Is there a discipline that addresses this? Social psychology or maybe sociological psychology? I think the two are like brothers and sisters as they relate to understanding cultural realities. I don't know enough to employ either with any authority, but I would assume the utilization of the two would be beneficial in profiling people, groups, companies, religions, etc. if only to gain a more accurate understanding of purpose/intent and motivation for actions/choices. In a world that is growing more and more complex, an understanding of how specific social norms affects a persons' or groups phycology would be helpful in the public relations department as well as politically for any would be elected official. Knowing who you're speaking to just seems beneficial for any working political structure and/or entity.
How would a person go about this type of study without the text book method research. I'm more interested in practical understanding and ice breaking than i am in the formalities and mechanics. Public relations motivated individual I am.
I am not sure what books there are out there, but a few common sense examples can go a long way.
Say you came from a third world country, and immigrated to a first world country. If you were told to be proud and maintain your cultural identity, and not merge into the melting pot, you will forever become a third world person, trying to get by in a first world country.
All obstacles, will unknowingly be of your own making, since to benefit by the first world, you need to learn and assimilate. It makes little sense to expect the first world to become more second world, to meet the third world half way. It should be about positive growth for all, and not making holes for some, so others feel taller without growing.
The new gender fad is like a new culture and minority, that just immigrated, yet some want to force its language on all. How will this make everyone grow? This is how you dumb down the majority. You create holes for them to stand in, so the new culture does not have to evolve, but can appear to rise above.
A better way is for any minority to learn the ways of the majority, who came first, so you can blend, learn and evolve, but still practice your culture at home. All the successful cultures in the USA; Irish, Jews, Asians, etc., entered the melting pot, but also maintained ties to their family traditions. Best of both worlds. Not everyone has time or desire to learn a new culture that is shoved in their face. It is the newbie that needs to adapt to those who already walked that path.
I am not sure why the melting pot was deem wrong by the political Left, since it forms a common culture, built on English and Christian traditions in law and philosophy; meat and potatoes of the stew. There are also has pieces from all cultures; extra meat, veggies and spices, so the team is more than the sum of its parts. A little spice may be small, but it can make the stew a gourmet dish.
One explanation is if you keep third world people, in their third world cultural mentality, and tell them not to jump into the melting pot, you can blame the first world for not standing in a hole; class guilt. Such people who isolate will stay ripe for future dictators and corruption, like their culture may have had, in the old country. Melting pot allows them to enjoy the American dream, as a free first world citizen, who is self sufficient. The book of skills is there, in the pot, for all to read and learn.
An interesting cultural dynamics is in the current American University system. They do not like immigration from Conservative places. If such an immigrant does get in, but does not blindly assimilate, they will target you and censor you. This home culture does not believe in everyone growing as individuals, even if they already have the recipe for success in a university culture.
It is similar to first world people, wanting to move to a second world county, with the home culture not wanting them to rise too high. The home team becomes very defensive and often aggressive. The do not see the possibility of growth for all, but they see something like a zero sum game, that they wish to own and not share. There is no growth in a zero sum game. So holes need to be dug, so some can lose, and others can gain by lost share. University should be a place of open discussion for growth and not immigrant beat down in a zero sum game.