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
