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indian traditions vs western
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Scholars from the indigenous psychology and philosophy field noted that explanations of the differences between the East and West, such as individualism/collectivism, have relied most exclusively on theoretical constructs generated in Western cultural contexts (Cheng, 1987; Cushman & Kincaid, 1987; Peng, Spencer-Rodgers, & Nian, 2006). Peng and his colleagues argued that indigenous concepts need to be introduced into the mainstream study, and the cultural differences between Western and Eastern people in the domains of thinking and reasoning can be attributed to differences between Western and Eastern folk epistemologies (Peng et al., 2006). Moreover, communication theory can be explored from both Western and Eastern perspectives by bringing in philosophical thoughts (Cushman & Kincaid, 1987). With its rich background and insights into human nature and human understanding, philosophy can make contributions to contemporary communication theory by recognizing the crucial necessity of the human context for communication (Cushman & Kincaid, 1987). Cheng (1987) noted that by bringing in philosophical perspective, the way of communication can be understood in a much broader sense. For instance, when comparing the differences between the West and China, scholars pointed out that while Chinese thinking and reasoning are mainly guided by folk version of Taoism and Ch’an Buddhism, Western thinking and reasoning are mostly Aristotelian in spirit (Cheng, 1987; Peng et al., 2006).
The theoretical foundation of Taoism belief is the idea that two opposites are mutually dependent on each other (Peng et al., 2006). This mutual dependence can be found between form and substance, between knowledge and action, and between symbol and e...
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...ive emphasizes selflessness and submission to central authority as the institutional means for achieving unity and harmony between man, and nature and this is the principle goal for communication. In contrast, the Western perspective emphasizes self-cultivation and the subjugation of human and natural resources to individual control as the central means for achieving individual and group goal attainment. According to the Eastern perspective, an individual's participation in a collective institutional structure motivates human action and human communication, therefore, serves for the need of participation (Cushman & Kincaid, 2006). According the Western perspective, an individual's desire for political, social, and economic self-realization actuates human action and human communication, therefore, serves for the need of self-realization (Cushman & Kincaid, 2006).
"Main Concepts of Taoism: Yin and Yang." Taoism and the Taoist Arts. April 2002. http://www.taoistarts.net/main.html#yin LeGuin, Ursula K. The Lathe of Heaven. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers Inc., 2000.
Intercultural communication is a significant, unavoidable element of communication in the 21st century. With the vast movements of population throughout history, as well as the growing prominence of technology, the ability to interact and come into contact with different cultures, both ethnic and sub-cultures, has never been easier. However, with this growing role of intercultural communication, there is a large opportunity for the existence and perpetuation of stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination. In order to avoid offence and miscommunication when partaking in intercultural communication, a person must be willing to understand a person as an individual entity, and not as a representation of their culture or of what the host culture may believe it to be.
There are many co-cultures in the world. I am a twenty nine year old Caucasian mother of two girls with an annual income of around thirty thousand a year. I am a wife in a Methodist household, where my job is a home maker; as well as, I am a college student. I am a French Canadian, German, Native American, and Polish breed.
In the book Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu employs different ways to explain what “Tao” is to people. He uses different techniques—using simplicity, nature, metaphor, and comparison—to affect people’s mind so that they would rethink and relearn the things in their daily life. As a consequence, people can understand well the main concept—“Tao.” Overall, Lao Tzu wants to express the importance
The workforce in the United States no longer consists of only Caucasian or American workers. According to the 2014 Foreign Summary Report from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) (https://www.sec.gov/divisions/corpfin/internatl/companies.shtml) there were 912 foreign companies registered and reporting with the SEC. Additionally, companies employ people from other countries locally as well as overseas and relocate or expand to other parts of the world due to globalization. All employees, whether from this country or another, have language and cultural differences that can cause misunderstanding and miscommunication among coworkers. In order to understand how other cultures communicate, we should learn about other cultures and the ways they communicate with each other. When all team members make an effort to understand each other better, a more cohesive team is formed. International
As the world is changing at an incredible pace (Kotter & Cohen, 2002b), the way leaders approach change varies widely (Black & Gregersen, 2008). No organization is immune from the impact of globalization. Organizations must increasingly cope with diverse cross-cultural employees, customers, suppliers, competitors, and creditors. In its infancy, a business culture reflects the characteristics of the organization’s most dominant personality, the leader (Bohl, 2015). The leader’s vision of what the business culture should be is often a cultural paradigm in their heads, based on their experiences in the culture in which they have grown up in (Schein, 1983). Culture is an abstraction, yet the forces that are created in social
It was interesting to read about the cross-cultural communication and its impact on the healthcare outcomes and well-being for the clients. The author provided a good synopsis of the critical elements to improve cross-cultural communication.
Our culture is a scholarly arrangement of presumptions that shape our observations of the world, and of suitable qualities, standards, states of mind and practices. We learn our culture. Perceptions about gender, age, and social class are culturally based, as are our ideas about race, ethnicity, religious practices, sexual orientation, physical appearance and ability, and regional and national characteristics. What is intercultural communication? Intercultural communication is defined as a form of communication between individuals or groups of different cultural origins. Communicating across cultures is challenging. Every society has set rules that its individuals underestimate. Few of us know about our own social inclinations on the grounds
Culture is not something that you carry in your DNA. It is not about genetics, it is about being born into a society with certain cultural characteristics. From the moment that you are born, you start learning about culture throughout the course of your life. You gain knowledge of culture from your parents, grandparents, friends, teachers in school and so on. Cultural characteristics refer to the elements that define individuals. Some of these characteristics consist of beliefs, values, norms and social practices. In the next paragraphs you will find a better definition of each cultural characteristic and how they influence verbal and non-verbal communication.
Many people who go to visit or work in another country suffer some misunderstanding from the local people, because they have a different culture. Different culture will cause disparity points of view about almost everything. In the article, Intercultural Communication Stumbling Blocks by Laray M. Barna, there are five stumbling blocks mentioned that are seen in a cross-culture communication. These blocks are: language, nonverbal signs and symbols, preconceptions and stereotypes, the tendency to evaluate and high anxiety. Barna wants to use these stumbling blocks to show the common blockades between different cultures. I agree with what she thinks about the language, nonverbal signs and symbols, preconceptions and stereotypes, and the tendency
unknown. (n.d.). The relationship between Culture and Communication. Retrieved November 20, 2010, from jrank.org: http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/6491/culture-and-communication.html
I wasn 't quite sure what I was getting into when I first enrolled in Intercultural Communications. I had assumptions as to the goals of the course such as I would be learning about the way cultures interact with each other, learn about communication in general, or I would be learning about the ways we use communication through our culture. I think that I achieve the latter goal, but I also gained knowledge about more then just my culture. I came to realize that there is more to a culture than just language, appearances, and customs, which are aspects of culture that could be seen above the waterline, or they are more noticeable/obvious to someone outside of that culture. There are aspects of culture that are below the waterline, or more
Humans have been communicating since four million years. On the other hand, the birth of culture is estimated to have taken place about 35,000 years ago. Today, both culture and communication have evolved considerably and have become interdependent of one another, to the point that communication is considered to be a product of culture. Thus, our own culture has a deep impact on our thoughts and behaviors. Since each culture has its distinct aspects, intercultural communication can be the cause of conflict and disorder. There are three main issues which are at the root of the problem of intercultural miscommunication : language as a barrier, cultural diversity and ethnocentrism. I will analyze these three notions in situations in which intercultural communication is frequent such as : the workplace, the classroom and vacation trips.
Before I had attended this module, my biggest aim was to understand how we communicate with each other and how we adapt our speech to fit the situation we are in. As I am combining Communication, Media and Culture with Film Studies, I wanted this module to help me build my confidence so that in the future, I can pitch my film ideas confidently. It was important for me to develop my communication skills as this would enable me to express myself clearly and concisely.
Communication is an interdependent process of sending, receiving, and understanding messages. The definition implies that the components of the communication process cannot be examined separately. Rather, the relationship exists between the sender and the receiver, as well as the environment of the communication event, must be viewed as a whole. According to this perspective, if any of the components and circumstances change (that is, the number of individuals involved in the interaction, seating arrangements, or the time of the day) the communication event is altered. Communication is an ongoing process; we never stop sending and receiving messages. As we will discover, communication is a dynamic process, a process that changes from one communication setting to the next. Although it is difficult to predict, the ways of interpreting communication, certain components are always present in the communication process.