1.02 Key Terms

1.  Ableism: Discrimination in favor of able-bodied people.

2.  Ageism: Bias against, or unfair treatment of, persons based on their age.

3.  Assimilation: Adopting the habits, customs, and patterns of a new culture.

4.  Culture: Everything about the way a group of people live.

5.  Cultural competence: refers to an ability to interact effectively with people of different culturesand socio-economic backgrounds, particularly in the context of human resources, non-profit organizations, and government agencies whose employees work with persons from differentcultural/ethnic backgrounds.

6.  Cultural generativity: Giving back to future generations by passing on cultural values and traditions.

7.  Cultural humility: An acknowledgement of one’s own barriers to true intercultural understanding.

8.  Culture shock: The difficulties and feelings of uneasiness people have when exposed to another culture.

9.  Discrimination: Treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit; partiality or prejudice.

10. Diversity: Varied differences in people.

11. Empathetic: To be understanding or sensitive to the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of others.

12. Ethnicity: A person’s identity with a particular racial, national, or cultural group and support of that group’s customs, beliefs, and language.

13. Ethnocentrism: The belief that a person’s own culture is the best or most natural.

14. Gender identity: The range of characteristics pertaining to, and differentiating between masculinity and femininity

15. Gender norming: The practice of judging female military recruits, or female applicants in the workforce, by less stringent standards than their male counterparts.

16. Managing diversity: acknowledging people's differences and recognizing these differences as valuable; it enhances good management practices by preventing discrimination and promoting inclusiveness.

17. Prejudice: Unfounded negative bias often based on stereotyping.

18. Race: A local geographic or global human population distinguished as a more or less distinct group by genetically transmitted physical characteristics.

19. Racism: The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.

20. Sex: Either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans, and other living things, are divided on the basis of their reproductive forms.

21. Stereotypes: Preconceived generalizations about certain groups of people.