Chapter 6
Adapting to Others:
Bridging Culture and Gender
Differences
Mr. Quiros
Doral Academy Prep
Period 2/6
Culture and Communication
• Culture: a learned set of knowledge,
behavior, attitudes, beliefs, values, and
norms that is shared by a group of people
and shaped from one generation to the
next.
• Co-culture: A culture that exists within a
larger cultural context
Culture and Communication
• Intercultural Communication –
Communication between or among people who
have different cultural traditions.
• Culture Shock – Feeling of stress and anxiety a
person experiences when encountering a culture
different from his or her own.
• Worldview – Perception shared by a culture or
group of people about key beliefs and issues
such as death, God, and the meaning of life,
which influences interaction with others; the lens
through which people in a given culture percieve
the world around them.
Cultural Context
• Cultural Context – Information not explicitly
communicated through language, such as
environmental and non verbal cues.
• High Context – Culture that derives much
information from nonverbal and environmental
cues and less information from words of a
message.
• Low Context – Culture that derives much
information from words of a message and less
information from nonverbal and environmental
cues
Cultural Values
• Cultural Values – That which a given
group of people values or appreciates
• Masculine cultural values – Emphasize
achievement, heroism, material wealth,
and traditional male and female roles
• Feminine cultural values – Emphasize
being sensitive towards others and
fostering harmonious personal
relationships with others.
Cultural Values (cont.)
• Collectivist Culture – A culture perspective
that places a high value on collaboration,
teamwork, and group achievement.
• Individualistic Culture – A culture
perspective that values individual
achievement and personal
accomplishment.
Gender and Culture
• Instrumental orientation – a masculine approach that
involves assertiveness and action, in a “me against the
world” view of reality and the self.
• Expressive orientation – a feminine approach that
emphasizes connecting with others and fostering
harmonious relationships and community.
• Content dimension – the “what” of a communication
message; the verbal message.
• Relational dimension – The nonverbal elements of a
message, such as tone of voice and facial expressions,
that convey how message should be interpreted and
provide clues about the state of the relationship between
the interactants.
Barriers to Bridging Differences and
Adapting to Others
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Assuming Superiority
Assuming Similarity
Stereotyping and Prejudice
Different Communication Codes
Adapting to Others Who Are Different From
You
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Seek Information
Listen and Ask Questions
Tolerate Ambiguity
Develop Mindfulness
Become Other-Oriented
Adapt to Others