Power Distance In American Culture

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Of the dimensions of culture presented by Hofstede, power distance (and its corresponding versus of egalitarianism) has been chosen to be discussed.

The understanding of what the power distance index is in reference to U.S. culture is the tendency to equate power (those who have it and those who do not) with one’s relative position (in a culture) to that of another. In other words, it is a form of ranking decided by the perceived amount of power one individual may possess in excess to another. This is not referring to whether a person is physically stronger than another (though it can); it is, rather, referring to how individuals interact with the perception of who is more or less equal to themselves. In the case of U.S. culture, this country …show more content…

For example, an association of luxury car ownership with success in personal and professional life marks one as a unique individual, different to those around them, playing to the ego of a person who is desirous of more marketed individuality and uniqueness which equates to increased power, furthering the differentiation between them and others around …show more content…

Case in point, having saved for a really really really long time to by my first BMW (very used-older but was well cared for), I successfully angered the majority of my neighbors, including the one who had just purchased a 2016 Cadillac CT6 sedan. My personal answer is that I could and can never afford a new Cadillac, and that in choosing a vehicle I really wanted that was in my price range, I had fulfilled many differing needs on the Maslow hierarchy of needs, which were physiological in the form of pain avoidance-the heated seats alleviate my severe back pain, enabling me to drive more often; safety-it has all-wheel drive which prevents loss of traction in inclement weather; social-I enjoy driving and BMW builds a beautifully engineered machine; self-esteem-I have been saving a really long time to be able to afford one and was able to purchase one; and self-actualization-acknowledging that by putting myself first in choosing to make a purchase which may seem ostentatious I have reaped the benefits of being able to drive recreationally again (though not as much as I would like) and that is worth the temporary dissonance in my

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