Culture in Interpersonal Communication Unit 3

I.Culture = specialized lifestyle of a group of people including: values, beliefs, artifacts, behaviors and communication styles.

A.Enculturation = process of learning the culture of your birth

B.Acculturation = process of learning a culture different from your native culture

II.How Cultures Differ Power Masculine/Feminine Individual/Collective High/Low Context

A.Power Differences 1.High Power Distance = power is in the hands of a few Brazil India

2.Low Power Distance = power is evenly distributed throughout the citizenry Denmark New Zealand

B.Masculine vs Feminine C.Individual vs. Collective Orientation 1.Individualistic = puts the individual first, over the group

2.Collectivist = promotes group values as most important

D.High- & Low-Context Cultures 1.High-Context = most information is the context or person rather than the verbal message

2.Low-Context = most information is stated explicitly in the verbal message

III.Theories of Culture & Communication A.Language Relativity = theory that the language we speak influences our behaviors and our perceptions of the world

B.Uncertainty Reduction = the more we reduce uncertainty, the greater comfort we feel

C.Maximizing Outcomes = trying to gain the greatest rewards while paying the least costs

D.Culture Shock = the psychological reaction you experience when you’re in a culture very different from your own.

IV.Intercultural Communication A.Nature of: 1.All messages originate from a specific & unique cultural context

2.You receive messages through the filters imposed by your cultural context S R culture S R Messages Fig. 3.1

B.Principles of Intercultural Communication 1.prepare yourself 2.recognize and face fears

3.recognize differences between yourself and the culturally different 4.recognize differences among the culturally different group

5.recognize differences in meaning 6.follow cultural rules and customs