The great eight beacons of cultural awareness Chapter 3 t/m 5 Flashcards
Emotions
Culture has an emotional effect on us, it shapes how we show and talk about it. Emotion is expressed differently in different cultures. In some cultures they are more outwardly and are therefore arguably more obvious than in others.
-> Emotions are universal, but not all cultures agree on how to express them.
Losing or giving face plays an important role in whether showing or not showing all emotions
Main emotions
o Happiness o Sadness o Anger o Fear o Disgust o Surprise
Arousal state
The cultural display rules start at a very young age
example: American children (age 1-2) smile and cry more than Chinese children from the same age.
When we grow up our environment influences our rules as well.
High arousal state = a culture that values enthusiasm and excitement (USA)
Low arousel state = a culture that values calm and serenity (East Asia)
Individualistic person:
o Expresses happiness internally, describes it as `I am happy’
o Associates the source of emotions with their surroundings, society : External things
o More likely to show pride in their personal achievements
o Maximise positive emotions, minimalize negative emotions
o A smile is to simply indicate happiness, as the culture puts less importance on maintaining relationships and gives more room to expressing emotion outwardly
Collectivistic person:
o Describes happiness often as being found in a shared experience with others `I want to share my happiness’
o Associates the source of emotions within themselves
o Showing (a lot of) pride in personal achievements can be seen as conceited or bragging
o Finding balance between positive and negative
o Might show less emotion to maintain harmony in the group (Japanese for example are very good are keeping their face so to look for emotion they look more to the eyes and listen to the voice)
High uncertainty culture
will need to show their emotions when experiencing anxiety (except Japan, Taiwan and Korea -> implicit and non verbal such as a clean desk)
Low uncertainty culture
Will not need to show their emotions when experiencing anxiety
Nomunication
Nomu (to drink) and communication, emotions in Japan can be safely communicated because they can say it was the alcohol talking
Nemawashi
a pre-meeting before the actual meeting so opinions can be adjust, time can be saved and the harmony will stay.
Difference in emoticons
USA Japan
Happy: :-) ^-^
Sad: :’( ;-;
Shame: :$ (~-~;)
Because Japanese people look more at the eyes to find an emotion in someone’s face, their emotions are more focused on the eyes. American don’t hide their emotions so their emoticons are more focused on the mouth (the largest emotional indicator).
Time and space H4
Time is money in some cultures : a precious commodity which must be controlled if people are to be productive. In other cultures time will never become the master, there is no need to worry about controlling time as this simply is not an issue, but a fluid concept.
Cultures deal with space (personal and physical) with varying levels of comfort and acceptance. Physical space is easier to understand than personal space.
Monochronic Time
o Time is money
o Time is sequential
o You are judged by how well you control time
o You cannot be trusted if you cannot manage your time
o You are very punctual and focused
Polychronic Time
o Time is fluid and flexible
o Time is synchronic
o Time is your servant, not your master
o How you nurture relationships is more important than how you manage your time
o You are flexible and like multi-tasking
Personal space and greetings are very different around the world:
o Western countries : Handshake + more personal space (USA)
o Japan: Bow (very clear use of more space)
o Mediterranean countries : Common to kiss (cheek)
o Middle Eastern : Move very close with prolonged eye contact
o Conservative Muslim country : possibility to not shake hand with women
o Latin-American countries: Less personal space between them
o China : Very less personal space
Language and non-verbal language H5
Language unites a group of people. It’s significance in cultural terms is that people’s belief’s, interpretation of the world and concepts of reality are all deeply embedded in language. Language helps preserve a culture, although it is itself an organic and changing thing.
Cultures have specific words for concepts and ideas. Sometimes these are so specific to a culture that they cannot be directly translated into other languages. Some words can never be properly convey in a few words to another culture. Bv gezellig
High context
o Direct use of language
o Start with the essence of the message , add some -not much- context later
o Not much contextual information is provided
o Rely on words to convey the message
o Goal of communication is get or give information
Highest -> lower
(Chinese, african, arab, greek, mexican, spanish )
Low context
o Indirect use of language
o Start by explaining the context before describing the essence
o A lot of contextual information is provided
o Rely on context, nonverbal clues and implied meanings to convey the message
Goal of communication is to maintain harmony and save face
Lowest - > Higher
(german, scandiacian, american, english, french, italian)
Language and time
Language can have an effect on how different cultures see time’. Think about present, past, future vervoegingen van woorden. `Kal’’ Hindi woord voor morgen en gisteren. Betekent allen dat het 1 dag hier vandaan is. Klok is gemaakt door de mens, de spirituele weeld is belangrijker
Nonverbal language
A big part of our communication is non-verbal (60%). But it can mean very different things in different cultures (thumbs up example).
Emotion in Culture
Culture shapes how we show and talk about emotion. For example, in neutral cultures, you do not communicate your emotions, but control them. If you do show emotions, you would feel compelled to apologize.
In affective cultures it is normal to communicate your emotions and to receive an emotionally sensitive answer in return.
Language - verbal and non verbal
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to his in his language that goes to his heart”
- Nelson Mandela
What is Non verbal communication
NVC is made of all the cues we receive that are not coded into words.
Most NVC are implicit in the context of our communication.
Often NVC give us information about how we feel about a situation.
(non) verbal communication
In low context cultures information is communicated explicitly, with words.
Furthermore, people prefer to
structure and
compartmentalize their information.
People need detailed and specific
information.
For example, the Netherlands
HIGH AND LOW CONTEXT
In high context cultures information is mostly present in the person themselves and in the context of the messages.
Not everything is spelled out with words, but implicitly and non-verbally.
Context includes the total picture,
such as history, social background, relationship, status, atmosphere time of day, place, and the person who is communicating.
Making relationships clear
Knowing culture through non-verbal messages
Non-verbal misinterpretations as a barrier
Hand signals and bodily expressions are not universal
Functions of NVC
Replacing spoken messages.
Sending difficult messages.
Forming impressions.
Making relationships clear.
Regulating interaction.
Reinforcing and modifying verbal messages
Types of NVC
- Proxemics
- Kinesics
- Chronemics
- Paralanguage
- Silence
- Haptics
- Clothing and physical appearance
- Olfatics
- Oculesics
Proxemics (by Edward Hall)
Our relationship to fixed or personal space and territoriality.
Space invader : our reaction to peopletaking the wrong distanceis unconscious and automatic
(cultural programming)
Kinesics
Gestures, body movements, facial expressions and eye contact.
Chronemics (by Edward Hall)
The way we perceive and use time.
Paralanguage
Nonverbal elements of the voice.
Silence
Has different meanings in low and high context cultures
Olfatics
Communicating by smell.
E.g. use of pheromones by modern Marketing cf. 16th Century ‘love apples’
Oculesics
Communicating with the eyes.
Perception of intimacy levels
According to Hall, perception of the levels of intimacy of space is culturally determined. People from different cultures perceive space (and place) differently.
Hall argued that differing cultural frameworks for definining and organizing space can lead to serious misunderstandings in cross-cultural settings.
Our comfort with personal space is internalized in all people, often at a subconscious level.
Hall mentions 4 levels
Intimate space: the closest bubble of space surrounding an individual.
Personal space: Entry in this space is only for closest family and friends (friendzone;).
Social and consultative spaces: the spaces in which people feel comfortable conducting routine interactions with acquantainces, as well as strangers.
Public space: the area of space beyond which people will perceive interactions as impersonal and relatively anonymous.
Negotiate personal space
Get to know yourself Learn about your own level of space Taking ownership/responsibility Assumptions about the other Power distance Asking for – and giving - permission Feedback
