Interpersonal Communication Chap. 2

culture

the system of learned and shared symbols, language, values, and norms that distinguish one group of people from another

property

culture is a ____________

society

a group of people who share symbols, language, values, and norms

in-group

a group of people with whom one identifies

out-group

a group of people with whom one does not identify

culture shock

the jarring reaction we have when we find ourselves in highly unfamiliar situations

ethocentrism

describe the systematic preference for characteristic of one's own culture

the in-group/out-group distinction

What is a major reason why so many nations struggle with the issue of immigration?

ethnicity

an individual's perception of his or her ancestry or heritage

nationality

an individual's status as a citizen of a particular country

enculturation

culture that is learned

resourced or constrained

Everything we know is either _________ or ____________

symbols, language, values, and norms

What are the four components of culture?

symbol

something that represents an idea

Queens, New York

More languages are spoken in what city?

English, Spanish, and Chinese

the three most commonly spoken language in the world?

norms

rules or expectations that guide people's behavior in a culture

equal opportunity, material comfort, practicality & efficiency, achievement, democracy, free enterprise, and individual choice

U,S. culture values ideals such as?

co-culture

groups of people who share values, customs, and norms related to mutual interests or characteristics besides their national citizenship

similarly assumption

we presume that most people think the same way we do without asking ourselves whether that true

Gerrt Hofstede and Edward Hall

pioneered the study of cultures and cultural differences and suggested that there are seven cultural differences in particular that influence how people interact with one another

individualism and collectivism, low and high context cultures, low and high power distance cultures, masculine and feminine cultures, monochronic and polychronic cultures, uncertainty avoidance, and cultural communication codes

What are the seven cultural differences in particular that influence how people interact with one another?

individualistic culture

a culture that emphasizes individuality and responsibility to oneself. People believe that their primary responsibility is to themselves

U.S., Canada, Britain, and Australia

The world's most individualistic societies include:

collective culture

a culture that places gender emphasis on loyalty to the family, workplace, or community than on the needs of the individual. Their primary responsibility is to their families, communities, and employers

Korea, Japan, and many countries in Africa and Latin America

What are some examples of collective cultures?

low context culture

A culture in which verbal communication is experienced to be explicit and is often interpreted literally

U.S., Canada, Israel, and most northern European countries

Examples of a low context culture society

high context culture

a culture in which verbal communication is often ambiguous and meaning is drawn from contextual cues, such as facial expression and tone of voice

high context culture

value harmony and avoiding offending people are more important than expressing one's true feelings

Korea, the Maori of New Zealand, and Native American

Examples of high context society

lower power distance culture

a culture in which power is not highly concentrated in specific groups of people. They believe in value of equality that all men and women are created equal and then no one person or group should have excessive power

United States, Canada, Denmark, and Austria

The lower power distance culture countries are:

low power distance cultures

People in _______________ are raised to believe that even though some individuals are born with more advantages no one is inherently better than anyone else

high power distance culture

a culture in which much or most of the power is concentrated in a few people such as royalty or a ruling political party

mexico, brazil, india, signapore, phillipines

People in high power distance cultures taught that certain people or groups deserve to have more power than others and that respecting power is more important than respecting equality and countries that fall under this category are:

highly masculine cultures

people tend to cherish traditionally masculine values. They also have sex specific roles for women and men

austria, japan, and mexico

Highly masculine cultures countries are:

highly feminine culture

people tend to value nurturance, quality of life, and service to others. They tend to believe that mean's and women's roles should not be strongly differentiated

chile, netherlands, and sweden

Countries that fall under this specific category are:

monochronic

a concept that treats time as a finite commodity that can be earned, saved, spent, and wasted

polychronic

a concept that treats time as an infinite resource rather than a finite commodity

monochronic cultures

People in ____________ think of time as valuable, they hate to waste it.

Swiss, Germans, and most Americans

Countries that are mono chronic are:

polychronic cultures

people in _______________ see time as more holistic and fluid and less structured

Latin America, The Arab, part of Middle East, and Sub0Saharan Africa

Societies that fall under the polychronic culture

uncertainty avoidance

the degree to which people try to avoid situations situations that are unstructured unclear or unpredictable

argentina, portugal, uruguay

highly uncertainty cultures countries include:

hong kong, jamaica, and new zealand

people in uncertainty accepting cultures

communication codes

verbal and nonverbal behaviors such as idioms and gestures that characterize a culture and distinguish it from other cultures

idioms, jargons, and gestures

What are the three kinds of communication codes?

idioms

a phrase whose meaning is purely figurative

jargon

a specific form of idiomatic communication. A language whose technical meaning is understood by people within that co-culture but not necessarily by those outside of it

gestures

movements of the hands or the arms that express ideas

role

a set of behaviors expected of someone in a parituclar social position

gender roles

a set of expectations for appropriate behavior that a culture typically assigns to an individual based on his or her biological sex

masculinity

a gender role typically assigned to men, that emphasizes strength, dominance, competition, and logical thinking. Emphasizes strength, competition, independence

femininity

a gender role typically assigned to women that emphasizes expressive nurturing behavior. Emphasizes empathy, emotional expressiveness

adrogyny

a gender role distinguished by a combination of masculine and feminine characteristics

metrosexual

a man usually who is hetereosexual who has adopted the more feminine behavior of paying a great deal of attention to his appearance and grooming and who this exemplifies an androgynous person

biological sex

refers to being female or male rather than feminine or masculine

sexual orientation

a characteristic determining the sex or sexes to which someone is sexually attracted

hetereosexuality

a sexual orientation characterized by sexual interest in members of the other sex

homosexuality

a sexual orientation characterized by sexual interest in members of one's own sex

bisexuality

a sexual orientation characterized by a sexual interest in both women and men

asexuality

a sexual orientation characterized by a general lack of interest in sex

expressive and instrumental talk, language and power, and gendered linguistic styles

What are the three gender effects?

expressive talk

verbal communication whose purpose is to express emotions and build relationships

instrumental talk

verbal communication whose purpose is to solve problem and accomplish talk

powerful speech behaviors

include talking more, interrupting less frequently, giving more directions, and expressing more opinions. Used by superiors

less powerful speech behaviors

used by subordinates, includes asking more questions, using more hedges, and disclaimers and speaking less overall

linguistic violence

language that degrades and dehumanizes a group of people

marginalized

subjected to unfair discrimination and prejudice on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity

linguistic styles

speech patterns

nonverbal behaviors

include gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, and conventions about personal space

touch and body movement, emotional communication, affectionate behavior

Gender affects nonverbal communication in three specific areas:

touch

can express warmth and intimacy as well as power and dominance

affectionate communication

behaviors used to express our love and appreciation for people we care about

women

In same-sex pairs who touches who more?

women

Women or men smile more often?

women

women or men use more affiliation behaviors?