The major differences between the social values of Asian countries

and those of the West, especially the United States.

by Greg McCulley

drafted 25 August 1997

            Asian countries have many differences from countries in the West, particularly the United States. The social values of a people often dictate, or at least influence, the customs and traditions of that people.  Many times, these differing values create tension, which sometimes escalates into conflict and fear.  Perhaps this explains the myopic view held by so many of the American people toward the various countries of Asia;  we fear what we do not know.  This paper seeks to illuminate a few of these differences and perhaps shed light on some of those aforementioned fears in the process.  Social differences will be categorized into three areas:  the role of family, on economic variation, and on religion.

            One major difference in social values between Asian nations and the United States is the value and the place of the family.  The history of the United States shows that it is a country of immigrants.  Many diverse cultures were combined to forge a country that seemed eager to forget the problems it left behind across the ocean.  This is not to say that American family groups did forget their pasts; most of the basic American values and traditions came over from Europe.  But, American families in wanted to fit in.  This way of thinking manifested itself in clashes between races and religions:  the Irish versus the English, the Catholics versus the Protestants, and so on.  Soon, the best way to get along in America was to be an American, to eliminate any glaring evidence of being a foreigner.  Tradition and culture were practiced more at home, with the family unit.  Also, in America it is common that when a child reaches the age 18 or so, he or she moves out of the home. To strike out on their own, be it with a job, military service, or college, is a noble and responsible act in the West.  It shows fortitude and the ability to make it on your own.  For some, failure to do so indicates a lackadaisical attitude and lack of motivation.

            In Asia, especially in China, the picture is different. There was no migration into a new land where racial barriers were so great and frequent.  In China, and much of Asia, traditions and customs can be traced back centuries.  The wedding ceremony, for example, was practiced much the same for many centuries, up until the Communist takeover in the middle of this century.  Even after that, most of the ceremony is intact.  There is no need to cover the past in China because so much of it is common to so many of the people.    Family, in Asia, is a bond that is not easily broken.  Many families have four generations under one roof.  This provides continuity of tradition and strengthens the authority of the family.  When a young man turns 18, there is no need to move out to conquer the challenge of providing for himself alone.  It makes more sense to stay home and stay with the team.  It provides a support structure that has always been there.  

            This difference, the family, is very indicative of a difference in social value.  The West is constantly looking for new barriers to break, and Asian nations are concerned with maintaining the harmony of the current social system.  This brings us to a second difference in social value:  the economic perspective of these cultures.

            It has been said that in order for Western companies to be successful in Asia, they must think like Asians do.   What exactly does this mean?  Well, to answer that, one must take into account the longevity which Asia possesses.  Japan, in particular, has been lauded repeatedly for having the capacity for long-term thinking in making business decisions.  Does this occur by default when you have been around for several centuries?  Perhaps it does.  American companies have had a wake up call from competition with Japanese businesses in the decades since World War II, so there must be some differences in thinking.  Again, look to America’s history.  We are a society imbued with the attitude that a product must be bigger, better, faster, and disposable.  This attitude is innovative and daring, but it has a cost.  What happens when a nation of expansionists, with a heritage of expansion, have no where left to expand?   In Japan, the mind set is different.  Other questions are asked, such as, ‘what will be the long-term effect of this decision’, or, ‘what is the acceptable time frame which we will wait to expect profit, measured in years, not months’.  There is a phrase in Japan that goes, “When I go slower, I go faster”.  To me, this describes the difference between Japanese and American thought in business.  I believe the biggest reason there is a difference between East and West in this matter is patience;  the kind of patience you gain from being around so long.  Americans want instant profit, and have since the beginning of our existence.  Asian nations consider the big picture.  Also, I think the sheer amount of time Asian cultures have spent in agrarian production creates a social variation from the West.  We spent only a few years in this stage, relative to the Chinese, who still rely heavily on the land .

The way a society earns a living can say a great deal about the values possessed by that society.  The same can be said about religions. Many varied religions have flourished in Asia, and have left their mark on the values their practitioners. Consider the following religions: Taoism is concerned with finding the balance in nature and seeking guidance from only "The Way" of the cosmos. Hinduism is one of repeated cycles of reincarnation until one elevates oneself through the different castes and eventually joins the cosmos.  Buddhism is concerned with becoming desireless and escaping the rebirth cycle, reaching nirvana. Shinto is concerned with nature, with running water seen as a sign of purity and all major manifestations of nature revered. These religions have their own unique qualities about them, but from an outsider  perspective, they seem to be common in some regards.  Barring Islam, none of them seeks to conquer. None of them has embarked on crusades, and none of them, to my findings, has been the impetus for an invasion of another country to convert the people of that country.   Westerners, by contrast, seem to do these things almost at every turn.  The English Crusades, the Spanish conquistadors in South America, the Spanish, again, in the Philippine Islands, and the US cavalry purging of the "godless" Native Americans illustrate just of few examples.

          I do not assume to know why all these social differences exist between Asian and Western nations.   Maybe it is a result of us, as a nation, growing up in the industrial revolution and the technological age.   Perhaps it is the sheer nature of American existence, to expand, to improve, and to win.   Maybe it is our fundamentally different religions.   Or maybe, it is all of these together, and none of these alone, that make up the diversity of humankind.  In Asia, ideally, status is ascribed and the pursuits of society are based in harmony and morality; in the West, status is achieved, and we constantly pursue justice and law, raw enforcement of our values.  However, change is in the air.   As more and more Asian nations industrialize and urbanize, there will likely be the many growing pains that we endured as a young nation.   We are different from one another today, but how will these two spheres influence one another in the next century?  If we are to grow with one another instead of against each other, we must be cognizant of the lessons of the past, as we write the next page in history.