1/28/2016

CULTURE AND INTERPERSONAL

COMMUNICATION
CHAPTER 2
LECTURE BY:
ZARIRAH BINTI ZAMAKHSARI

DO YOU KNOW?

• Consists of relatively specialized lifestyle

of a group of people that is passed on
from one generation to the next
through communication, not through
genes
ƒ Culture consist of values, beliefs,
artifacts, and language; ways of
behaving and ways of thinking; arts,
laws, religion, styles, attitudes.

ENCULTURATION, ETHNIC ENCULTURATION, ETHNIC

IDENTITY AND ACCULTURATION IDENTITY AND ACCULTURATION
• Enculturation (cont.)
– The process by which you learn the culture into
which you’re born (your native culture)
• Acculturation
• Ethnic identity – The process by which you learn the rules and norms
– A commitment to the beliefs and philosophy of your of a culture different from your native culture.
culture that act as a protective shield against – Your native culture is modified through direct
discrimination contract with or exposure to a new and different
– Can turn into ethnocentrism: looking of your culture.
culture’s practices as the only right ways to behave
or seeing the practices of other culture as inferior

1

CULTURAL BELIEFS AND VALUES
• The relevance of Culture
• Demographic Changes
9 There are vast demographic changes took place
9 These changes have brought different interpersonal
customs and the need to understand and adapt to
new ways of looking at communication.
• Sensitivity to Cultural Differences
9 We are more concerned with saying the right thing
and ultimately with developing a society where all
cultures can coexist and enrich one another.
CULTURAL BELIEFS AND VALUES
(cont.)
• The relevance of Culture
• Culture-specific Nature of Interpersonal
communication
9 Interpersonal competence is culture specific; what
proves effective in one culture may prove
ineffective in another
9 E.g. Valentine’s day
HOW CULTURES DIFFERS
• Power Distances
– High Power Distance
9 In some culture power is concentrated in the hands of a
few, and there is a great difference between power held
by the people compare to ordinary citizens
9 E.g. Mexico, Brazil, India and Philippines
9 Direct confrontation and assertiveness may be viewed
negatively, especially if directed at superior
9 You’re taught to have great respect for authority for
example between lecturer and student
9 Rely more on symbols of power, e.g. titles Dr. Professor
1/28/2016
CULTURAL BELIEFS AND VALUES
(cont.)
• The relevance of Culture
• Economic and Political Interdependence
9 Most countries are economically dependent on one
another
9 Our economic lives depend on our ability to
communicate effectively across different cultures
• Spread of Technology
9 Has made intercultural communication as easy as it
is inevitable
THE AIM OF A CULTURAL
PERSPECTIVE
• It is necessary to understand culture as it its
influences if you’re to understand how
communication works and master its skills
• It influences what you say to yourself and how
you talk with friends, lovers, and family
• It influences how you interact in a group
• It influences the topics you talk about and the
strategies you use in communicating
information or persuading
HOW CULTURES DIFFERS (cont.)
• Power Distances (cont.)
– Low- Power Distance
9 Power is distributed throughout the citizenry
9 For example Denmark, New Zealand, Sweden
9 There is a general feeling of equality that is consisted
with acting assertively and you’re expected to
confront a friend, partner or supervisor assertively
9 Less on symbols of power, and less of a problem is
crated if you fail to use a respectful title
2
 1/28/2016

HOW CULTURES DIFFERS (cont.) HOW CULTURES DIFFERS (cont.)

• Masculine and Feminine Cultures (cont.)
• Masculine and Feminine Cultures
– Feminine Cultures
– Masculine Cultures
9 Women are viewed as modest, focused on the
9 Men are viewed as assertive, oriented to material
quality of life and tender
success and strong
9 E.g. Sweden, Norway, Netherlands and Denmark
9 E.g. Japan, Austria, Venezuela, Italy
9 Emphasizes the quality of life and socialize their
9 Emphasize success and socialize their people to be
people to be modest and to emphasize close
assertive, ambitious and competitive
interpersonal relationships
9 More likely to confront conflicts directly and to
9 Emphasize compromise and negotiation in resolving
competitively fight out any differences
conflicts
9 Win-lost conflict strategies
9 Win-win solutions

HOW CULTURES DIFFERS (cont.) HOW CULTURES DIFFERS (cont.)

• High-Ambiguity-Tolerant and Low-Ambiguity-
• High-Ambiguity-Tolerant and Low-Ambiguity-
Tolerant Cultures
Tolerant Cultures (cont.)
– High-Ambiguity-Tolerant Cultures
– Low-Ambiguity-Tolerant Cultures
9 Don’t feel threatened by unknown situations;
uncertainty is normal part of life and people accept 9 Do much to avoid uncertainty and have a great
it as it comes deal of anxiety about knowing what will happen
next; they see uncertainty as threatening and as
9 People in these cultures readily tolerate individuals
something that must be counteracted
who don’t follow the same rules as the cultural
majority, and may even encourage different 9 e.g. students and education
approaches and perspectives
9 E.g. students and education

HOW CULTURES DIFFERS (cont.) HOW CULTURES DIFFERS (cont.)

• Individualist and Collectivist Orientations • Individualist and Collectivist Orientations
– Individualist (cont.)
9 Members are responsible for themselves and
– Collectivist
perhaps their immediate family
9 Members are responsible for the entire group
9 You’re responsible to your own conscience and
responsibility is largely an individual matters 9 You are responsible to the rules of social group and
responsibility for an accomplishment or a failure is
9 Competition
shared by all members
9 You might compete for leadership in a small group
9 Culture leadership would be shared and rotated
setting and there will be clear distinction between
leaders and members

3
 1/28/2016

HOW CULTURES DIFFERS (cont.)

HOW CULTURES DIFFERS (cont.)
• High and Low Context Cultures
– High Context Culture
• High and Low Context Cultures (cont.)
9 Much of the information in communication is in the
context or in the person for e.g. information that – Low Context Culture
was shared through previous communication and 9 Most of the information is explicitly stated in the
shared experience verbal message
9 Are also collectivist cultures and place a great 9 Individualist culture as it place less emphasis on
emphasis on personal relationships and oral personal information and more emphasis on
agreements
verbalized, explicit explanation and on written
9 Members of high context cultures spend lots of time contract in business transactions
getting to know one another interpersonally and
socially 9 E.g. America
9 E.g. Japan

HOW CULTURES DIFFERS (cont.) HOW CULTURES DIFFERS (cont.)

• Long Term Orientation
– Promotes the importance of future rewards
– Focusing on preparing for future
– Marriage is practical arrangement rather
than emotional arousal and living with
extended family (in laws)
– This cultures believes mothers should be at
home with children, humility is a virtue for
both men and women and old age should
be a happy time of life.
• Short Term Orientation
– Look more to the past and the present.
– Instead of saving for future, members of this
culture spend their resources for the present
and want quickly results from their efforts.
– Believe and teach that marriage is a moral
arrangement, living with in laws cases
problems, children do not have to be cared
for their mother (others can do that) humility
is virtue only for women and old age is an
unpleasant time of life.

Sabrena 2011

HOW CULTURES DIFFERS (cont.) HOW CULTURES DIFFERS (cont.)

• View in the workplace
• Look to profits in
the future
• Work together to
achieve goals
• View in education
• Look to more • Attributes their • Attribute their
immediate rewards success or failure
success or failure
• Managers and to luck or
workers have in school to their
different in their own efforts chance.
thinking and attitudes
about works

Long term Short term Long term Short term

orientation orientation orientation orientation

4

HOW CULTURES DIFFERS (cont.)
• Indulgence (pleasure)
– Emphasize the gratification of desires: they
focus on having fun and enjoying life.
– This culture have more people who are
happy depending on two major factors:
• Life control – feeling that you do as you please,
you have freedom of choice to do what you find
fun
• Leisure – feeling that you have leisure time to do
what you find fun.
– Members are more positive attitudes, greater
optimism and more likely to remember
positive emotions.
PRINCIPLES OF INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION
y Recognize Differences - to communicate
Intercultural Communication refers to
communication between persons who have different
cultural beliefs, values, or ways of behaving
• Educate yourself – learning about other
cultures by:
– Readings; view a documentary; magazines and
websites; talk and chat
REFRESHMENT
• Any questions or opinions?
29
1/28/2016
HOW CULTURES DIFFERS (cont.)
• Restraint (self – control)
– Foster the curbing of such gratification
and its regulation by social norms.
– Have more people who are unhappy,
people who see themselves as lacking
control of their own lives and with little or
no leisure time to engage in fun activities.
– Cynical, Pessimistic (negative) and are
less likely to remember positive emotions.
PRINCIPLES OF INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION (cont.)
intercultural, need to consider the followings:
{ Differences between yourself and the Culturally
Different
Ù Avoid assume that similarities exist
Ù However, there are differences in values, attitudes,
behaviors and beliefs among cultures
{ Differences within the Culturally Different Group
Ù Within each culture there are smaller cultures that
differ greatly from each other and from the larger
culture
{ Differences in Meaning
Ù Same word, but its meanings will vary greatly