Culture and

Interpersonal
Communication

Prepared by: Janeth L. Lacostales

 Define culture, enculture, and acculturation and explain the
relevance of culture to interpsonal communication.

 the relatively specialized lifestyle of

Culture a group of people.
 that is passed on from one
generation to the next through
comminication.
Cultural Evolution and Culture Relativism

 Cultural Evalutation - holds that much as

the species evolved from earlier life forms
to Homo sapiens, cultures also evolve.

 Cultural Relativism - holds that all

cultures are different but that no culture is
either superior or inferior to any other.
 Sex and Gender

 Sex - refers to the biological distinction

between male and female; sex is
determined by genes, by bioloogy.

 Gender - refers to the “social

construction of masculinity and feminity
within a culture”.
The Transmission of Culture
Culture is transmitted from one generation to another through
enculturation.
Somewhat different process of larning culture is acculturation.
Gradually, the values, ways of believing, and beliefs of the host culture
become more and more part of the immigrants’ culture process known as
assimilation.
 The Importance of Culture
• ADVANCES IN COMMUNICATION
• DEMOGRAPHICS CHANGES TECHNOLOGY

• SENSITIVITY TO CULTURAL • CULTURE-SPECIFIC NATURE OF

DIFFERENCES INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

• ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL

INTERDEPENDENCE
 SENSITIVITY TO ECONOMIC AND
DEMOGRAPHICS
CULTURAL POLITICAL
CHANGES
DIFFERENCES INTERDEPENDENCE

These changes have People should leave their Economic lives depend on
brought different native culture behind and our ability to
interpersonal customs and adapt to their new culture. commmunicate effectively
the need to understand and across different cultures.
adapt to new ways of
communicating.
 ADVANCES IN COMMUNICATION CULTURE-SPECIFIC NATURE OF
TECHNOLOGY INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

The rapid spread of technology has made Still another reason why culture is so
intercultural communication as easy as it important is that interpersonal
is inevitable. News from foreign countries competence is
is commonplace. culture-specific; what proves effective in
one culture may prove ineffective in
another.
 Explain the seven cultural differences identified
here and how these impact on interpersonal
communication.

Principles of
Intercultural 1)
2)
Individualist or collectivist culture
Emphasis on context (whether high or low)
3) Power structure
Communication 4)
5)
Masculinity–femininity
Tolerance for ambiguity
6) Long- and short-term orientation
7) Indulgence and restraint
 An individualist culture teaches members
the importance of individual values such as
power, achievement, hedonism, and
Individualist
stimulation. or collectivist
 A collectivist culture, on the other hand, culture
teaches members the importance of group
values such as benevolence, tradition, and
conformity .
 High-conext culture, much of information in
communication is in context or in the person.
- also collectivist culture.
High and Low
- personal relationships and oral agreements.
- reluctant to say no for fear of offending and
Context
causing the person to lose face. Cultures
 Low-conext culture, most of the information is explicitly
stated in the verbal messages; in formal transactions, it
will be stated in written form.
- also individualist cultures.
- more likely use argument to make a point.
- reluctance to be direct to say no when you mean
no-as a weakness or unwillingness to confront reality.
 Power distance - power is distributed in
a society. In some cultures.

 High-power-distance cultures - power Power Distance

is concentrated in the hands of a few,
and there’s a great difference between
the power held by these people and the
power of the ordinary citizen.

 Low-power-distance cultures - power

is more evenly distributed throughout
the city.
 Masculine culture - values agressiveness,
material success and strength.
- emphasize success and so socialize
thier members to be assertive, ambitious, and
Masculine and
competitive. Feminine Cultures
 Feminine culture - values modesty,
concern for relationships and the quality of
life, and tenderness.
- emphasize the quality of life and so
socialize thier members to be modest and
highlight close interpersonal relationships.
 High-Ambiguity-Tolerant - members don’t
feel threatened by unknown situations:
uncertainty is a normal part of life, and High-Ambiguity-
people accept it as it comes. Tolerant and Low-
 Low-Ambiguity-Tolerant - members do
Amiguity- Tolerant
much to avoid uncertainty and have a great Cultures
deal of anxiety about not knowing what will
happen next; they see uncertainty as
threatening and as something that must be
counteracted.
 Long-term orientation- promotes of importance
future rewards.
- look profits in the future. Long and Short Term
- marriage is practical arrangement.
- manager or owner and workers share
Orientation
same values and work together to achieve common
good.

 Short-term orientation - spend their resources

for the present and want quick results from their
efforts.
- look for immediate rewards.
- marriage is moral arrangement.
- managers andworkers are very different in their
thinking and in their attitudes about work.
 Indulgence - emphasize the gratification of
desires; they focus on having fun and enjoying
life. Indulgence and
- do not place great value on thrift.
- place great important on friendship.
Restraint
 Restraint - are those that foster the curbing of
such gratification and its regulation by social
norms.
- place a great value on thrift.
- place less important on friendship.
 Define intercultural communication and
explain and use the guidelines for
making intercultural communication more
effective.
Principle for
Effective  Intercultural communication refers

Intercultural to communication between persons

who have different cultural beliefs,

Communication values, or ways of behaving.

Understanding Interpersonal Skills
 Cultural sensitivity - is an attitude and way of behaving in which
you’re aware of and acknowledge cultural differences.

Advice for Acheiving Cultural Sensitivity:

 Prepare yourself
 Recognize your fears
 Recognize your differences
 Recognize your differences within the group
 Recognize differences in meaning
 Be rule-conscious
Educate Yourself
 There’s no better preparation for intercultural
communication than learning about the other
culture.

 Another part of this preparation is to recognize

and face your own fears, which can stand in the
way of effective intercultural communication.
 Understanding Interpersonal Theory & Research

Culture Shock
 Stage One: The Honeymoon. At first you experience
fascination, even enchantment, with the new culture
and its people.
 Stage Two: The Crisis. Here, the differences between
your own culture and the new setting create problems.
 Stage Three: The Recovery. During this period you
gain the skills necessary to function effectively.
 Stage Four: The Adjustment. At this final stage, you
adjust to and come to enjoy the new culture and the
new experiences.
Recognize Differences
 Differences between yourself and the Culturally
Different - a common barrier to intercultural
communication occurs when you assume that
similarities exist and that differences do not.

 Differences within the Culturally Different Group -

within every cultural group there are vast and
important differences.
Recognize Differences
 Differences in meaning - meaning exists not in
words but in people. The same is true of nonverbal
messages.

 Differences in Dialect and accent - dialects are

variations in a language, mainly in grammar and
semantics. The difference between language and
dialect—at least as viewed by most linguists—is that
different languages are mutually unintelligible;
different dialects are mutually intelligible.
Comforts Your Stereotypes
 Stereotype is a fixed impression of a group of people.
Everyone has attitudinal stereotypes—images of
national groups, religious groups, or racial groups or
perhaps of criminals, prostitutes, teachers, or plumbers.

- stereotyping can lead major barriers.

- stereotyping can also lead you to ignore the unique
characteristics of an individual.
Reduce Your Ethnocentrism
 Ethnocentrism is the tendency to
see others and their behaviors
through your own cul_x0002_tural
filters, often as distortions of your
own behaviors.

- exists on a continuum. People

aren’t either ethno_x0002_centric or not
ethnocentric; rather, most are
somewhere between these polar
opposites.
Adjust Your Communication
 Understanding the meanings that others
have for gestures or for interpersonal
interactions will help you adjust your own
messages.

 As you adjust your communications,

recognize that each culture has its own
rules and customs for communicating.

 These rules identify what is appropriate

and what is inappropriate.
Cultural differences should not separate us from each other, but rather cultural
diversity brings a collective strength that can benefit all of humanity.

- Robert Alan Aurthur -

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