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1.4.6 - Context of Cultures: High and Low
Context of Cultures: High and Low |
Here is another concept that will help you pull together a lot of the material you have read so far about culture. It is called "high context" and "low context" and was created by the same anthropologist who developed the concepts of polychronic and monochronic time. They complement each other and provide a broad framework for looking at culture.
The list below shows the kind of behavior that is generally found in high and low context cultures within five categories: how people relate to each other, how they communicate with each other, how they treat space, how they treat time, and how they learn. One thing to remember is that few cultures, and the people in them, are totally at one end of the spectrum or the other. They usually fall somewhere in between and may have a combination of high and low context characteristics.
HIGH CONTEXT (HC) | LOW CONTEXT (LC) |
Association
| Association
|
Interaction
| Interaction
|
Territoriality
| Territoriality
|
Temporality
| Temporality
|
Learning
| Learning
|
The content here is based on the following works by anthropologist Edward T. Hall, all of which were published in New York by Doubleday: The Silent Language (1959), The Hidden Dimension (1969), Beyond Culture (1976), and The Dance of Life (1983).
Source: The 1993 Annual: Developing Human Resources. Pfeiffer & Company.
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Learning from Cultural Encounters !!
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1.5 - Packing Up!
Of all the things you might forget to bring with you overseas, one aspect you simply cannot avoid taking with you is your own cultural reactions. You have developed ideas, values, and ways of doing things all your life, and those patterns have generally been successful in getting the things you need and want. These patterns are the result of the sum total of all you have learned from experience and education. You don�t have to remember to include them because you could not abandon them if you wanted to. If you are largely unaware of how much you are a product of your culture, an overseas trip will quickly reveal just how "US-American" you are. US-Americans are readily identified by any host country national just by their body language and dress.
Further, much of what we do is unconscious. We are operating on a kind of "automatic pilot" and it is not until a problem arises that we think about how we think and act. It can be deeply disconcerting to discover overseas that many people do not share your values, beliefs, or ideas on how to behave. You may find that everything from proper dining etiquette to what being "on time" means may require relearning, adjusting attitudes, and finding out the local "right way" to do the simplest tasks. Knowing how and why your "natural" cultural reactions may vary from those of your host country is a first step in being able to successfully negotiate your way in a new culture and interact effectively.
If you did the exercise �In the Mind of the Beholder� in Section 1.3.2, you have some idea of how differently people think. We are slow to recognize our own cultural conditioning in this regard, however.
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1.5.1 - The Things We Say
The Things We Say: Culture and Casual Expressions |
A useful way to understand a culture is by examining the expressions people use in everyday conversation. These common expressions, after all, reflect what most people in a given society believe in or value.
What cultural value or belief do the following expressions reveal about US-American culture? Select your response from each box. The first group of expressions is done for you. |
Example: He thinks he's better than so and so. She's always putting on airs. That person should be cut down to size. It's gone to his head. Value/belief: Egalitarianism |
1. Talk is cheap. 2. Put your money where your mouth is. 3. He's all talk and no action. Value/belief : --- Optimism Self-reliance Experimentation Directness Self-detemination Emphasis on accomplishment Don't judge by appearances Doing over talking Egalitarianism |
4. She's always beating around the bush. 5. Tell it like it is. 6. Straight talk, straight answer, straight shooter: that's what we need. Value/belief: --- Optimism Self-reliance Experimentation Directness Self-detemination Emphasis on accomplishment Don't judge by appearances Doing over talking Egalitarianism |
7. She did something with her life. 8. Nice guys finish last. Value/belief: --- Optimism Self-reliance Experimentation Directness Self-detemination Emphasis on accomplishment Don't judge by appearances Doing over talking Egalitarianism |
9. Every cloud has a silver lining. 10. Look on the bright side. 11. Tomorrow is another day. Value/belief: --- Optimism Self-reliance Experimentation Directness Self-detemination Emphasis on accomplishment Don't judge by appearances Doing over talking Egalitarianism |
12. Where there's a will there's a way. Value/belief: --- Optimism Self-reliance Experimentation Directness Self-detemination Emphasis on accomplishment Don't judge by appearances Doing over talking Egalitarianism |
13. Stand on your own two feet. Value/belief: --- Optimism Self-reliance Experimentation Directness Self-detemination Emphasis on accomplishment Don't judge by appearances Doing over talking Egalitarianism |
14. Don't judge a book by its cover. 15. All that glitters isn't gold. Value/belief: --- Optimism Self-reliance Experimentation Directness Self-detemination Emphasis on accomplishment Don't judge by appearances Doing over talking Egalitarianism |
16. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Value/belief: --- Optimism Self-reliance Experimentation Directness Self-detemination Emphasis on accomplishment Don't judge by appearances Doing over talking Egalitarianism |
Suggested Answers
..Memories.. | |
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� ignorance of geography, world affairs, and other cultures
� generosity and charity
� wealth and materialism
� informality
� loud, uncultured, & na�ve behavior and attitudes
� living to work, not working to live
� self-assurance and independence
� stress upon practical, problem-solving solutions
� arrogance and self-righteousness
� showing little respect for authority
� friendliness, they "want to be liked"
� relatively blunt and direct communication style
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1.5.3 - Cultural Categories Compared
Thirteen Cultural Categories: American and Host Country Views Compared |
This activity looks at 13 categories or aspects of culture and compares the typical US-American position on these matters with that of your host country. In each case, the US-American view has been summarized and illustrated for you as adapted from the work of several intercultural experts including Edward Stewart, Milton Bennett, and Gary Althen.
It is your task to get together with an informant, either a host country national or someone else who knows the host culture well, and try to construct the host country position. You may, if you wish, do this activity with another student, one who may be going abroad with you. |
Based on concepts developed by Edward Stewart and Milton Bennett, American Cultural Patterns, Intercultural Press, Yarmouth, ME, 1991; Gary Althen, American Ways, Intercultural Press, Yarmouth, ME, 1981.
1. Attitude towards age
- Emphasize physical beauty and youth.
- Fire older people to hire younger people for less money.
- Judge a worker's worth based on production, not seniority.
US-American View: The US-American emphasis on concrete achievements and "doing" means that age is not highly valued, for the older you are the less you can accomplish. Age is also suspect because new is usually better in US-American culture, and the elderly are generally out-of-touch with what's new. |
2. Concept of fate and destiny
- You can be whatever you want to be.
- Where there's a will, there's a way.
- The US-American dream is rags-to-riches.
US-American View: The concept of self-determination negates much of the influence of fate and destiny. Parents tell their children they can be whatever they want to be when they grow up. There are few givens in life and people have little sense of external limits. Lack of success is one's own fault. |
Learning from Cultural Encounters !! |
3. View of the human nature
- Courts consider a person innocent until he/she is proven guilty.
- People should be given the benefit of the doubt.
- If left alone, people will do the right thing.
- We need to discover how a vicious killer "went wrong."
US-American View: People are considered basically and inherently good. If someone does an evil deed, we look for the explanation, for the reason why the person "turned bad." People can and should be trusted; we are fairly open to strangers and are willing to accept them. |
4. Attitude towards change
- New is better.
- A better way can always be found; things can always be improved upon.
- Just because we've always done it that way doesn't make it right.
US-American View: Change is considered positive, probably because US-Americans believe in the march of progress and the pursuit of perfection. Improvements will always move us closer and closer to perfection. Traditions can be a guide, but they are not inherently superior. |
5. Attitude towards taking risks
- A low level of personal savings is typical.
- You can always start over.
- Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
- A high level of personal bankruptcies is common.
US-American View: There will always be enough opportunity to go around, so taking risks involves no real danger. For the truly ambitious, failure is only temporary. Experimentation and trial and error are important ways to learn or to improve your product or service. |
6. Concept of suffering and misfortune
- People rush to cheer up a friend who's depressed.
- If you're unhappy, take a pill or see a psychiatrist.
- Be happy.
US-American View: Because we are ultimately in control of our lives and destiny, we have no excuse for unhappiness nor misfortune. If you are suffering or unhappy, then just do whatever it takes to be happy again. If you're depressed, it's because you have chosen to be. |
7. Concept of honesty
- It's important to tell it like it is and to be straight with people.
- Confrontation is sometimes necessary to clear the air.
- Honesty is the best policy.
US-American View: In individualist cultures, no premium is put on "saving face" because people can take care of themselves. What other people think is not so crucial to survival or success. We can say what we think without worrying about hurting people's feelings, and we likewise appreciate directness. |
8. Source of self-esteem/self-worth
- People judge you by how much money you make.
- First question at a party is, "What do you do?"
- Material possessions are a measure of success.
US-American View: In an individualist culture, you are what you have achieved; that is, you create your own worth rather than receiving it by virtue of birth, position, seniority, or longevity. Your self-esteem comes from what you have done to earn self-esteem. |
9. Concept of equality
- People try to treat everyone the same way.
- While jogging, the President stops at McDonald's for morning coffee.
- "Putting on airs" is frowned upon.
US-American View: In a strong reaction to the repressive class structure in Europe, US-Americans created a culture virtually built around egalitarianism: the notion that no one is superior to anyone else because of birth, power, fame, or wealth. We are not all the same, but we are all of equal value. |
10. Attitude towards formality
- Telling someone to help themselves to what is in the refrigerator is common.
- Using first names with people you have just met is fine.
- Using titles like "Dr." for someone with a Ph.D. is presumptuous.
US-American View: Because of the strong egalitarian ethos, Americans tend to be casual and informal in social and professional interactions. Informality is also more necessary in a mobile society where people are always meeting new people. We don't stand on ceremony, nor use titles or rank in addressing each other. |
11. Degree of realism
- Things will get better.
- Bad things happen for a reason.
- It cannot get any worse.
- Tag line of fairy tales: "They lived happily ever after."
US-American View: Largely because of the notion that the individual is in control, Americans are generally optimistic. We don't see things the way they are, but as better than they are, particularly if they're not so good. We feel it's important to be positive and that there is no reason not to be. |
12. Attitude towards doing
- Doing is preferred over talking.
- The absent-minded professor and the ivory tower reflect anti-intellectualism.
- Be practical.
- Arts are an adornment of life, but are not central to it.
US-American View: Individuals survive because they get things done, generally on their own. Words and talk are suspect and cheap; they don't put food on the table or a roof over your head. Pursuits not directly related to the creation of concrete results (e.g., academia, the arts) are less highly valued. What is practical and pragmatic is favored over what is beautiful and inspiring. |
13. View of the natural world
- Building dams to control rivers.
- Seeding clouds to produce rain.
- Erecting earthquake-proof buildings.
- Spending billions annually on weather prediction.
US-American View: The natural world is a kind of mechanism or machine that can be studied and known, and whose workings can be predicted, manipulated, and ultimately controlled. It is not to be feared. |
If you want to see a comparison between US-American view and a sample country. Click here-
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..Memories.. | |
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1.5.4 - Sources of US-American Culture
Sources of US-American Culture |
The origins of US-American culture are complex and drawn from many sources. One way to link contemporary US-American behavior with its historical roots is to examine some of these sources and the traits which are associated with them.
While it is useful to know what it is US-Americans value and believe in, it is also helpful to know why they believe what they do�to understand that our values and beliefs are a result of our national experience. Once you understand this fact about your own country�s culture, you can begin to appreciate that it must be true of your host country as well.
In this exercise, you reexamine some of the US-American values you have identified thus far, trying to understand their origins. Below are four defining features of the people who came to the United States, followed by a numbered list of US-American traits, many of which you have come across earlier.
Select the trait from the box beneath the defining feature/s you feel is the likely source of or reason behind the trait. An example from the list of traits is given for each of them. (Please note that these features describe the people who originally settled the United States and may not describe many US-Americans of today.) |
Defining Features
ProtestantismA strong work ethic (work is intrinsically good) and the notion of predestination (salvation is apparent through worldly success)
American Geography
The frontier, unlimited resources and opportunity, isolation, sparse population, distance from Europe
Escape from Oppression
From religious and economic repression and rigid class system and social stratification
The Nature of the American Immigrant
Out of the mainstream in home country, dissatisfied with lot in life, willing to take risks, adventuresome
See Suggested Answers
Now that you are aware of yourself as a cultural being, it stands to reason that moving into a new culture is more than a geographic relocation. These cultural contrasts that may at first seem quaint but over time may lead to a more intense and persistent discomfort. There are ways to deal with this discomfort and its more severe form: culture shock. There is hope. The next section helps you understand and deal with culture shock. |
.. Memories.. | |