Cultural Profile Paper Folder

Cultural Pmfile Ptoi|ct

Toni Adams

Commtnicetion 174 Inftelcultural Communicalion, Section 1

PrtrssorRmaT. Haltnlani

June 8, 2@0

Tour ot My Collage

Who am l? This is such a huge question. I am a fitty-four year old woman who has

llved, in many ways, a privileged life. I am at once a daughter, sister, wife, mother, mother-

in{aw, grandmother-in-waiting (but not anxiously), friend, dental hygienist, college student,

and so much more. I have lived in varied places in my own country, have traveled all over

the world and have lived in two countries outside of my own. I had seen more of the world

by the time I was fourteen than most people are able to see in a lifetime. Many of the

experiences of this life are expressed in my collage.

I loved the picture ot the eye superimposed over the sun. To me it represents God,

the universe, an omnipresent being; I believe a benevolent God surrounds and saturates

us. This picture could be a sunrise or a sunset, as life is full cf both and we cannot always be

sure which is which. lt could be the Yin or the Yang, the Alpha or the Omega. What seems

like an end can be a beginning, and the opposite is also true. I believe life is given to us by

God brrt is shaped by a combination of forces out of our control along with our own free will.

This is represented in the lower left corner by the wonderful For Better ot For Wor*

cartoon which has adomed my bulletin board for several years.

At the center of lile is the family and the love expressed within it. The anonymous

poem reminds me of the tentative nature of life as opposed to the permanen@ of love.

My parents, who are both still alive and well, shaped much of what is me. I feel so fortunate

to still have them on this earth and to be emotionally close to them. My husband, John, has

been the most important person in my life for over thirty-one years. Our wedding day, in

the center of the collage, was, along with our two sons' birthdays, one of the three happiest

days in my lite. lt is difficult to express how fortunate I feel to have found this good man. He

has been a fine son to his parents, son-inJaw to my parents (their fa\orite, actually, since I

am their only daughter), husband to me and father to our two sons. Derek and Sean, our

sons, and Anna, Derek's new wife, light up our lives. Both my parents came from large

families; I have a total of 29 cousins scattered all over the place, but no family lives near rrs.

This fact makes the nudear family even more precious t0 me.

The stream of clean, fast water falling ovor the rocks at the bottom of the page

represents life and the beauty d nature. lt, along with all the pictures of animals, birds,

T. Adams Cultural Profile page2

butterflies and flowers are to remind me to preserve and enjoy nature. I enioy smelling the

roses, but carnations, daisies ard wildflowers will also do just fine.

The box of crayons and the "forty fun flavors" have several meanings. First, they

represent a playfulness, a childlikg but not childish. view of life, and of the importance of

taking joy in simple things. On a deeper level these items represent the beauty and rich

variety of our multi-colored humanity and our muhi{larored cultures. The red, blue, green

and yellow cloves represent tolerance and understanding of those who are unlike ourselves

and peace in the world. The Eiffel Tower represents travel, seeing new things, meeting new

people, exploring the world's many cultures, broadening our horizons. The hot air balloons,

continuing the themes of travel and the future, represent an "Up, Up, And Away'' spirit to life

(The Fifth Dimension,l 970).

My dog, Cody, is in the upper left corner. He represents the many fine dog

companions I have had in this life. My family always owned a dog as I grew up and John

and I have continued that tradition in our marriage. We want a pet to love and enjoy, we are

not fussy about the breed. All of our dogs were rescue animals adopted from the Humane

Society; they have enriched our lives with love and humor every day. This picture also

reminds me of the importance of being kind to all life.

The "Encyclopaedia Britannica" and the other For Befter or For Worsecartoon

represent the importance of learning and growth and how these aspects of life become

more difficult as you age. lt is easier to become set in one's ways than to continue to move

fonrrard. Lynn Johnston, the cartoonist, depicts my own experiences so often that I wonder

it she has a camera in my home! | have been forced to leave a twenty-seven year career

as a dental hygienist due to hand problems, and have run the gamut of emotions over this,

but have been given a whole new outlook by returning to school. This is one of those life

events which are both Alpha and Omega, sunrise and sunset.

The cookies represent, simply, pleasure. I do not confuse pleasure with true, deep

happiness and contentment, but feel there must be parts of our lives which are just fun for

tlrcir own sake. I am a "cookie monster," so it is natural for me to use cookies to represent

this part of life. They also serve to remind me that we should take our pleasure in

T. Adams Cultural Profile page 3

moderation.

The gifts represent the many gifts I have been given in this life - family, love, friends,

rewarding and satisfying work, ability, a certain amount of intelligence, pets, nature and

health, as well as life itself. I often wonder why I have been so fortunate in my life, why have

I been given so much more than some other people? Why am I endowed with the luxuries

of going to school and of pondering these issues and not forced to eke out a liMng with no

time or energy left for reflection? I continue to struggle with these questions. I just try to live a

good life to justify all of my many blessings.

The flags represent the United States, my native country, which, maligned and

flawed as it is, is still the best place to live in the world. lt is because I am a citizen of this

country that I have enjoyed so much opportunity and pleasure in life. The AIDS ribbons

serve to remind me of the importanc€ of health in the happiness equation. My family and I

have been blessed in this area of life and I am grateful for it.

The clock represenb, of course, time. Time has been a recurring theme in my life,

especially in my work. As a young woman I worked as a stewardess and was obliged to

finish certain jobs within a restricted time frame. As a dental hygienist I worked under similar

conditions but on an even more rigid schedule. The woman in a lab coat holding a dental

mirror represents my career in the dental field. lt was a wonderful career, I worked hard to

reacfr a high level of technical and interpersonal skill. I miss the satisfaction of a job well done

and the camaraderie with staff and patients, but it is time to mo\€ on. I hope I have reached

a time in my life when I will no longer need to follow the clock so rigidly. I hope my future

career, whatever it may be, will allow me to do my best work on a much less precise

schedule.

World View

I can relate to parts of all four of the cultural patterns which we discussed in dass. I

was surprised to find, from the survey, that I lean more tor,\,ard collectivism than

indiMdualism. I have always considered myself an individualist and lthink those who know

me would agree. I have given this a great deal of thought and can now see both sides.

I was brought up in in individualistic culture, but at a time when it was less

T. Adams Cultural Profile page 4

indMdualistic han it is today. When Hofstede did his original research in the early 1980's the

United States was not rated the highest in individualism, but reached the top of the scale

with the 1990's research (class notes, 6/1/00). lt is possible that our @untry was even less

individualistic in the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's when I was growing up. Further evidence to

suppon this idea might be that this was a time when our country was transitioning from a

more agrarian, or oollectivist, to a more urban, or individualistic, society. In addition, I was

brought up in a career Air Force family. We averaged one plus move for every two to three

years of my life until I was twenty-one; I entered my ninth school at the age of fourteen. I

was constantly required to adjust to new cultures, new rules, even new languages. I had

always thought that this type of existence would foster individualism as a means of coping

with so much change. No\w that I have studied this concept (dass notes, 6/100), I can see

how, for me, it also fostered collectivism. I learned: "When in Rome, do as the Romans." I

also learned, mostty subconsciously, to read non-verbal signals in a variety d cultures.

Even though the survey labeled me a collectivist (class notes, 580/00), I still have

some strong indMdualistic tendencies. I have a need to do the very best I can at any iob,

even minor or inconsequential ones. I have an independent-t)pe competitive streak, with

others and within mysef. lt is not a need to win in a negative or superior sense; it is just a

need to do my very best at all times. I need, not want, not like, but truly NEED a certain

amount of privacy and time to myself. I enioy people very mrch, but must balance this with

plenty of time for reflection and rejuvenation.

I am an "independent cuss," as my mother has said. I have done everything from

attend movies to tra\rel to a foreign country alone, and enjoyed it, but mostly before I was

married. After about one year as a stewardess I applied lor a promotion to "purser," the

person in charge of documentation, money, announc€ments, and so forth. The main reason

I wanted this job was so that I could have a room to myself at each station rather than being

obliged to share with another. I work well with others but usually prefer to work

independently, which, foltunately, is what the profession of dental hygiene requires.

I am strongly task oriented, a trait listed by Hofstede as individualistic, (Hofstede, p.

334). I have lists of my lists and derive great pleasure from being able to check off the

T. Adams Cultural Profile page 5

items which I have completed. The BIG payoff is actually discarding the list! | am in school

now not only because I seek a new profession and need a Bachelor's degree to achieve

that, but also because I want the degree for my own satisfaction. ls it possible to be an

individualistic collectivist; would I fall into the "Horizontal Individualist' category (class notes

6t'u00)?

I would say that I definitely am in the "high uncertainty avoidance' group. I plan,

prioritize, work, rework, organize, reorganize and re-reorganize to be sure I have considered

every contingency. In speaking situations I much prefer planned public speaking to an

extemporaneous or debate format which require more spontaneity. I actually enjoy this

planning almost as much as the event itself when I clerive satisfaction from seeing things

come together. As I have aged I have mellowed. I have seen too many instances when

things fell apart in spite of the best planning and have learned to deal with these mishaps,

even see them with humor, and get past them. But I would still prefer to have no surprises.

I grew up in both "Low Conte)c" and "High Contexf'cultures (class notes, 6/100).

ln the military there are rules about the rules, decidedly low context. The cultures in Turkey

and South Georgia were high context. There were no programs with which to tell the

players and all the implicit rules in eaclr were different trom eacft other from what I had known

previously. The fact that these two high context cultures occuned one after the oher in my

life, and during adolescerrce, a time of enormous change and uncertainty, created, I believe,

a need for a low contelt life. This continues the high urpertainty avoidance theme.

I entered a low conte)d profession, as are all those protessions which ph)rsically care

for the human body. All information must be as explicit at possible, a person's life may

depend on it. I was "Lead Dental Hygienisf'for more than five years in the large dental

offir:e where I last worked. Part of that iob required that I write a manual for our departrnent. I

drafted an eighty{our page, mostly single spaced document. I was proud of it and spent

innumerable hours creating it; I tried to account for every possible contingenry. No one

could believe the amount of detail which it contained, but, to me, it was merely what was

needed and I could not have done it any other way.

As a young woman I was raised in a "high power distance" society, men were in

T. Adams Cultural Profile page 6

charge and I never questioned it (class notes, 6/1&0). lt was the way things were. l, along

with most women of my age and time, was oppressed but didn't even know it. Fortunately

at this time there were others who had the vision and courage to struggle against great odds

to bring about change. The "Woman's Movement" educated me; my eyes opened and

my views changed when I had the privilege of hearing Gloria Steinem speak. I did not

become radical, but I was much more aware of the many inequities against women and

others around me. I have learned to speak up for myself, but this requires the mustering of

all available intestinal fortitude. Now I ascribe to a more moderate view on power distance,

but I still constantly fight the "high power distance" instincts engendered by my upbringing.

I have a strong preference for situations which display feminine as opposed to

masculine traits. I am a nurturing and caring, people-oriented person (course notes, 6/1rco),

my previous patients would verify this. This is partly due to being female and partly due to

my upbringing and, I believe, is why I was attracted to being a health care giver. This is one

way in which I diverge from the strictly individualistic characteristics.

I am happy to see a swapping of "masculine" and "feminine" roles. lt warms my

heart to see males in traditionally female roles and females in traditionally male roles. There

are more male dental hygienists and more female dentists as the years pass. lt is

interesting to $e the reactions of patients to this reversal. They balk at having a male dental hygienist clean their teeth but have no trouble accepting other treatment from a male dentist.

I could not count the number of times I saw relief on the faces of new patients when they

first met me, though this was not due to any magical power on my part. They had been told

my name ahead of time and assumed that "Toni" was a male and were reassured to know

that I was a woman. Female dentists have a difficult time establishing a practice; I have

known many female dentists but only a handful have been successful in independent

practice. I believe this is because of gender prejudice, high power distance type

sentiments with a male preference, from both patients and statf . This reflects our society;

patients and staff in dentistry are adjusting slowly as are those in other areas where gender

equality is developing.

-

T. Adams Cultural Profile page 8

natural rhythms. ... A traditional African community is itself a rhythm based on the synergic

functioning of 'l' and 'We.' ... What happens to one in some way affects the entire

qlmmunity, and what happens to the entire community necessarily affects all indiMduals

within that communib/' (p. 32). I, also, believe that all people are somehow connected and

that it is for this reason that we should be respectful and caring of each other. The difference

is that I am not surrounded by a community of like-minded people. I loved the example

given for this belief :

For African people, marriage is the focus of existence. lt is the point where all the

members of a given community meet: the departed, the living and those yet to be

born. All the dimensions of time meet here, and the whole drama of history is

repeated, renewed, and revitalized (p. 33).

l, also, feel that my marriage is the center of my life and am intrigued by the second part of

this illustration. lt gives me food for thought.

This leads into the next tacet of "time as participation in events .... the African concept

of time is defined in terms of participation in experienced events rather than fixed, abstract

points .... the key is not to be 'on time' but 'in time' ... the future' is perceived as the past

recuring in a ditferent form" (pp. 33-34). I think this is an interesting, even attractive, concept,

but I cannot identify with it at all. Being "on time" has been a central facbr in my life. So

many Westerners seem to lead insane lives in regarcls to the clock. I already discussed

how my work has been dictated by the clock, but there is much more. We get up by the

clock, eat by the clock, go to work and sleep by the clock. I had a difficult time when my

sons were babies because they didn't understand our schedules, they made their own

schedules and the two clashed. When they were hungry they wanted to eat, never mind

ff|at it was three in the morning and I had to get up at 5:30. This illustrates that tfle African

view is more in tune with nature, and my next example also illustrates this point. As a

stewardess I had difficulty with traveling through so many time zones; I was eternally jet

lagged. I ate too much and had difficulty sleeping because I was trying to follow both my

own hunger or tiredness, my own "body dock," AND the clock at the current station. I came

to terms with this problem when I finally learned to ignore my watch, follow my'body clock,"

T. Adams Cultural Profile page 9

and eat and sleep only when I was hur€ry or tired. This was such a simple concept, but so

foreign to me, and it tcok me a while to figure it out.

Finally, the article described the "call-response" pattern cf communication in Black

worship and life.

We are talkirg ... about an inbractive rEtwork in which the fundamental requiremerft is

active participation ot all individuals. In this kind of communications system, 'there is

no sharp line between performers or communicators and the audience, for virtually

everyone is performing and everyone is listening.'Call-response ... embodies

communality rather than individualit/' (pp. 3a-35).

I think I understand the philosophy behind this but the practice its€ff is foreign to me. I am

sure I would be uncomforbble in such a seMce because it is so different from my

experience. "CalFresponse can be disconerting to both parties in Black-white

communication, presefiing a real case of cross-cultural @mmunication interference" (p. 39).

I found many ways in which the philosophies expressed in the Daniel and

Smitherman article both agreed and disagreed with my own world vieu/. I was surprised at

how compatible our Mews were. This further illustrates one of the main lessons I have

learned from my varied life experiences: "Most people are more alike than different."

T. Adams Profile p. 10

Rderences

Daniel, J. L, & Smitherman, G. (1990). Hotry | got over: Communlaton qnamics in

the Black cornmunity. In D. Carbaugh (Ed.), C\iiurel cornmunhatm and llbmlh.nd comad

(W. n-$). Hillsdal€, l,l,ew Jersry: Lawrence Erlbaum. Hotsbde, G. (1998). | !r,8, and th€y. In J. N. Maftin, T. K. Nakapma, L A. Fbr€s

(Eds.), @(pp. 34$356). Mountain View, CA: Mayfield. Martin, J. N. & Nal€yama, T. K., (2000). @

Mountain View, CA: Mayfield.

=f f{

.i,..,1ft

*&{rv-\-lltr&

I-

.* "l:;:!,!i iiiriij

.' '. .,./

4 b,,l ':- R\

#-* t : .-,, f-r.S(

. ir;.Eh ,,9,.'. t

E ,&

t\I