Ch. 3: Intercultural Communication

Steps to develop culture-centered skills:

1. practice listening 2. practice intercultural empathy 3. develop flexibility

example of long-term orientation

China, Japan, Hong Kong

co-culture influences

communication behavior

feminine culture

people assume a variety of roles and are valued for doing so regardless of sex

age/generation

people born/raised in the same generation may identify with a co-culture distinct to it

people of high-SES tend to

perform more disengagement cues (doodling) & fewer engagement cues (nodding, laughing)

for one's cultural identity, they can be _____ or ______ to identify with cultural background

proud; reluctant

culture shock

psychological discomfort when engaging in a new cultural situation

monochromic cultures value

punctuality, uninterrupted task completion, meeting deadlines, & following plans

flexibility

the ability to adjust your communication to fit the other person & the situation

ethnocentrism

the belief that one's own culture is superior to others

collectivist cultures

value community, collaboration, shared interests, harmony, the public good, and avoiding embarrassment

Individualism & collectivism:

1. affect self-esteem & self-concept 2. emphasis on the individual leads members of highly individualistic cultures to be assertive & confront directly unlike collectivist cultures 3. influence how people make group decisions

6 potential barriers to effective intercultural communication:

1. anxiety 2. assumed similarity/difference 3. ethnocentrism 4. stereotyping 5. incompatible communication codes 6. incompatible norms & values

Steps to acquire accurate knowledge:

1. formal study 2. non-participant observation 3. participant observation

7 dimensions to consider for how cultures differ:

1. individualism/collectivism 2. context 3. chronemics 4. uncertainty avoidance 5. power distance 6. masculinity/femininity 7. long-term/short-term orientation

8 shared beliefs/values that exist in many co-cultures in the U.S.:

1. race 2. ethnicity 3. sex/gender 4. sexual orientation 5. religion 6. socioeconomic status 7. age/generation 8. disability

Steps to adopt an appropriate attitude:

1. tolerate ambiguity 2. be open-minded 3. be altruistic

example of low-power distance cultures

Austria, U.S., Denmark

example of being influenced by ethnic co-culture

Maria & Juan are both Mexican Americans Juan, who immigrated with his parents to the United States, identifies more with his ethnic heritage than does Maria, who is a 4th generation Mexican American

example of high-power distance cultures

Middle-East, Malaysia, Singapore

example of collectivist cultures

South/Central America, East/Southeast Asia, & Africa

example of ideal & real values

The U.S. constitution professes equal rights & opportunities for all (ideal value) yet some people are treated unfairly based on sex, race, age, ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation (real value)

example of dominant culture

U.S. once strictly reflected and privileged the values of white, western European, English-speaking, Protestant, heterosexual men

example of individualistic cultures

U.S., Australia, Great Britain, Canada

example of short-term orientation

U.S., UK, Canada

ethnicity

a classification of people based on combinations of shared characteristics such as nationality, geographic origin, language, religion, ancestral customs, and tradition

long/short-term orientation deals with how

a culture values patience in arriving at a reward in the future or here/now

altruism

a display of genuine & unselfish concern for the welfare of others

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

disability co-culture

a group of people who share a distinct set of shared values, beliefs, & attitudes based on their common experiences of living with a disability

egocentricity

a selfish interest in one's own needs to the exclusion of everything else

people from low-uncertainty avoidance cultures tend to

accept unpredictability, tolerate the unusual, & take risks

code switch

altering linguistic and nonverbal patterns to conform to the dominant or co-culture

disability

any physical, emotional, mental, or cognitive impairment that impacts how a person functions in society

the further you are from your family's immigrant experience, the less likely you are to ________

be influenced by your ethnic co-culture

people from high-uncertainty avoidance cultures tend to

be less tolerant of people or groups with deviant ideas or behaviors, often experience anxiety when confronted with unpredictable people, relationships, or situations

religion

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

people experience the social effects of perceived race, forming _______

co-cultures based on similar experiences

polychromic cultures are more

comfy doing several things at once, having flexible schedules/none at all, disregarding deadlines to satisfy other's needs

values

commonly accepted standards of what is considered right/wrong, good/evil, fair/unfair, etc.

when people of diff. generations interact, their co-cultural orientations can cause

communication challenges

sex

consists of biologically determined physical traits

gender

consists of the learned roles and communication patterns deemed "appropriate" for males and females in the dominant culture

long-term oriented

emphasizes potential future rewards that will eventually be realized after slow and steady perseverance toward achieving a mutually acceptable result

power distance

extent to which members of a culture expect and accept that power will be equally or unequally shared

cultures have both ______ & _______

ideal & real values

intercultural empathy

imaginatively placing yourself in another person's cultural world & attempting to experience what he or she is experiencing

middle-class parents tend to emphasize

intellectual curiosity & are more assertive than low-SES

intercultural communication

interactions that occur between people whose cultures are so different that the communication between them is altered

collectivist cultures place primary value on

interests of the group & group harmony - decisions are shaped by what is best for the group, regardless of whether they serve an individual's personal interests

dominant culture

learned system of norms held by the majority group of empowered people in a society

participant observation

learning about a culture or co-culture by living or working with people whose cultural assumptions are different from yours

non-participant observation

learning about a culture or co-culture by watching as members interact with each other

culture is a way of _____; it's the ___________

life; taken for-granted rules for how & why we believe/behave as we do

high-uncertainty avoidance

low tolerance for uncertainty and a high need to control unpredictable people, relationships, or events

example of code switch

me speaking Viet at home, English at school, & both with friends

low-power distance culture

members prefer power to be more equally distributed

masculine culture

men and women are expected to adhere to traditional gender roles

high-context cultures

much of the speaker's message is understood from the context

parents in low-SES groups tend to emphasize

obedience, acceptance of what others think, & hesitancy in expressing desires to authority

individualistic cultures place primary value on

self & personal achievement -competition is both desirable & useful; interests of others are considered primarily as they affect personal interests

low-context cultures

speakers use words to convey most of the meaning; verbal messages are direct, specific, and detailed

culture

system of shared values, beliefs, attitudes, & norms that guide what is considered appropriate among an identifiable group of people

short-term oriented

tends to value static rewards in the here and now and emphasizes quick results

uncertainty avoidance

the extent to which people desire to predict what is going to happen

native language

the language of one's ethnic heritage; typically the language learned at birth

cultural identity

the part of our self-concept that is based on how closely we associate with both the dominant culture and various co-cultures

socioeconomic status (SES)

the position of a person or family in the power hierarchy of a society based on income, education, and occupation

chronemics

the study of how the perception of time differs among cultures.

low-uncertainty avoidance

tolerate uncertainty and are less driven to control unpredictable people, relationships, or events

individualistic cultures

value personal rights and responsibilities, privacy, voicing one's opinion, freedom, innovation, and self-expression

ideal values

values members profess to hold

real values

values that guide actual behavior

polychromic cultures

view time as a continuous flow

monochromic cultures

view time as a series of small units that occur sequentially

high-power distance culture

view unequal power distribution as normal

race

was used to classify people based on biological characteristics (e.g., skin and eye color, hair texture, body shape)