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How cultural differences can influence the use of non verbal communication
Cultural differences about communication
How cultural differences can influence the use of non verbal communication
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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.
Belief is the idea that an individual can consider to be true around him or the exterior world. I always considered beliefs to be controversial, not because you believe in a certain religion for example, means that it is true. Everyone has different beliefs; it varies depending on where you are from, the religion that you follow, etc. Values refer to what individuals from a particular culture believe that is right, good, fair, just, valuable, beautiful, appropriate, kind or the opposite of these. Within a culture, values are taught through generations. They are enduring and remain important during long periods of time. Norms can be defined as changing behaviors. They consist in good manners and greeting behaviors. Norms vary within cultures too. The best example that I can give is the greetings between an American and a Latino. Latinos have the tendency to kiss on the cheeks when greeting someone. On the other hand, Americans are more of a handshake type and a hug when it comes to acquaintances, friends or family. Social practices refer to the different behaviors pa...
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... their husband demands. It affects communication by the lack of it. They cannot even express themselves in a non-verbal way. The type of clothing they use covers everything except their eyes, and they cannot make eye contact either. It would be a sin if they are caught making eye contact to a man that is not the one they have been promised to.
Throughout the essay you have been able to gain perspective of how culture and communication connect. The different types of cultural characteristics definitely have an influence in verbal and non-verbal communication. Beliefs, Values, Norms and Social practices can change communication within the diverse cultures. This is something we get to study and see every day if we take a closer look. I have gained a lot of knowledge doing this research and I am still trying to understand and respect different cultural values.
Culture is a difficult concept to put into words. “Traditionally anthropologists have used the term culture to refer to a way of life - traditions and customs - transmitted through learning” (Kottak, et al. 2008: p.11). Children inherit their culture, as well as social norms and ethics, through a process called enculturation. Enculturation, in essence, determines who a person will become, because culture defines who a person is. More specifically, “Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs arts, morals, laws, customs, and any other capabilities or habits acquired by man as a member of society” (Taylor, 1971/1951: p. 1). In modern society, our traditions and customs come from a variety of different sources. Television,
Throughout the years, humans have shaped the world and many societies have developed different cultural patterns. Culture is the way of life of a society. Through culture, we learn how to collaborate with groups of people and we learn how to survive and adapt to changes. It is composed of values and beliefs that are shared by other members of society, as well as species survival. Every culture has different cultural elements that are vital to one’s survival in a certain place.
Culture can be defined as customary beliefs or ways of an origin. Characteristics that can define culture are that culture is learned, shared, based on symbols, integrated and is dynamic (EarthLink). Culture is something that can be passed down from generation to generation, it is not inherited or in our genes. We are taught culture from everyone around us and being taught culture means we will share it as well. Starting from young ages, elders of family and friends share their experiences and knowledge of the culture. Symbols can be different from all other cultures. All symbols have meaning behind them such as their language, artistic pieces and in some cases, currency. Integration of culture is known as holism, or the various parts of culture being interconnected (EarthLink). Every aspect of culture must all be learned to understand the complete meaning within the culture. Not everything within a culture can stay the same, it can adapt to the new times and changes within the society.
Culture is a set of beliefs, values and attitudes that a person inherits from a society or a group that they are in and they learn how to view the world and how to behave, these principles can then be passed down from generation to generation so that the culture that has been inherited can live on for
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
Nonmaterial culture is defined as: those things created by society that cannot be physically touched. The main examples of nonmaterial culture are symbols, values, language, beliefs, and norms. Symbols are anything that carries a particular meaning by those who share culture. Symbols vary within a society and change from time to time. An example of a symbol is Sarah’s story is the “Protect and Serve” badge. In this culture, police have a duty of maintain public safety and act upon violations of the law. As well as a symbol, law enforcement “protect and serve” is a value of Sarah’s culture. Values are cultural standards which people judge desirability, goodness, and beauty. Another main aspect a nonmaterial culture is language. Values are inconsistent within societies. The example of language in Sarah’s story is the police officer’s heavy southern accent. From this, we can guess that Sarah’s story was taken place somewhere in the south. A southern accent is an excellent example of nonmaterial culture in the south. Beliefs are statements that people hold to be true. For example, in Sarah’s story, she was wearing a “Survived Spring Break 2012” t-shirt. This may lead to officer believing that most college kids drink. We evaluate things based on our belief system, which are formed by our culture (Interactive Presentation). Norms are rules and expectations by which society guides the behavior of its members. We assume that our culture is the norm, but instead, it is learned and not genetic. The act of obeying the speed limit is a norm. The different types of norms are folkways and mores. A folkway is a norm for routines or casual interaction. An example of a folkway in Sarah’s story is driving ten miles under the speed limit after getting a ticket. She would normally not drive ten miles under the speed limit but she is because she got pulled over and it’s late at night. Mores are norms that are widely
Every human is unique because of the genetic diversity, and also their culture. Culture does not necessarily define a person, but it does influence one’s beliefs and values. Culture can be defined as shared patterns of behaviors, ways of thinking, and interactions that are learned through socialization. Your genetic make up, most likely, will not change, unless you are somehow introduced to radioactive substances. Culture, however, because it is learned, it can vary and it can change over time. When analyzing culture, people tend to focus on certain aspects such as religion, music, language, diet, and education. Culture seems to have a definitive and infinitive meaning. This means that while culture can focus on certain aspects of ones life, it is not confined to one particular definition. Culture can vary. My definition of culture is that it is a learned behavior due to family history, environment, and social interaction.
Culture has five basic characteristics: It is learned, shared, based on symbols, integrated, and dynamic (http://home.eartlink.net/~youngturck/Chapter8.htm).
Personally, I would define culture as a makeup of different groups that someone can relate to which in the end will form that person’s identity. Being born and raised in Ethiopia I can easily relate to Ethiopian culture, I can say in complete confidence that this is the culture that has had the most impact on my life. It has influenced me to be polite and to fight for what I believe in. It has made me polite, because it is the Ethiopian
Anthropologists define the term culture in a variety of ways, but there are certain shared features of the definition that virtually all anthropologists agree on. Culture is a shared, socially transmitted knowledge and behavior. The key features of this definition of culture are as follows. 1) Culture is shared among the members of that particular society or group. Thus, people share a common cultural identity, meaning that they recognize themselves and their culture's traditions as distinct from other people and other traditions. 2) Culture is socially transmitted from others while growing up in a certain environment, group, or society. The transmission of cultural knowledge to the next generation by means of social learning is referred to as enculturation or socialization. 3) Culture profoundly affects the knowledge, actions, and feelings of the people in that particular society or group. This concept is often referred to as cultural knowledge that leads to behavior that is meaningful to others and adaptive to the natural and social environment of that particular culture.
Culture has five basic characteristics: It is learned, shared, based on symbols, integrated, and dynamic. All cultures share these basic features.
Communication is a worldwide skill used among people to talk to each other and clarifybeliefs, thoughts and opinions or build relationships with one another; however, this is not the only form of communication. Non-verbal communication entails of communication without words; it is displayed by the body and actions of a person sharing them. This type of communication is important when understanding human behavior. Does non-verbal communication difference among cultures?
The world is characterized by increased contacts within different areas such as business, education, tourism and military cooperation resulting into communication between people from different cultural and linguistic background. This form of communication where the people involved in the conversation are from different cultural origins is known as intercultural communication. Intercultural refers to the communicative relation between people from different cultural background while communication is the use of language to establish an active relationship. Intercultural communication is of critical importance as it offers individuals with the ability to deal with people from different cultures which is increasingly important as the world become
The term “culture” refers to the complex accumulation of knowledge, folklore, language, rules, rituals, habits, lifestyles, attitudes, beliefs, and customs that link and provide a general identity to a group of people. Cultures take a long time to develop. There are many things that establish identity give meaning to life, define what one becomes, and how one should behave.