Diversity

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RUNNING HEAD: DIVERSITY

Diversity Paper

Shae Lewis

June 24, 2006

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Diversity Paper

This paper will discuss four types of diversity which has an impact on individual behavior. These four types of demographic characteristics are ethnicity, gender, geographical differences, and personality traits.

Ethnicity is a subgroup within a culture. It is also defined as an ethnic quality or affiliation resulting from racial or cultural ties. (Smith 1987). Ethnicity can also be a particular descent such as Caucasian, African, Hispanic, or Native American. A subgroups individual behavior impacts demographic characteristics because it defines who these different cultures are. Their individual behavior reflects who they are. Ethnicity is a demographic characteristic that an individual is born with and they actually have no control over the group of which they belong. How ethnicity impacts individual behavior can be either acceptable or unacceptable behavior. It all depends on their geographical location and what society states as being the acceptable behavior in the individuals geographic location. Gender is defined as being either male or female. If the sex can not be determined or defined then it will be considered missing or neither. (Cowan1987) It is just a state of being male or female. Some people tend to confuse gender with sex. Sex is a reproductive organism or an activity whereby a living organism either procreates or stimulates the related pleasure-causing nerve impulses or possibly both simultaneously. (Smith 1987). Gender is established by the age of

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two or three and again during puberty. Once this process has taken place it is generally set for life. Society brings about the fact that females mature faster than boys and develop faster orally and in written skill levels. Boys are good at envisioning things such as in their imagination or just physically drawing it. These characteristics are obvious at childhood in both male and female. These are some of the ways individual behavior impacts gender roles.

When dealing with the geographical differences this has a great deal of an impact on an individual’s personality. This is their habitat what they know what the person is used to. When introduced to something new, people sometimes crawl into a nut shell. They are afraid to seek change they know nothing else. For instance a woman who is has had a maid all her life and suddenly has to file bankruptcy and move into a 3 bedroom home and is used to living with an east and west wing, in their home just might have nervous break down but eventually will cope. This is just an example of change being hard for an individual. This is why different individuals behave differently in a new or unfamiliar environment.

Geographical differences in rural areas versus urban areas and its impact on behavior can be looked at in lots of ways. A rural area is quiet, lots of farms, it is far away from the influence of city life. People in rural areas have villages or isolated houses and lots of wilderness just plenty of relaxation and no one to bother them. In order to get to a neighbor there you have to get in a car and drive miles down the road. An urban area includes surrounding cities and towns and is very different from the country life. The inner city would be considered the

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poorer part of the city. In the inner city some people are not educated there is more crime and located a distance from the city. The suburban area is usually on areas with flat land on the outerlying of a town or city. A suburb may also acquire some of the same qualities as an urban city. When dealing with the rural area it seems to be the safest place but at the same time far away from daily needs such