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COM 472

An Introduction to
(American) Culture
John R. Baldwin
jrbaldw@ilstu.edu
January 22, 2007
An exercise: Time Capsule

• 3 items to go into a “time


capsule” to be opened in 500
years
• Size and cost do not matter
• Must represent some aspect of
“American Culture” in 2004
Culture is…

• Learned, not innate (inborn)


• Transmissible (transferable)
• Dynamic…yet static
• Selective
• Interrelated in its aspects
• Ethnocentric
Aspects of culture
• Social perception
• Beliefs and attitudes
• Values
• Rules and Norms
• World View
• Social Organization
• Family
• Education
• Law, etc.
Aspects of culture
• Verbal processes
• Thought patterns
• Inductive
• Deductive
• Cyclical
• Intuitive
• Verbal language
• Nonverbal processes
• “Contact” behaviors
• “Display rules” (showing emotion)
• Time
• Space
An Iceberg Model of Culture
The IC Communication Process

Environmental Influences

Sending

Receiving
Ways to Study Values
Emic Etic
Studies behavior Studies behavior
from within system from outside of
Examines only one system
culture Examines many
Structure discovered cultures (comparing)
by analyst
Structure created by
Criteria relative to analyst
internal
characteristics Criteria considered
“Cultural” absolute, universal
Communication Cross-Cultural
Communication
Value Dimensions
(E. T. Hall)

Low Context High Context


Value Dimensions
Hofstede’s Dimensions
Individualism/
Collectivism
Power Distance
Uncertainty
Avoidance
Masculinity/
Femininity
Value Dimensions
Collectivistic

Venezuela
Costa Rica
Hong Kong
Malaysia
Mexico
Jamaica Turkey
Argentina
India
Japan

Germany
Italy
Denmark

Individualistic
United
States

Low Power High Power


Distance Distance
A video example…

• How do you see the different


aspects of Hofstede’s
dimensions or High-Low context
communicated in this video
(Iron & Silk)?
Influence on the classroom?

Individualism/Collectivism Power Distance

Uncertainty Avoidance Masculinity/Femininity


Value Dimensions
Parson’s Pattern Variables

Affectivity  Affect Neutrality


Universalism  Particularism
Diffuseness  Specificity
Ascription  Achievement
Instrumental  Expressive
Orientation Orientation
Value Dimensions
Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck’s Value
Dimensions
Orientation A B C
Human Evil Good Good + Evil
Nature
Person- Subject Harmony Master
Nature
Time Past Present Future

Activity Being Being-in- Doing


becoming
Relational Lineality Collaterality Individual’m
Specific Values
(Vander Zanden, 1965; Patai, 1976)

“American” Middle Eastern


Values Values
 Materialism  Hospitality
 Success  Generosity
 Work & Activity  Courage
 Progress  Honor
 Rationality  Self-Respect
 Democracy
 Humanitarianism
ValuesCommunication

“American” Middle Eastern


Communication Communication
 Direct  Indirect
 “Elaborated”  Emphatic
 Informal  Formality
 Low context  High context
 Less differentiated  More differentiated
codes codes
American & Chinese
Communication
(Gao & Ting-Toomey, 1998)

American Chinese
Communication Communication
 What is said  What is not said
 “I” focus  “We” focus
 Impolite talk  Polite talk
 Direct talk  Indirect talk
 Assertive speech  Hesitant speech
 Self-enhancing talk  Self-effacing talk
 Public personal  Private personal
questions questions
 Expressive speech  Reticent speech
• Cognitive Styles
• Intuitive-Expressive
• Axiomatic-Deductive
• Factual-Inductive
• Cyclical
Influence on the classroom?

Style Influence
Emic Approaches

• Your own artifacts!


• http://www.zompist.com/amercult.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_th
e_United_States
• Readings: Althen, etc.
• What are some of the key
influences on American Values?
• What did you find out about
American culture, communication
from your reading?
Cultural Values (“emic”)
• Individual freedom/self-
reliance/privacy
• Equality of opportunity-competition
• Material wealth (consumerism)/hard
work/achievement/action
• Future/change/technology/progress
• Informality
• Goodness of humanity
• Time
• Directness/Assertiveness
Influences on values
• Protestant Heritage
hard work
• Immigration; England, Europe,
“Melting Pot”
pragmatism
• Frontier heritage
the rugged individual
• The heritage of business
entrepreneurs as heroes
American Proverbs
A penny saved is a penny
Cleanliness is next to
earned
Look out for
godliness
Number One!
American Proverbs
A penny saved is a penny
Cleanliness is next to
earned
Look out for
godliness
Number One!
Verbal Communication
• Based on values, notions of
logic
• Talk/Communication as:
• A solution
• A vehicle of meaning (essentially
pragmatic), e.g., “Grice’s maxims”
• A mirror of reality (close
connection)
• Diversity of Communication
• Male/female
• Ethnic group
Verbal Communication (cont’d)

• General characteristics
• Less formal
• Less “differentiated” in code (more
“universal” than “particular”)—that
is, status differences less
important
• Less code switching
• More instrumental (than
expressive)
• More “outcome” than “process”
• More pragmatic than philosophical
• More “open”…and yet…
Verbal Communication (cont’d)

• Face-Saving behaviors?
• More focused on self than other
• More focused on “negative” face
(autonomy, freedom) than
“positive” face (inclusion)…but…
• More direct than indirect
• Conflict preference: dominating,
collaborating (“conflict is good”)
rather than yielding, obliging. . .
Thus, expect:
Nonverbal
Communication
• Affiliative behavior (and the
“need to be liked”)
• Contact: “moderate”
• Differs by status, gender/sex,
ethnicity
• Some channels differ by status
of the other person (e.g., touch)
Nonverbal Communication (cont’d)

What to Expect by Channel


• Gestures: moderate
• Space: “large”; 4 zones
• Posture (in the classroom)
• Pace: “brisk”
• Touch: moderate, but based on
relationship
• Gaze and body angle: “direct” (?)
• Smell: notions of “cleanliness”
• Facial expression: more emotion,
less differentiated by status, etc.
Habits of the Heart

• Main theme:
• Types:
• Influences on:
• Influences of:
• State in U.S.? Cf other places?
• +/- of individualism?
• +/- of Bellah et al.’s coverage?
Some icons/aspects of
individualism
Independent Citizens?
Conclusion: Hints…
• Describe, don’t evaluate
• Recognize value differences
• Be aware of attribution
• Be aware of stereotypes (yours & theirs!)
• Be aware of different meanings
• Know yourself!
• Look for similarities (too)
• Don’t confuse people with cultures
• Talk…the American solution
Conclusion: Hints…

• How to “talk” through


differences
• Give complete, explicit (low
context) detail
• Paraphrase
• Ask questions
• Ask for verification
Any questions?

• John R. Baldwin
• Fell 451
• 438-7969
• jrbaldw@ilstu.edu

But….just call me John… 

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