CHAP 3 INTERCULTURAL

• Culture


  • The system of shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and norms that guide what is considered appropriate among an identifiable group of people
  • A way of life
  • Taken-for-granted rules for how and why we believe and behave as we do
  • Both transmitted and modified through communication
• Culture


  • People eat using forks, chopsticks, fingers = culturally based and taught by one generation to the next through communication
  • Addressing adult family friends using a title and last name (e.g., Mr. Jones, Miss Smith). Adults began giving children permission to use first names and, over time, the norm changed
• Values


  • Commonly accepted standards of what is considered right and wrong, good and evil, fair and unfair, and so on
  • Ideal values: values members profess to hold (ex: equal rights)
  • Real values: values that guide members actual behavior (ex: discrimination still exist)
• Intercultural Communication


  The interactions that occur between people of different cultures
• Culture Shock


  • Psychological discomfort one feels when engaging in a new cultural situation
  • Can also occur when interacting with others within one's own country
• Dominant Cultures, Co-Cultures, and Cultural Identity (DCCC)


  • Dominant culture
  • Co-culture
  • Code switch
  • Cultural identity
• Dominant culture


  • The learned system of norms held by the majority
  • Group of empowered people in a society
• Co-culture


  A group comprised of a smaller number of people who hold common values, beliefs, attitudes, and customs that differ from those of the dominant culture
• Code switch


  Altering one's linguistic and nonverbal patterns to conform to the dominant of co-culture depending on the topic and participants involved
• Cultural identity


  Part of the self-concept that is based on how closely one associates with the dominant culture and various co-cultures
• Cultural identity


  • Cindy is a Polish American who hid that fact while growing up because her classmates often told jokes that stigmatized Polish Americans as foolish and unintelligent
• Co-cultures formed around shared beliefs and values (RENSGSRSAD)

  • Race
  • Ethnicity
  • Native (or first) language
  • Sex
  • Gender
  • Sexual Orientation
  • Religion
  • Socioeconomic status
  • Age/Generation
  • Disability
• Race


  • Used to classify people based on physical, biological characteristics (e.g., skin and eye color, hair texture, body shape)
  • "Race" has become problematic and some scholars prefer to use the term "populations" instead
• Ethnicity


  A shared cultural heritage that is learned
• Native (or first) language


  • Language of one's ethnic heritage
  • Language a person learns from birth
  • 3rd most common language = Spanish
• Sex


  Biologically determined physical traits
• Gender


  • Learned roles and communication patterns deemed "appropriate" for males and females
  • Learning gender based on their sex "hush up and act like a lady", "buck up and act like a man"
• Sexual Orientation


  Sexual attraction that a person feels toward another person. (heterosexual, gay, lesbian, straight, bisexual, and asexual)
• Religion


  A belief system with a set of rituals and ethical standards based on a common perception of what is sacred or holy
• Socioeconomic status


  The position of a person or family in the power hierarchy of a society based on income, education, and occupation
• Age/Generation


  • Born and raised in the same generation may identify with a co-culture distinct to it
  • Example: who grew up during World War II tend to value sacrifice of self for cause and country, people born during Great Depression tend to be frugal
  • When people from different generations interact, their co-cultural orientations can cause communication challenges
• Disability


  • Any physical, emotional, mental, or cognitive impairment that impacts how a person functions in society
  • Disability co-culture is a group of people who share a distinct set of shared values, beliefs, and attitudes based on their common experiences of being differently abled
• How Cultures Differ (ICCUPML)

  • Individualism/Collectivism
  • Context
  • Chronemics: perception of time
  • Uncertainty Avoidance
  • Power Distance
  • Masculinity/Femininity
  • Long-Term/Short-Term Orientation
• Individualism/Collectivism


  • Affect self-concept and self-esteem
  • Individualistic cultures value personal rights and responsibilities, privacy, freedom, innovation, and self expression
  • Collectivist cultures value community, collaboration, shared interests, harmony, the public good, and avoiding embarrassment
• Context


  • In low-context cultures, speakers use words to convey most of the meaning, verbal messages are direct, specific, and detailed
  • In high-context cultures, the speaker's message is understood mainly based on context, meaning is conveyed indirectly and can only be interpreted by unwritten cultural rules and subtle nonverbal behaviors
• Chronemics: perception of time

  • Monochronic cultures view time as a series of small units that occur sequentially, value punctuality, uninterrupted task completion, meeting deadlines, following plans, and doing things one at a time
  • Polychronic cultures view time as a continuous flow, are comfortable doing several things at once, having a flexible schedule or none at all, and disregarding deadlines
• Uncertainty Avoidance


  • The extent to which people desire to predict what is going to happen
  • Low uncertainty-avoidance cultures tend to have a high tolerance for uncertainty and initiate new relationships
  • High uncertainty-avoidance cultures tend to have a low tolerance for uncertainty and are wary of strangers and may not seek out new relationships
• Power Distance


  • The degree to which power is equally or unequally shared
  • High power-distance cultures accept unequal power distribution
  • Low power-distance cultures prefer power to be equally distributed
• Masculinity/Femininity


  • Masculine culture: adhere to traditional gender roles and behaviors
  • Feminine culture: people assume a variety of roles regardless of sex
• Long-Term/Short-Term Orientation


  • Short-term orientation: value rewards in the here and now
  • Long-term orientation: value rewards that will be realized in the future
• Cross-cultural adaptation


  Empathizing with and adapting communication patterns based on cultural differences
• Potential Barriers to Intercultural Communication Competence (AAESII)


  • Anxiety
  • Assumed Similarity or Difference
  • Ethnocentrism
  • Stereotyping
  • Incompatible Communication Codes
  • Incompatible Norms and Values
• Anxiety


  People experience fear, dislike, and distrust when first interacting with someone from a different culture
• Assumed Similarity or Difference


  When we cross into an unfamiliar cultural environment, we might assume that the norms that apply to our culture will also apply
• Ethnocentrism


  The belief that one's own culture is superior to others
• Stereotyping


  Assuming everyone in a cultural group is the same
• Incompatible Communication Codes


  When others speak a different language than we do, it is easy to see that we have incompatible communication codes. But even when people speak the same language, cultural variations can result from belonging to different co-cultures.
• Incompatible Communication Codes


  • Britain: Lift & chips, Americans: Elevator & Fries
• Incompatible Norms and Values

  What is considered normal in one culture is offensive in another
• Developing Competent Intercultural Communication Strategies

  • Acquire Accurate Knowledge (FOI)
  • Adopt an Appropriate Attitude (TBB)
  • Develop Culture-Centered Skills (PPD)