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Culture
Negotiated, dynamic and cultural changes can be traced and analyzed to better understand why our society is the way it is.
Learned; the importance of socializing institutions like family, school, peers, and the media
Influences beliefs about what is true and false, likes and dislikes, what is right or wrong, and our behaviors
Personal Identities
Include the components of self that are primarily intrapersonal and connected to our life experiences.
Social Identities
The components of self that are derived from involvement in social groups with which we are interpersonally committed
Cultural Identities
Based on socially constructed categories that teach us a way of being and include expectations for social behavior or ways of acting
Ascribed Identity
Personal, social, or cultural identities that are placed on us by others
The set of demographic and role descriptions that others in an interaction assume to hold true for you.
Often a function of oneās physical appearance, ethnic connotations of oneās name, or other stereotypical associations
Avowed Identities
Identities that we claim for ourselves
Comprised of the group affiliations that one feels most intensely.
Cultures are created through communication; communication is a means of human interaction through which cultural characteristics are created and shared
Cultures are a natural by-product of social interaction
Relationship between culture and communication
Cultures are complex and multifaceted
Cultures are subjective
Cultures change over time
Cultures are largely invisible
Characteristic of Culture
Edward T. Hall
American Anthropologist who is remembered for developing the concept of proxemics and exploring cultural and social cohesion, and describing how people behave and react in different types of culturally defined personal space
Founded the scholarly field of intercultural communication during the 1951-1955 period when he was at the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. Department of States
Intercultural Communication
Essentially means communication across different cultural boundaries
Can allow us to step outside of our comfortable, usual frame of reference and see our culture through different lens
It is through this that we come to create, understand, and transform culture and identity
Ethnocentrism
Our tendency to view our own culture as superior to other cultures
Dialectical Approach
Helps us think about culture and intercultural communication in complex ways, so we can avoid categorizing everything in either/or dichotomies by adopting a broader approach and acknowledging the tensions that must be negotiated
Examines aspects of intercultural communication in the form of six dichotomies, namely cultural vs individual, personal vs. contextual, differences vs. similarities, static vs dynamic, history bs past-present vs future
Dialectic
Relationship between two opposing concepts that constantly push and pull one another (Martin and Nakayama). Helps us realize that our experiences often occur in between two different phenomena
Dichotomies
Are dualistic ways of thinking that highlight opposites, reducing the ability to see gradations that exist in between concepts
Cultural-Individual Dialectic
Captures the interplay between patterned behaviors learned from a cultural group and individual behaviors that may be variations on or counter to those of the larger culture
Personal-Contextual Dialectic
Highlights the connection between our personal patterns of and preferences for communicating and how various contexts influence the personal
Differences-Similarities Dialectic
Allows us to examine how we are simultaneously similar to and different from others
Most popular amongst conversations regarding gender differences
Static-Dynamic Dialectic
Suggests that culture and communication change over time yet often appear to be and are experienced as stable. Some cultural values remain relatively consistent over time, which allows us to make some generalizations about a culture.
History/Past-Present/Future Dialectic
Reminds us to understand that while current cultural conditions are important and that our actions now will inevitably affect our future, those conditions are not without a history.
Privileges-Disadvantages Dialectic
Captures the complex interrelation of unearned, systemic advantages and disadvantages that operate among our various identities. Some cultural values remain relatively consistent over time, which allows us to make generalizations about a culture,
We must view culture and identity through the lens of intersectionality which asks us to acknowledge that we each have multiple cultures and identities that intersect with each other
Cultural Identity
Gender Role
Age Identity
Social Class
Religious Identity
Socio-Cultural Aspects of Communication
Cultural Identity
Refers to the membership and acceptance into a larger cultural group that share a system of tradition, norms, and values.
Involves the peopleās standards of appropriate and inappropriate behavior
The level of oneās cultural identity influences his/her emotional significance in the cultural group that influences his/her behavior as well.
Gender Role
Not necessarily limited to male and female
Ex. Skirts and dresses are proudly worn by men. Women are not only seen nursing children at home but also run a country or lead a nation
The society and media representations of gender inform and influence the peopleās understanding and expectations of the gender roles in the real world.
Age Identity
Refers to how people feel and think about themselves as they age
Can influence oneās self-image, personality, language use, attitudes, and communication with others
Social Class
This is the rank assigned by the society to its members according to their income, titles, possessions, etc.
Peopleās perception of anotherās social class affects the way they communicate
Generally speaking, the higher classes enjoy more privileged roles, and the lower classes are assigned manual labor
Religious Identity
Refers to the active or inactive membership of a person to a certain religious organization
Religion is very sacred and important to anyone or everyone
Stumbling Blocks
Are barriers and habits that may contribute to misunderstandings across cultures during intercultural communication
High anxiety
Tendency to Evaluate
Stereotypes and Preconceptions
Assumption of Similarities
Nonverbal Misinterpretations
Language Differences
Barriers of Cross-Cultural Communication (Stumbling Blocks)
Assumptions of Similarities
Believing that all people have the same fundamental ideas, values, and perspectives
Does not often extend to the expectation of a common verbal language but it does interfere with caution in decoding nonverbal symbols, signs, and signals
When in doubt, ask
Ask open-ended questions
How to avoid assumptions of similarities (2)
Language Differences
Differences in vocabulary, syntax, idioms, slangs, dialects, and so on
Important details in the conversation may be missed.
Avoid slang and abbreviations
Repeat information or directions patiently
How to avoid language differences (2)
Nonverbal Misinterpretations
Physical gestures or facial expressions can mean completely different things to different people.
People from different cultures inhabit different sensory realities. They see, hear, feel, and smell only that which has some meaning or importance for them
Be aware of your body language and how others react to it when communicating with people
How to avoid nonverbal misinterpretations
Preconceptions and Stereotypes
Using overgeneralized, possibly inaccurate beliefs to make sense of situations or predict interactions
Often at the root of unconscious biases in workplaces
Use generalizations are a springboard for interaction, but do not stereotype
How to avoid preconceptions and stereotypes
Tendency to Evaluate
Moving to judge something as good or bad based on whether or not it aligns with your own tastes or your own way of thinking
To approve or disapprove, the statements and actions of the other person, or group rather than to try to comprehend completely the thoughts and feelings expressed from the world view of the other
Do not assign negative value to something just because you do not understand it or personally like it
How to avoid the tendency to evaluate
High Anxiety
Stress or tension caused by a lack of experiences in communicating across cultures or within a specific culture
Frustration may cause one or both participants to shut down or give up on trying to communicate
Embrace discomfort and step outside of your comfort zone
How to avoid high anxiety