1. Culture, Communication, and Intercultural Relationships
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Culture, Communication, and Intercultural Relationships

2. Chapter Summary Benefits and Challenges of Intercultural Relationships
Cultural Differences in Notions of Friendship
Cultural Differences in Relational Development
Relationships Across Differences
Contexts of Intercultural Relationships

3. Benefits and Challenges of Intercultural Relationships
Benefits of intercultural relationships:
Acquiring knowledge about the world (relational learning)
Breaking stereotypes
Acquiring new skills

4. Benefits and Challenges of Intercultural Relationships
Differences in communication styles, values, and perceptions
Negative stereotypes
Anxiety
Need to explain ourselves to others

5. Cultural Differences in Notions of Friendship
Notions of friendships are related to ideas about identity and values:
Individualists tend to view friendship as more voluntary, individual-oriented, and spontaneous than collectivists.
In some collectivist cultures, friendships are long-term and involve obligations.

6. Cultural Differences in Notions of Friendship
In some cultures, family and friend relationships are inextricably intertwined.
What most people in the world consider simply a “friend” is probably what a U.S. American would consider a “close friend.”

7. Cultural Differences in Notions of Friendship
5. Characteristics of friends are prioritized differently in different cultures, both internationally and domestically.

8. Cultural Differences in Relational Development
Cultural differences affect relationships at each stage of development:
1. Initial attraction
2. Exploratory interaction
3. Stability phase

9. Cultural Differences in Relational Development
Initial attraction:
The proximity principle - People in the U.S. form relationships with people to whom they are in close proximity, and are attracted to individuals from similar social, economic, and cultural backgrounds.
The structures of society often determine whom we come in contact with.

10. Cultural Differences in Relational Development
Initial attraction:
3. Physical attraction is especially important in the United States.
4. Standards for physical attractiveness are culturally based.
5. According to the similarity principle, we tend to be attracted to people we perceive to be similar to ourselves.

11. Cultural Differences in Relational Development
Initial attraction:
6. Finding that people agree with our beliefs confirms that we are right and provides us with cognitive consistency.
7. The complementarity principle - we are also attracted to persons who are somewhat different from ourselves in ways that can contribute balance in a relationship.

12. Cultural Differences in Relational Development
Exploratory interaction:
Different cultural rules govern how to regard strangers.
In high-context cultures, relationships will not easily develop without background or contextual information.

13. Cultural Differences in Relational Development
Stability phase (friendships):
As relationships develop more intimacy, friends share more personal and private information.
There are also cultural variations in how much nonverbal expression is encouraged.

14. Cultural Differences in Relational Development
Stability phase (romantic relationships):
Gao (1991) and others have found both similarities and differences across cultures, some of which seem to reflect individualism-collectivism.

15. Cultural Differences in Relational Development
Gay and lesbian relationships:
1. Gay and straight relationships differ in terms of:
a. the role of same-sex friendships,
b. the role of cross-sex friendships, and
c. the relative importance of friendships.

16. Cultural Differences in Relational Development
Gay and lesbian relationships:
2. Some issues (permanent relationships, relational dissolution) are unique to gay and lesbian partners.
3. Same-sex relationships are very much influenced by the cultural contexts in which they occur.

17. Relationships Across Differences
Intercultural Relationship Dialectics
Differences-Similarities Dialectic
Cultural-Individual Dialectic
Privilege-Disadvantage Dialectic
Personal-Contextual Dialectic
Static-Dynamic Dialectic
History/Past-Present/Future Dialectic

18. Relationships Across Differences
Communicating in intercultural relationships:
Linguistic and cultural competence
Finding similarities
Time/involvement
Turning points such as self-disclosure

19. Relationships Across Differences
Intercultural Dating and Marriage:
The likelihood of dating interculturally is influenced by
- family attitudes,
- geographic context,
- social status, and
- larger social discourses.

20. Relationships Across Differences
Permanent Relationships
Increased interethnic/interracial marriage
Challenges include pressures from family and society and issues around raising children.
Cultural conflicts within relationship (values, habits, roles, time, religion…)
Certain groups have been made to seem more attractive and acceptable as partners.

21. Relationships Across Differences
Permanent Relationships
5. Styles of working out power balances in relationships:
a. Submission style
b. Compromise style
c. Obliteration style
d. Consensus style

22. Contexts of Intercultural Relationships
It is important to consider intercultural relationships in the contexts in which they emerge.
History
Dialectical tension between the social, political, and economic contexts and the desires and motives of the partners involved