Interpersonal Communication Chapter 2

enculturation

a commitment to your culture's belies and values in which you develop an ethnic identity

recognize differences

recognize that differences exist between yourself and the culturally different and between members within the culturally different group, in meaning and in dialect and accent. at the same time, don't fail to note the similarities

confront your stereotypes

recognize that stereotypes are generalizations that prevent you from seeing the individual except through this stereotype

cultural identity

refers to one's sense of belonging to a particular culture or group

reduce your ethnocentrism

becoming aware of your own ethnocentrism can help you see its logic

avoidance

high degree of ethnocentrism, avoids and limits interpersonal interaction with others, prefers to be with own kind

disparagement

highest degree of ethnocentrism, engages in hostile behavior, belittles others, views own culture as superior to other cultures

sensitivity

low degree of ethnocentrism, wants to decrease distance between self and others

equality

lowest degree of ethnocentrism, treats others as equals, evaluates other ways of doing things as equal to our own ways

indifference

medium degree of ethnocentrism, lacks concern for others but is not hostile

strategy to educate yourself

read about, view images and videos, and interact with culturally different individuals

equality, sensitivity, indifference, avoidance, disparagement

the 5 communication distances in relation to ethnocentrism

acculturation

the process through which you learn a culture other than the one into which you were born

culture

the relatively specialized lifestyle of a group of people that is passed on from one generation to the next through communication, not genes

ethnocentrism

the tendency to see others and their behaviors through your own cultural filters, often as distortions of your own behaaciors. the tendency to evaluate the values, beliefs, and behaviors of your culture as superior- as more positive, logical and natural than those of other cultures

adjust your communication

understanding the meanings that others have for gestures or for interpersonal interactions will help you adjust your own messages

educate yourself, recognize differences, confront your stereotypes, reduce your ethnocentrism, adjust your communication

ways to improve intercultural communication