Journal 3
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Intercultural Communication
What is culture?
Culture is: a patterned way of thinking and living
culture is learned ex:
is often flexible and open for negotiation culture is dynamic
enacted in our everyday life culture is pervasive and omnipresent ex:
value-loaded ex: stereotypes, cultural values (family vs. individual) In other words, culture reflects values and beliefs of a larger system
How do we see ourselves?
AMERICAN: as individuals what we achieve
through skills valued learn from personal
experiences feel guilt when we don’t
live up to our ideals
CONTRAST: as part of family, group a person’s background,
connections valued learn from wisdom of
others feel shame when fail to
live up to group standards
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How do we see others?
AMERICAN: minimize status
differences
stress informality
strive for equality between sexes
join or leave groups as they meet our needs
CONTRAST: stress differences,
show respect for authority
stress formality
sex differentiation, men more powerful
group loyalty, identity ends in themselves
How do we go about tasks?
AMERICAN: favor talking
disagreement out
teasing and kidding are acceptable, fun
friendships based on mutual interests, limited obligations, activity based
CONTRAST: disagreement = face
loss, be indirect
avoid embarrassing others
a few very close friendships with high obligation, based on being together
Contrasts are:
USEFUL for anticipating, understanding collectivism vs. individualism high contact vs. low contact cultures high context vs. low context cultures
Different interpretations
Different patterns of behavior
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However:
No culture sits at extreme: Differences are in degree
Generalization obscure: Individual, subgroup differences
Situational variation
Change
The Dilemma of Ethnocentrism
Xenophobia the fear of strangers
a trait shared by most human being, regardless of the culture
Ethnocentrism one sees one’s own nation (or culture) as the
center of the universe
Is ethnocentrism good or bad?
Salvages
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The Dilemma of Ethnocentrism
+ : foundation of group pride, patriotism, and the continuance of the culture
- : increases xenophobia => people from other cultures are abnormal, incorrect, and inappropriate
Ethnocentrism, nevertheless, is a major barrier for intercultural communication.
Culture and Body
Culture as a value system influences how we understand our body Organ donation: a gift of life Tibetan Sky Burial
Do you think you experience your body differently because of your culture? Hmong: dab Chinese: Chi The Sixth Sense
Culture patterns individual’s somatic systems of stress Asian vs. Hispanic Refugees
Biological body vs. experience of body & illness
Culture and Illness Experiences
Culture patterns individual’s somatic systems of stress Waitzkin and Magana (1997): In Southeast Asian cultures, which place importance
of the head, the somatic symptoms of war victims often manifest themselves as headache; in contrast, in Latino culture, where the conceptions of “nerves” are commonplace, complaints referable to the nervous system appear more frequently.
Attribution for cause of illness Hmong: loss of souls Chinese: weak kidney vs. loss of sexual drive; disrupted CHI American:?
While the biological bodies are the same, how we experience our body and illness is deeply cultural
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Culture and Everyday Life
Culture is an embodied experience it decides how we experience our body
it influences how we describe our experiences
Is this an issue of not knowing enough? The importance of recognizing others’ point of view
Your ability to negotiate relies on your ability to understand and willingness to compromise
Bottom line: Culture goes deeper than words and/or behaviors
Culture and Communication Situation: You accidentally bump someone in the shoulder in a supermarket and
s/he dropped the things they have in their hands, what would you say to apologize?
English: “Oh, I’m so sorry! Are you all right? Let me help you with your things”
A generic Hungarian apology: “Please, don’t be angry. I was very clumsy. Come, I will help you pick up the packages. Haven’t you got hurt? I hope it’s not serious,”
A generic Polish apology: “I’m very sorry, Madam. I didn’t notice you. I will pick your packages right away. What about your leg? Should I perhaps take you home?”
Although English audience could understand the apology in Hungarian and Polish, these apologies were socially awkward. On the other hand, Hungarian and Polish speakers were often unsatisfied with the “weak” apologies in English.
Even with the same behavior (e.g., apology), the appropriate form may still is varied across cultures
NV in Cross-Cultural Comm.
A culturally skilled communicator is one who moves from being unaware to being aware of and sensitive to his/her “own cultural baggage.”
Without awareness of the differences, individuals may encounter miscommunication/misunderstanding. [cross- talk]
Three things for a favorable impression in any foreign country: (Martin and Hammer, 1989) direct eye contact listening carefully smiling