Intercultural Communication and Barriers of Communication Flashcards
Defined as communication that involves interaction between people whose cultural perceptions and symbol systems are distinct enough to alter the “communication event”
Intercultural communication
Studying intercultural communication is important because the world is increasingly becoming a _______.
“global village”
Reflects how a particular group interprets meaning or makes sense of the world
Culture
Also constitute a particular group’s language use and communication styles and practices
Cultural values
Present among people who live in the same community and speak the same language
Cultural differences
Cultural identities that influence how people think, behave, and interact with others:
Gender identity, age identity, class identity, religious identity, national identity
How one culture assigns different social roles to men and women; “the meanings and interpretations we hold concerning our self-images and expected other-images of femaleness and maleness”
Gender identity
Characterized to be more direct, competitive, aggressive, and controlling
Language of men
Tends to be more sympathetic, tentative, and emotional
Language of women
Involves behaving in a particular manner expected of one’s age; determines how one may present himself or herself in terms of appearance, clothing, and activities
Age identity
Defined by one’s social or economic status; affects how one interacts towards people
Class identity
Influences how one behaves (ethics, moral standards) and what one believes; may also be related to one’s racial or national identity, and influence one’s gender identity
Religious identity
Refers to one’s national citizenship or legal status in a country or nation
National identity
Barriers to intercultural communication:
Ethnocentrism, stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination
The belief that one’s own culture is better than the others; illustrated when people evaluate others based on their own cultural beliefs and practices
Ethnocentrism
Prefer your own culture over other people’s culture
Positive level of ethnocentrism
Involves the belief that one’s own culture is superior and that the behavior of others must be evaluated through one’s cultural standards
Negative level of ethnocentrism
Imposing your cultural beliefs on other people
Extremely negative level
Mental categorization or general, often inaccurate, representation of a particular group of people depending on one’s observations and experiences in interacting with its members; determine how you interact or behave among a certain group of people
Stereotyping
A positive or negative feeling held towards individuals belonging to a particular race, social class, religion, sexual identity, among others
Prejudice
Refers to negative behaviors that are caused by prejudice or stereotyping
Discrimination
Opposite of ethnocentrism
Xenocentrism
Ability to interact effectively with members belonging to another culture
Competence in intercultural communication
Five components of intercultural communication competence:
Motivation, cultural knowledge, communication skills, sensitivity, character