Case Study Of Warren Surtees

1646 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Reflection on intercultural communication

The purpose of this essay is to discuss intercultural communication theoretic concepts in the context of a case study of a chosen individuals experiences. It will cover the concepts of culture shock, attribution theory, ethnocentrism, cultural adaptation, with reference to the experiences of Warren Surtees and also reference to academic sources.

Warren Surtees was born in 1955 in Auckland, New Zealand. Spending his first twenty years of his life living in Papakura, Warren came from a working class family and is one of five brothers. All of Warren’s family were New Zealand-European, with his family tree leading back to roots in England. Warren was also raised catholic by his mother, however did not sustain any strong religious views after moving …show more content…

This enabled Warren to work past his crisis phase and move into what Ting-toomey and Chang (2012) refer to as the regained adjustment phase. This refers to the phase in which the traveller becomes more accepting of their surroundings and allows themselves to settle into the culture despite the cultural differences. After entering the regained adjustment phase, Warren was able to appreciate the new experiences India had to offer him and enjoy his …show more content…

Oetzel (2009) defines ethnorelativism as holding beliefs that each individual culture has normalcy, and is no better than any other. Warren took an ethnorelativism approach by applying what he witnessed to the context of the culture of the country he was in, instead of the context of his own culture in New Zealand.

The concept of cultural adaptation is one that Oetzel (2009) describes as the individual embracing the two processes of deculturation and acculturation and navigating between these. Deculturation refers to the way in which an individual “unlearns” old cultural practices, and this is done in order for the individual to participate in acculturation where the individual learns new cultural practices to replace the old ones. This allows the individual to further immerse into their adopted culture and efficiently make connections with other individuals from this new

Show More
Related

  • Mercy Otis Warren

    522 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mercy Otis Warren was a pamphleteer, and a playwright who attacked the British government. She also fit time into be a wife and a mother to five sons, while writing a three volume book published in 1805 called The Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution, based on her first hand knowledge of the subject. As a result of these accomplishments, Mercy Otis Warren was an influential figure during the American Revolution.

    Read More

  • The Negative Impact of the Depiction of Black Male Stereotypes in Media

    3152 Words  | 7 Pages

    Ting-Toomey, Stella., & Chung, Leeva C. (2012). Understanding Intercultural Communication. Oxford University Press. 43, 159-160.

    Read More

  • Mexican American Culture: The Film Selena

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2013). Intercultural Communication in Contexts (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Read More

  • Immigration Identity: Acculturation and Complex Mental Status

    1711 Words  | 4 Pages

    Immigration is a complex process that results in a transformation of identity. Depending on contextual, individual, and societal differences this transformation can have either positive or detrimental results. Initially, the immigrant will be faced with an intense culture shock while settling into a new country. During this time, cognitive functioning becomes increasingly jumbled amidst the new context, resulting in immense identity confusion. This process of acculturation involves two specific issues regarding identity for each individual. These two issues include the delicate balance between remaining ethnically distinct by retaining their cultural identity and the desire to maintain positive relations with the new society. A variety of risk factors can contribute to the success or failure at effectively acculturating. Thus, those that directly experience more risk factors experience an even more delicate and complex transition often resulting in high levels of stress, confusion, social anxiety, and declined mental health.

    Read More

  • Culture Baggage By Barbara Ehrenreich Summary

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    Culture often means an appreciation of the finer things in life; however, culture brings members of a society together. We have a sense of belonging because we share similar beliefs, values, and attitudes about what’s right and wrong. As a result, culture changes as people adapt to their surroundings. According to Bishop Donald, “let it begin with me and my children and grandchildren” (211). Among other things, culture influences what you eat; how you were raised and will raise your own children? If, when, and whom you will marry; how you make and spend money. Truth is culture is adaptive and always changing over time because

    Read More

  • The House I Live In Movie Analysis

    1850 Words  | 4 Pages

    Martin, Judith N., and Thomas K. Nakayama. Intercultural Communication in Contexts. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.

    Read More

  • Immigration In Australia Essay

    1583 Words  | 4 Pages

    Australia is a multicultural country where immigrants from all over the world immigrate to Australia. This research is focused on Australian’s immigrants who play a big role in this society. Immigration carries significant factors that affect the process of adaptation on an immigrant. The significant factors discussed further on are social factors, economic factors and cultural factors. To understand immigration and immigrant it would be explained the meaning of it and the types of immigrants. Answering the Research question, it would also be explained what an immigrant aims to reach by explaining the factors that help to feel settled in a new country. As I’m an immigrant in Australia I personally know how factors affect directly the process of adaptation. During this research I aim to prove how these factors affect the process of adaption. It is intended to make useful recommendations to the host country and to the immigrants in order to adapt to a new country easily. It must be said that not everyone experience the same process of adaptation because everyone is exposed to different factors. Moreover, immigrants may experience more than one factor as one factor can lead to the development of other factor.

    Read More

  • Analysis: Daughter From Danang

    866 Words  | 2 Pages

    Unsuccessful intercultural encounters can sometimes result in tremendous consequences like losing business deals, breaking relationships or even destroying blood ties. In fact, for those who have watched the documentary “Daughter from Danang”, the idea of the last consequence would emerge vividly and hauntingly. The documentary, directed by Gail Dolgin and Vicente Franco, tells the reunion between a daughter and her long-lost birth mother. The reunion, which is expected to be an exhilarating experience, unfortunately becomes a painful one with heartbreaking moments. The failure of this reunion can be attributed to a number of reasons, but the most visible one is perhaps the issue of cultural differences. through the lens of intercultural communication,

    Read More

  • My Ethnic Identity Essay: This Is Who I Am

    1348 Words  | 3 Pages

    Times are changing and I feel like I am forced to conform to the everyday social norms of America, which makes me feel impuissance. Racial identity, which refers to identifying with a social group with similar phenotypes and racial category, is the only experience that I have with life (Organista, 2010). Racial ethnicity was used to build my self-esteem and to keep me in the dark when it came to how society treats individuals of darker complexion. However, once I left the confines of my family and neighborhood, I was forced to befriend and interact with individuals that had different cultural values and beliefs than me. This experience caused me to learn how to appreciate other racial and ethnic groups and their cultural values and belief. This is an accurate definition, of acculturation because I was able to understand and fit in with individuals different from me, while maintaining my own culture and ethnic identity. Therefore, knowing the importance of my ancestry, while acculturating and developing my own identity was all used

    Read More

  • Culture Shock

    994 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... of being in a different culture. Being aware of this personal growth is also helpful. When someone knows how they have changed, it is easier to think about that in relation to the people and places they are trying to assimilate back into.

    Read More

  • Cultural Competence and Intercultural Communication

    1667 Words  | 4 Pages

    When one encounters a culture that has little in common with own, one may experience culture shock. This is a sense of confusion, anxiety, stress and loss one may experience. One of the barriers in effective intercultural communication is ethnocentrism. It stems from a conviction that one’s own cultural traditions and assumptions are superior to those of others. It leads to a tendency to look the world primarily from the perspective of one's own culture. It is one of the fastest ways to create a barrier that inhibits, rather than enhances communication (Jandt, 2012).

    Read More

  • Adapting to a New Cultural Environment

    1289 Words  | 3 Pages

    At some point in our lives we experience a culture as an outsider by moving from one culture to another.In the world today there are so many different cultures and not one of them is found to be the same.Instead they all have something that makes them unique, whether its language or even the clothes they wear and their behavior as well.The differences they have is what separates them from one another and who ever joins that particular culture must get accustomed to their way of life.In the society today we have many people immigrating to the United States to start a new and better life but what they soon begin to realize is that it’s a whole new world out there and in order to survive they have to get accustomed to the new way of life which is much different from their lives before.

    Read More

  • Cultural Sensitivity

    1969 Words  | 4 Pages

    Cultural sensitivity occurs when people recognize and are aware that each country or various ethnic groups of people have their own set of experiences, beliefs, values, and language that affect their perceptions toward life. Addressing Cultural sensitivity permits people to comprehend that there are differences between cultures. Furthermore, having awareness in the differences between cultures permits a culturally competent person to communicate effectively with others that are outside of one’s realm. Some of the differences of Cultural sensitivity can be discovered while traveling outside of the country, such as through Cross-cultural sensitivity experiences. Likewise, a culture has its own norms and beliefs to how one should dress; how one should greet others, such as by referring to a significant individual by his or her first name or surname (comprehending which name should be stated first in foreign names); and/or what foods are permitted to eat or forbidden to eat or understanding what may offend a person (e.g. not accepting a home cooked meal). There are norms, taboos, cultural cues, and cultural etiquette standards that are significant to learning about one’s culture before exploring another country or while working with people who are from your country but who are part of another racial group. It takes time and patience to build a high level of Cultural sensitivity. Educating oneself with a culture’s psychology and its norms is significant toward achieving an increasing awareness toward Cultural sensitivity.

    Read More

  • Problems In Intercultural Communication

    1552 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... its proper expressions, structure and grammar. Moreover, each language is linked to a specific dialect which is associated with educational, economic, social and historical conditions. Moreover, cultural variations also exist in the rules for general discourse in oral communication. Similar to verbal communication, there are also variations in non-verbal communication between cultures. Gestures, facial expressions, sense of time and personal distance take different forms in different cultures. Furthermore, there is an infinite number of cultural diversities which are at the root of intercultural miscommunication. Variations in values , social relationships, religion, economy and politics consist of only a few of these diversities. These differences can be the source of ethnocentrism, if one becomes over patriotic in regards to one’s own culture. Ethnocentrism, is the concept which states that we tend to judge other cultures through our own. Ethnocentric behavior, can cause racism and chauvinism, as in the case of the Second World War. However, intercultural problems can be avoided if we all develop mindfulness, a sense of flexibility and seek information about the other culture.

    Read More

  • Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

    500 Words  | 1 Pages

    Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism are two contrasting terms that are displayed by different people all over the world. Simply put, ethnocentrism is defined as “judging other groups from the perspective of one’s own cultural point of view.” Cultural relativism, on the other hand, is defined as “the view that all beliefs are equally valid and that truth itself is relative, depending on the situation, environment, and individual.” Each of these ideas has found its way into the minds of people worldwide. The difficult part is attempting to understand why an individual portrays one or the other. It is a question that anthropologists have been asking themselves for years.

    Read More

More about Case Study Of Warren Surtees

Open Document