Chapter 3 - Culture and Interpersonal Communication Key Words

Culture: The Language, values, beliefs, traditions, and customs ppl share and learn

In-groups - groups with whom u identify

Out-Groups - groups u view as different

Social Identity - the part of the self-concept based on membership in groups

Co-Culture - to describe the perception of membership in a group that is part of an encompassing culture.

Co-Cultural Theory- communications can use one of three primary strategies in this sort of situation

Intercultural Communication: Occurs when members of two or more cultures or co-cultures exchange messages in a manner that is influenced by their different cultural perceptions and symbol systems, both verbal and nonverbal

Salient - to describe the weight u attach to a particular person or phenomenon

Low-Context Culture - uses language primarily to express thoughts, feelings and ideas as directly as possible.

High-Context Culture - relies heavily on subtle, often nonverbal cues to maintain social harmony

Individualistic Culture: view their primary responsibility as helping themselves

Collectivistic Culture: Feel loyalties and obligations to in-groups (extended family, the community, organizations)

Power Distance - to describe the degree to which members of a society accept an unequal distribution of power

Uncertainty avoidance - to reflect the levels of discomfort or threat ppl feel in response to ambiguous situations and how much they try to avoid them.

Achievement culture - describes societies that place a high value on material success and a focus on the task at hand

Nurturing culture - regards the support of relationships as an especially important goal

Race - is a social construction that categorizes people by physical traits, cultural traits, and ancestry

Ethnicity - refers to the degree to which a person identifies with a particular group, usually on the basis of nationality, culture, or some other unifying perspective

Intersectionality - to describe the interplay of social categories that shape identity

Code-Switching - a form of communication competence that increases the chances of achieving ur goals

Microaggressions - communicating disrespect or disdain through subtle verbal or nonverbal displays // these can create a hostile communication climate.

Ethnocentrism - an attitude that ones own culture is superior to others. Ethnocentrism is an attitude that ones own culture is superior to others. They think (privately or openly) that anyone who does not belong in their in-group is strange, wrong or inferior

Prejudice - An unfairly biased and intolerant attitude towards others who belong to an out-group