Worldview in Costa Rica

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 Worldview

Communication between Cultures: A culture’s worldview is directly linked to how members of that culture perceive the world and live in that world. (Samovar, 2017)

The dominant worldview in Costa Rica is religious in nature. According to WorldAtlas, the dominant worldview in Costa Rican culture is Christianity, specifically Catholicism, at 60-75% of the people claiming to be Catholic. (Velzer, 2022)

Some key aspects of this worldview include the deep spiritual belief in Jesus Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and everlasting life. The cultural expressions of this worldview include fellowship with other members of the community in a church setting. The ethics of the culture include following the Ten Commandments and living a virtuous life. People value honesty, humility, and formality. The values of the culture are based on their religious beliefs. They believe that once they die, they will then be judged by God and then sent either to Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory. These are common cultural beliefs in Costa Rican culture.

Cultural expressions include Semana Santa, also known as Holy Week, which is the week before Easter. Typically celebrated by parades and religious processions.

Religion is very important in the culture; however, if you have a different worldview Costa Ricans will not force their beliefs upon you as they are a very welcoming culture. site 1,2,3

This worldview is shared by most of the culture, with Protestants as the second dominating religion, followed by atheists or those who do not believe in God. 

Other Costa Rican worldviews include family. Family comes first and is the most important social unit in Costa Rican culture, emphasizing cooperation and working together. 

Democracy is valued, and it is believed that everyone has a right to have a say. 

Education is another aspect of Costa Rican culture that is highly valued. 

Education is a priority in Costa Rica. In 1949, after a short civil war, the entire budget dedicated to the military was used to finance education in the country. Costa Rica's education culture is that education is free for all, not just the wealthy. They believe that this will only make the country better. (CostaRica.com, 2019)

 

 
                                               Semana Santa, also known as Holy Week


                                                        Catholic church in Costa Rica

Bibliography

CostaRica.com. (2019, July 19). Retrieved from Education at a glance: https://www.costarica.com/relocation/costa-ricas-education-system

Samovar, P. M. (2017). Communication between Culture. In P. M. Samovar. Boston Ma: Cengage Learning.

Velzer, R. V. (2022, December 8). Costa Rica Blog. Retrieved from Worldview: https://sites.google.com/view/ajas-blog-on-costa-rica/introduction?authuser=0

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