Diversity Impact on Individual Behavior
Behavior refers to the actions or reactions of an object or organism, usually in relation to the environment.  Behavior can be conscious or unconscious, overt or covert, and voluntary or involuntary.  Behavior is controlled by the nervous system; the complexity of the behavior is related to the complexity of the nervous system. Generally, organisms with complex nervous systems have a greater capacity to learn new responses and thus adjust their behavior.  Human behavior is the collection of activities by human beings and influenced by culture, attitudes, emotions, ethnicity, gender, ethics, religion, authority, persuasion, and/or coercion.  The behavior of people falls within a range with some behaviors being common, some unusual, some acceptable, and some outside acceptable limits.  The acceptability of behavior is measured by social norms and regulated by various means of social control.
The impact that ethnicity has on behavior cannot be ignored.  At work, school, and church we experience the influences of ethnicity every day.  Behavior in Southern California is influenced by the Latino population.  The Latino population in California has grown by a factor of ten since 1950, and now comprises 32 percent of the state's 33.8 million people.  Between 1990 and 2000, Latinos accounted for three-fourths of the state's population growth and the numbers will triple by 2050, outpacing the growth of all other minority groups according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  The impact, bilingual skills are becoming increasingly important in the widening workplace.  This fact is especially noticeable in Spanish-language billboards and other advertising throughout the state.  ...