1. Chapter 3: Understanding Others
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2. Use these words and phrases to write a definition of culture
Define Culture
Use these words and phrases to write a definition of culture
shared interpretations
beliefs
group of people
affect the behavior
values
learned set
relatively large
norms
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3. Culture Defined
A learned set of shared interpretations about beliefs, values, and norms which affect the behaviors of a relatively large group of people
Myron W. Lustig and Jolene Koester
Intercultural Competence, 6th ed.
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4. Examples of Co-Cultures
Definition
Exist within the mainstream society yet remain connected to one another through their cultural heritage
Examples of Co-Cultures
African Americans Latino/Latina Americans
Asian Americans Irish Americans
____________________ _______________________
Other Examples of Co-Cultures
Mormons
Buddhists
Catholic priests
Masons
Lacto-ovo vegetarians
Italian Americans
Orthodox Jews
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5. 2000 U.S. Census Whites 75.1% Hispanics 12.5% Blacks 12.3% Asians 3.6%
American Indian or Alaskan Native 0.9%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.1%
Other races 5.5%
Two or more races 2.4%
This textbook was published before the 2010 Census was taken. Ask students how much change there could be (or is) in the 2010 Census results.
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6. Intercultural Communication Barriers
Ethnocentrism: A belief that your culture is superior to others
Stereotyping: ______________________
Prejudice: Attitudes about an individual or cultural group based on little or no direct experience with that person or group
Discrimination: ____________________
Racism: __________________________
Answers:
Stereotyping: A generalization about a group of people that oversimplify their characteristics
Discrimination: Behavior that acts out and expresses prejudice
Racism: The assumption that people with certain inherited characteristics (such as skin colors) have negative characteristics and abilities that are inferior to those from other races
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7. Black and White Viewpoints
Survey Results (See p. 49 for more)
Racism is a big problem:
Whites: 35% Blacks: 65%
The average African American is just as well off as the average white person in terms of income:
Whites: 44% Blacks: 0%
See the survey on p. 49 for other similar results.
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8. PowerPoint Quiz
A study of college students found that, even in the mid-1990s, African Americans were described as lazy and loud; Jews were described as shrewd and intelligent. These beliefs are examples of:
ethnocentrism.
stereotyping.
discrimination.
racism.
Answer: B
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9. What is Race?
Race
A socially constructed concept that is biologically meaningless.
Why do scientists claim there is no such thing as race?
99.9 percent of DNA sequences are common to all humans
________________________________
Other reasons scientists claim there is no such thing as race:
Pure races never existed.
All humans are the same species, Homo sapiens, which originated in Africa.
Any racial markers in DNA are insignificant, such as skin color.
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10. Whiteness as the Dominant U.S. Culture
Examples:
Beige-colored band-aids
Few nonwhites elected as U.S. Senators
_______________________________
Other examples:
Children’s stories about Snow White’s pure-white skin or Cinderella’s golden hair
Predominant use of white actors in films, television shows, commercials, and advertisements
Leading news anchors on national network news shorts (NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, CNN) are white.
Of the executives in the Fortune 1,000 companies in the United States, 98 percent are white.
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11. PowerPoint Quiz
True or False: Islam is a monotheistic religion (belief in one God) just like Christianity and Judaism.
True or False: Roman Catholics throughout the world outnumber all other Christians combined.
True or False: Mormons and Mennonites are members of the Christian faith.
True or False: Hinduism is the oldest of the world’s major religions.
Answers:
True
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12. Aspects of a culture that can be measured relative to other cultures
Cultural Dimensions
Aspects of a culture that can be measured relative to other cultures
Individualism and Collectivism
High and Low Power Distance
Masculine and Feminine Value Societies
High-Context and Low-Context Cultures
Monochronic and Polychronic Time
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13. Individualism-Collectivism
Values independence
Seeks personal achievement
“I” focused
United States, Australia
Collectivism
Emphasizes group identity
The needs of the group come first
“We” focused
Latin America, Indonesia
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14. Individualism & Collectivism
The most individualistic countries are in blue
The most collectivist countries are in pink
Note: There are discrepancies between the lists of most individualistic and most collectivist countries and the world map because the lists only rank the top five countries in each category. For example, Indonesia is in pink on the map. Indonesia would rank 6th on the list of most collectivist countries.
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15. Power Distance High Power Distance Low Power Distance
Accept inequalities between people
Malaysia, Panama, Guatemala,
Husband-wife; government-citizen
All people are not created equal.
Low Power Distance
Seek equality and interdependence
Austria, Israel, Denmark, New Zealand
U.S. is 16th on list
All people are created equal.
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16. Power Distance Purple represents highest power-distance countries
Orange represents lowest power-distance countries
Note: There are discrepancies between the lists of most highest power-distance and lowest power-distance countries and the world map because the lists only rank the top five or six countries in each category. For example, Sweden, Norway, and Finland are orange on the map. They would rank 6th, 7th, and 8th on the list of low power distance countries.
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17. Masculine-Feminine Values
Assertive, decisive, dominant
Japan, Austria, Venezuela, Italy
Gender roles are separate
U.S. is 15th on the masculine list
Feminine
Nurturing and cooperative
Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands
Gender roles overlap
Government healthcare
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18. Masculine-Feminine Values
Blue areas represent highest masculine values
Orange areas represent highest feminine values
Note: There are discrepancies between the lists of high-masculine and high-feminine value countries and the world map because the lists only rank the top five or six countries. For example, Chile is in orange on the map. Chile would be the 8th on the list of top-ten feminine value countries.
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19. High- and Low-Context Cultures
High-Context Culture
Messages are implied and context sensitive
China, Japan, South Korea, Native American
Consider meanings of nonverbal cues
Low-Context Culture
Messages are explicit, factual, and objective
Germany, Switzerland, White American
Want clear facts and direct talk
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20. High- and Low-Context Cultures
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21. Monochronic-Polychronic Time
Monochronic Time
Adhere to schedules and deadlines
Time is valuable; time is money; time flies
North American and Northern European
Polychronic Time
Not obsessed with schedule and deadlines
Time is less valued
Latin American; Arab and African; African Americans
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22. Monochronic-Polychronic Time
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23. Describe Your Cultural Dimensions
__ Individualistic
__ Low power distance
__ Low context
__ Masculine values
__ Polychronic time
__ Collectivist
__ High power distance
__ High context
__ Feminine values
__ Monochronic time
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24. Muted Group Theory
Powerful, wealthy groups at the top of a society determine who will communicate and who will be listened to
Examples:
Very few women rise to major corporate leadership positions. Only 15 of the FORTUNE 500 companies are run by women.
______________________________________
Additional Example:
Given the same credentials, men are more likely to be chosen as a leader.
For full-time, year-round workers, women are paid on average only 78 percent of what men are paid; for women of color, the gap is significantly wider.
The U.S. has, proportionately, fewer women in the equivalent of Congress than 72 other countries (including Islamic nations). There are no women in the South Carolina state legislature.
Biblical Quotes:
Genesis 3: Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you Corinthians 11: the head of the woman is man Corinth. 14: women... must be in submission... Ephesians 5:22 -- Wives, submit to your husbands...
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25. Intercultural Communication Strategies
Be Mindful: Be fully aware of the present moment without making hasty judgments
Adapt to Others: Accommodate your conversations to the accepted speech behaviors and norms of others
Actively Engage Others: Spend time and energy interacting with people from other cultures
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26. Mindfulness Strategies
Check the basis of your conclusions about others and consider alternate interpretations.
Recognize stereotypical thinking and prejudices—and try to overcome them.
Be receptive to new information.
Respect others’ perspectives.
Adapt to others
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27. Western and Eastern Thinking
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28. Why Don’t Hungry Hindus Eat Sacred Cows?
PowerPoint Quiz
Why Don’t Hungry Hindus Eat Sacred Cows?
Answer: See Communication and Culture Feature on p. 59.
“Cows give birth to oxen, which are the principal source for plowing fields. Unfortunately, there are too few oxen for India’s 60 million farms. Without oxen to plow fields, farmers cannot farm, food shortages result, and people go hungry. If you kill a cow, you eliminate your source of oxen. During the worst famines, killing a cow only provides temporary relief. Once a cow is killed, there will be no more oxen to plow the field in future years. The long-term effect may be a much more devastating famine.”
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29. Communication Accommodation Theory
We compare ourselves to others when we communicate.
If other people or groups have more power or have desirable characteristics, we tend to accommodate (change) our interactions to the accepted communication behaviors and norms of that group.
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30. It’s a Small World
Regardless of our culture, we share similar behaviors with most people.
We smile when we’re happy.
We laugh when amused.
We blush when embarrassed.
We cry when sad or in pain.
_________________________________
Additional Examples:
We wave as a greeting.
We frown when concerned or ill at ease.
We adopt a fetal position when dejected, cold, or in a hopeless situation.
We shrug to express “I don’t know.”
We slump when dejected or tired.
We stand straight when alert or confident.
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31. Communication Assessment
The Generalized Ethnocentrism (GENE) Scale
Indicate how each statement applies to you by marking whether you (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) are undecided, (2) disagree, or (1) strongly disagree.
____ Most other cultures are backward compared to my culture.
____ I have many friends from other cultures.
____ I apply my values when judging people who are different.
These are items #1, #12, and #16 from the Communication Assessment instrument on p. 61. Use this slide to review the directions and answer any student questions.
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32. See p. 63 for more review questions.
TEST Your Knowledge
Which of the following countries is the most individualistic in the world?
A. United States
B. Indonesia
C. Taiwan
D. Peru
E. Pakistan
See p. 63 for more review questions.
Answer: A
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