	98%	96%	85%	94%	88%	97%
Religion	48%	72%	65%	3%	79%	9%	93%
Education	75%	88%	84%	92%	90%	62%	91%
Democracy	82%	61%	71%	35%	75%	95%	78%
Work Centrality	39%	55%	44%	66%	62%	21%	74%
Leisure Time	37%	42%	51%	15%	22%	49%	28%
Interpersonal Trust	38%	12%	7%	64%	32%	74%	7%
Respect for Authority	Low	High	Mod	V. High	High	V. Low	High
Environmental Care	62%	78%	82%	75%	68%	84%	52%
Gender Equality	85%	79%	82%	68%	54%	94%	45%

Table 3.1.2: Cultural Values Comparison Chart

While the data above provides a snapshot of what various cultures prioritize, it is important to remember that these values do not exist in a vacuum; they are deeply rooted in the origins, history, government, and structure of a country. By comparing countries like Denmark and Nigeria, we see how deeply held beliefs regarding family, trust, and authority dictate the "rules" of social interaction. Understanding these differences is the first step toward moving beyond our own cultural ethnocentrism.

Reflection Questions:

1. Looking at the "Interpersonal Trust" scores, how might a communicator from Denmark (74%) need to adjust their expectations when entering a business negotiation in Brazil (7%)?
2. How does the high value placed on "Work Centrality" in China and Nigeria potentially impact the "invisible" communication style regarding work-life boundaries compared to the United States or Denmark?

As we move forward, we will explore Hofstede’s Dimensions of Cultural Variability, a framework that helps us categorize these specific values into broader patterns to better predict and understand intercultural encounters.