COMM 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Intercultural Communication, Culture Shock, Enculturation
27 Apr 2018
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What is Culture?
Intercultural communication- Is defined as sharing information across different
cultures and social groups, between and among people from different
geographical areas with differing worldviews
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*Acculturation- This is the process of acquiring the culture of a particular society
from infancy
Being born into
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*Enculturation- The process each of us goes through to acquire a new culture
and assimilate into it
Walking onto campus (new experience); Go through new student
enrollment and other processes to familiarize yourself with the culture
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Acquiring a Culture
Culture shock- Is the negative reaction one may have when comparing the
perception of the newly experienced culture to one's own native culture. The
newly experienced culture may be so oddly and distantly removed from the
assumed beliefs of one's native culture that one feels initially psychologically
uncomfortable
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What is a Co-Culture?
Co-culture- Groups of people who share values, customs, and norms related to
mutual interest or characteristics besides their national citizenships
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Co-cultures are often formed about shared activities and beliefs (regardless of
geographic location)
Think of religious beliefs/ideologies! This does not specifically apply to
where you life/where you are from, because the beliefs tie you together
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Nationalities can and often are cultures but there are many more within a given
nation
Examples of co-cultures here: Political parties, religions, sports fandoms,
comic con/other fandoms of the sorts
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Cultural Values
Common values that distinguish cultures:
Power
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Achievement
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Hedonism
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Stimulation
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Self-direction
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Universalism
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Benevolence
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Tradition
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Conformity
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Security
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Think beyond just geographic location!
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Cultural Norms
Cultures vary in their norms of behavior
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Norms- Are rules or expectations that guide people's behavior in a culture (not
laws, norms! "rules")
Never explicitly state that in class we have to face a certain way, but we
all do because it is a norm (wouldn’t be breaking a law to sit the other
way)
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For example: In North American we greet by shaking hands but in other cultures
you may greet with a bow or kiss on the cheek
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Individualist vs. Collectivist Cultures
Individualistic cultures- A culture in which people believe that their primary
responsibility is to themselves ("dog eat dog")
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Collectivistic cultures- A culture in which people believe that their primary
responsibility is to their families, their communities, and their employers
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How do these cultures operate differently?
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Low-Context vs. High-Context Cultures
Low-context culture- A culture in which people are expected to be direct and to
say what they mean
Examples: US, Germany, Israel, Canada
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High-context culture- A culture in which people are taught to speak in an
indirect, inexplicit way
Examples: Korea, certain Native American tribes
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Cultures differ in the degree to which power is distributed within a society
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High-power-distance cultures- A culture in which certain groups, such as the
royal family or members of the ruling family, have much greater power than the
average citizen
America, Austria, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand
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Low-power-distance cultures- a culture in which people believe that no one
group or person should have excessive power
Ex: India, Mexico, Singapore, the Philippines
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*** when talking about low-power distance, that is not to say that there is no
power available, it just means that there is a lesser distance between people in
power
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Masculine vs. Feminine Cultures
Feminine culture- A culture in which people cherish traditionally feminine
qualities and prefer little differentiation in the roles of the men and women
Ex: Sweden, Chile, and the Netherlands
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Masculine culture- A culture in which people cherish traditionally masculine
values and prefer sex-specific roles for men and women
People do, can, and should break these cultural expectations, however
this type of culture has more specific expectations for gender behavior
derivative of gender stereotypes
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Ex: Austria, Japan, and Mexico
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Monochronic vs. Polychronic Cultures
Monochronic cultures- A culture that views time as finite and tangible
community
Ex: Switzerland, Germany, most Americans
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Polychronic cultures- A culture that views time as holistic, fluid, and infinite
Ex: Latin America, Sub-Sahara Africa, parts of the Middle East
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Uncertainty Avoidance
All humans have a tendency to avoid uncertainty, but some cultures tolerate it
better than others
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Uncertainty avoidance- The extent to which people try to avoid situations that
are unconstructed, unclear, or unpredictable
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Cultures who dislike uncertainty dislike opinion and they tend to favor rules and
laws to maximize security and reduce ambiguity
Ex: Argentina, Portugal, and Uruguay
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Cultures who are accepting of uncertainty are more accepting of people of
different opinions and lifestyles. They tend to have a "live and let live" attitude
Ex: Hong Kong, Jamaica, New Zealand
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The US tends to be in the middle of both groups
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Communicating with Culture Awareness
Be aware of other cultures and differences
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Be open-minded about cultural differences
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Mindful aware- As in being aware of how other cultures' behaviors influence the
world
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Ethnocentrism- The tendency to judge other cultures' practices as inferior to
one's own
Refusing to assimilate, understand, and judging other cultures as inferior
to your own
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Concerns about Cultural Hegemony
Cultural hegemony- The attempt by one culture to dominate the thinking or
worldviews of all other cultures. Some media critics have argued that the United
States engaged in cultural hegemony through its control of media worldwide
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Much of the media content that was generated for global consumption was
produced in the United States. In this view, the US dominated the production
and dissemination of information on ratio, television, and film worldwide and
controlled the expression of other worldviews through global media control
The US is now shaping and controlling the whole national media outlet
and expectations
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Ex: Introduction of US beauty standards through TV shows/movies creates
eating disorders in FIJI
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Ex: Introduction to fast food in Ghana (and other parts of Africa) and
pushed it; Skyrocketed the amount of obesity-related deaths and other
health concerns (status symbol; if you're able to afford fast food you are
better off, but they are forgetting about the health concerns)
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Be Knowledgable about Different Communication Codes
Communication codes- Verbal and nonverbal behavior whose meanings are
often understood only by people from the same culture
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Cultures use different idioms. Idioms are phrases whose meaning are not literal
but figurative by nature (not translating exactly word for word)
Raining cats and dogs or taking the bull by the horns
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Expect ambiguity and uncertainty when dealing with other cultures
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Communication and Culture
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
11:34 AM
Document Summary
Intercultural communication- is defined as sharing information across different cultures and social groups, between and among people from different geographical areas with differing worldviews. *acculturation- this is the process of acquiring the culture of a particular society from infancy. *enculturation- the process each of us goes through to acquire a new culture and assimilate into it. Walking onto campus (new experience); go through new student enrollment and other processes to familiarize yourself with the culture. Culture shock- is the negative reaction one may have when comparing the perception of the newly experienced culture to one"s own native culture. The newly experienced culture may be so oddly and distantly removed from the assumed beliefs of one"s native culture that one feels initially psychologically uncomfortable. Co-culture- groups of people who share values, customs, and norms related to mutual interest or characteristics besides their national citizenships. Co-cultures are often formed about shared activities and beliefs (regardless of geographic location)
