Communication 280 online quiz
xinluo
CMST280Ch79thEd.pptCulture and Identity: Situating the Individual
Chapter 7
Communication Between Cultures, 9th edition
by Samovar, Porter, McDaniel & Roy
Identity: Defining the Concept
- “Identity is a reflective self-conception or self-image that we each derive from our family, gender, cultural, ethnic & individual socialization process” – Ting-Toomey
- “Identity is how the self conceives of itself, and labels itself” - Mathews
- “Identity is our self-concept, who we think we are as a person” – Martin & Nakayama
- We each have more than one identity; we have multiple; all are integrated working in combination (in concert) based on the situation/context
- 3 parts: personal, relational & communal
*
Three Parts of Identity
*
The Influence of Identity
- Identity is a principal objective of the adolescent years & critical to a person’s psychological well-being
- It influences & guides expectations about our social roles & provides guidelines for communication interaction with others
- Our feelings of security & certainty come from our identity (who we choose to associate with & how we choose to live our lives)
- Your identity is dynamic; throughout life you are continually acquiring new identities and discarding old ones
Defining Cultural Identity
- “One’s sense of belonging to a particular cultural or ethnic group” – Lustig & Koester
- “The identification of communications of a shared system of symbolic verbal & nonverbal behavior that are meaningful to group members who have a sense of belonging & who share traditions, heritage, language, & similar norms of appropriate behavior…[cultural identity] is a social construction” - Fong
*
Examining Social Identities
- Racial identity – a social construct arising from historical attempts to categorize people into different groups; a classification of people into hierarchically ranked categories based largely on their outward appearance
- Gender Identity – not biological sex or sexual identity; a socially constructed concept regarding how a particular culture differentiates masculine & feminine roles; “the meanings & interpretations we hold concerning our self-images & expected other-images of ‘femaleness’ & ‘maleness’” – Ting-Toomey
- i.e. language usage in some cultures: Spanish “una” vs. “uno”; “la guitara” vs “el norte”
- Ethnic Identity – a sense of shared heritage, history, traditions, values, similar behaviors, area of origin & in some instances language
- National Identity – your national affiliation; what country you feel you belong
*
Social Identities Continued…
- Regional Identity – based on different geographical regions characterized by varying cultural traits (ethnicity, language, accent, dialect, customs, food, dress or different historical and political legacies.)
- Organizational Identity – a person’s organizational affiliation; more important in some cultures than others; i.e. Japan (collectivist) vs. U.S. (individualist)
- Personal Identity – those characteristics that set one apart from others in their in-group; those things that make one unique; more prominent in individualist cultures
- Cyberidentity & Fantasy Identity – the internet allows individuals to promote whatever identity they wish; fantasy; “imaginary persona”
- Other identities
*
Identity Acquisition and Development
- Identities are a product of contact with others; identity development is a dynamic process of familial influences, cultural socialization and personal experiences; your initial exposure to your identity came from your family
- Identity Development Models
- Phinney’s Three Stage of Identity Development – see page 257
- Unexamined ethnic identity
- Ethnic identity search
- Ethnic identity achievement
- Multistage Identity Development Models
- Ascribed (involuntary) vs. Avowed (voluntary) Identities
*
Establishing and Enacting Cultural Identity
- As you go about your daily activity, entering and exiting various contexts, different identities come in to play
- Culture’s influence in establishing identity is evident in the contrasting interaction styles in the U.S. versus the Japanese classroom
- Identities are also established and displayed through cultural rites of passage
- Once established, identities are enacted in multiple ways beginning in childhood and progressing through adolescence into the adult years
*
Globalization and Cultural Identity
- The globalized economy, immigration, ease of foreign travel, communication technologies, and intercultural marriage are bringing about an increased mixing of cultures and this mixing is producing people who possess multiple cultural identities
- Immigration, interracial marriage, & mixed race births are creating a social environment where many U.S. youths consider cultural diversity as a normal part of social life
- Multiple cultural identities are becoming more common
- Increasing numbers of people are living ‘in between’ cultural identities
- More and more Americans have come to feel comfortable changing out of the identities they were born into and donning new ethnicities in which they feel more at home
- The old understanding of a fixed cultural identity or ethnicity is outdated; identity is more of an ‘articulated negotiation between what you call yourself and what other people are willing to call you
*
Competency and Identity in Intercultural Interactions
- Identity influences interaction through shaping expectations and motivating behavior
- What is appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another
- We need to develop skills in intercultural communication competence where flexibility and adaptation are required
- Motivation
- Knowledge
- Skills
