Kevin Bedford module 1-1
Content
Kevin Bedford May 29, 2010 Chapters 1-3 Notes Most looking forward to studying aboard 1. Speaking Spanish 2. Food 3. Culture 4. Sun 5. People Worried about over seas 1. Safety 2. Health Things that I will miss 1. Food 2. Car 3. Family 4. Friends 5. Easiness of American lifestyle What I will miss least 1. Work 2. Same Lifestyle 3. American People Greatest Challenge - Communication with natives - Iceberg Concept - There is so much that we don¶t see about a culture. Like an iceberg, we only can get a small glimpse of what is on the surface but that¶s it. So much is left underneath. -Refined Culture - When abroad, be careful not to get caught in the attitudes of ethnocentrism, naïve realism, and stereotyping. - Culture Distinctions -Universal-refers to ways in which all people in all groups are the same -Cultural-refers to what a particular group of people have in common and how they are different from every other group -Personal-describes the ways in which each one of us is different from everyone else. -Mind of the Beholder -different ideas of certain concepts differ in culture. (time) -Individualist or Collectivist- I am individualist -Individualist- the needs of the individual are being satisfied before the group(America) -Collectivist- survival of the group comes before the individual (Mexico) -Personal and Societal Obligator -Universalism- To treat everyone alike -Particularism- Treat certain people differently. ( I am a Particularist) -Common Reactions to New Culture
-Culture Shock ± a state of loss and disorientation precipitated by a change in our environment which requires adjustment. Culture shock is a normal, healthy psychological reaction to the stress of living in a different culture. We experience feelings of tension and anxiety because we have lost familiar cultural cues. -Culture Specific ± refers to the distinctive qualities of a particular culture. It can also be a method of studying intercultural communication in which specific cultural characteristics of a group are studied, specifically those dealing with all aspects of communication of a particular culture that are distinct to that culture. -Culture Surprise ± reactions that occur shortly after arrival in a different culture when we see things that are different than we are used to. It usually occurs during the first few days of our visit as we initially become aware of superficial differences. Examples: people dress differently, signs are in a different language, nonverbal behaviors are different. -Culture Stress ± the fatigue that occurs when we practice new behaviors in a different culture. It is a fairly short-term response to "stimulus overload." This occurs when we begin to respond to the behavior of the "new" culture. Examples: trying to drive a car, doing our own shopping, hearing comments about ourselves in the local language.
-Levels of Cultural Awareness I. Unconscious incompetence - Blissful ignorance. At this stage, you are unaware of cultural differences. It does not occur to you that you may be making cultural mistakes or that you may be misinterpreting much of the behavior going on around you. II. Conscious incompetence -Realization that differences exist between the way you and the local people behave, though you understand very little about what these differences are, how numerous they might be, or how deep they might go. You know there¶s a problem here, but you¶re not sure about the size of it. III. Conscious competence -You know cultural differences exist, you know what some of these differences are, and you try to adjust your own behavior accordingly. It doesn¶t come naturally yet²you have to make a conscious effort to behave in culturally appropriate ways²but you are much more aware of how your behavior is coming across to the local people. You are in the process of replacing old instincts with new ones. IV. Unconscious competence
-You no longer have to think about what you¶re doing in order to do the right thing. Culturally appropriate behavior is now second nature to you; you can trust your instincts because they have been reconditioned by the new culture. It takes little effort now for you to be culturally sensitive.
-Concepts of time -Monochronic-Time is based on schedules, dealines, exc (America) -Polychronic- Time is servant of people. Time is very flexible (Mexico) -Returning Home -Returning home doesn¶t mean it goes back to normal, Culture shock is a common occurrence. -The familiar will be different and definitely cultural catching up to do - Boredom, reverse homesickness, relationships have changed are common occurrences when returning home -America tends to be a country that focuses on the individual and self improving to new levels constantly. We are in a constant state of competition and Mexico is a county that focuses on everybody and all of them improving together as a community. -Sharing the Rewards -If the case was that person A and C did 25% of work, B did 40%, and D did 10%, the logical way of splitting the money would be to take the percentage of work you did and multiply it by the total amount of money earned. However, in this case, this sounds more like a group project and that even though some people did more work than others, each of them were assigned a specific area to work on. Each should receive a fourth for their work in my opinion.\ Cultural Categories Compared -Age- Age is looked upon differently in Mexico then it is here in the United States. The US thinks of age and the younger you are, the more opportunities you have where as if you are old, there is not much left for you. In Mexico, age is looked upon with great respect. The older you are, the more experienced you are and are considered to be ³wiser´ then the rest of the community. Fate- Fate in the US is seen as something that you make for yourself. ³You are your own destiny´ is a common quote in the US. While in Mexico, I spoke with a religious person who believed that her fate had already been decided, and that she had to read the signs that God puts out in front of her. Change- The US views change as something good. It shows that we are constantly moving forward closer to perfection. Mexico does not oppose change but holds strongly onto their traditions, such as in their religious and family lives. Self esteem/self-worth- In America you are judged more on your personal achievements to gain esteem and honor in society. In Mexico, it is similar to the US way but more based on what you are born into, your seniority, or your position. Equality- Americans view that everyone is the same but no one is equal either, It is an
idea based around egalitarianism. In Mexico, they believe that everyone was created by God and that He does not have favorites so everyone is equal. Formality- Americans are a very casual people. Even when we greet people of importance, we still greet with a handshake and a ³how are you.´ In Mexico they have dedicated an entire form to show respect to people. I have a friend who lives in Korea and he told me that they have to bow to their grandparents every time they see them. Attitude towards doing- Americans are a society that wants to get things done. We are of no use if we are just sitting around. In Mexico, they believe that getting the job is important but if something more important comes up such as a family issue, that anything they are doing they will drop it and go to their family. The Body Speaks -In American we see it as important to communicate with our gestures, touch, hand movements, and eye contact. These are all forms of communicating, however, in other countries, not necessarily in Mexico, it can be considered rude to look at the person directly in the eye because it shows that you think you are superior to them.
-Culture Shock ± a state of loss and disorientation precipitated by a change in our environment which requires adjustment. Culture shock is a normal, healthy psychological reaction to the stress of living in a different culture. We experience feelings of tension and anxiety because we have lost familiar cultural cues. -Culture Specific ± refers to the distinctive qualities of a particular culture. It can also be a method of studying intercultural communication in which specific cultural characteristics of a group are studied, specifically those dealing with all aspects of communication of a particular culture that are distinct to that culture. -Culture Surprise ± reactions that occur shortly after arrival in a different culture when we see things that are different than we are used to. It usually occurs during the first few days of our visit as we initially become aware of superficial differences. Examples: people dress differently, signs are in a different language, nonverbal behaviors are different. -Culture Stress ± the fatigue that occurs when we practice new behaviors in a different culture. It is a fairly short-term response to "stimulus overload." This occurs when we begin to respond to the behavior of the "new" culture. Examples: trying to drive a car, doing our own shopping, hearing comments about ourselves in the local language.
-Levels of Cultural Awareness I. Unconscious incompetence - Blissful ignorance. At this stage, you are unaware of cultural differences. It does not occur to you that you may be making cultural mistakes or that you may be misinterpreting much of the behavior going on around you. II. Conscious incompetence -Realization that differences exist between the way you and the local people behave, though you understand very little about what these differences are, how numerous they might be, or how deep they might go. You know there¶s a problem here, but you¶re not sure about the size of it. III. Conscious competence -You know cultural differences exist, you know what some of these differences are, and you try to adjust your own behavior accordingly. It doesn¶t come naturally yet²you have to make a conscious effort to behave in culturally appropriate ways²but you are much more aware of how your behavior is coming across to the local people. You are in the process of replacing old instincts with new ones. IV. Unconscious competence
-You no longer have to think about what you¶re doing in order to do the right thing. Culturally appropriate behavior is now second nature to you; you can trust your instincts because they have been reconditioned by the new culture. It takes little effort now for you to be culturally sensitive.
-Concepts of time -Monochronic-Time is based on schedules, dealines, exc (America) -Polychronic- Time is servant of people. Time is very flexible (Mexico) -Returning Home -Returning home doesn¶t mean it goes back to normal, Culture shock is a common occurrence. -The familiar will be different and definitely cultural catching up to do - Boredom, reverse homesickness, relationships have changed are common occurrences when returning home -America tends to be a country that focuses on the individual and self improving to new levels constantly. We are in a constant state of competition and Mexico is a county that focuses on everybody and all of them improving together as a community. -Sharing the Rewards -If the case was that person A and C did 25% of work, B did 40%, and D did 10%, the logical way of splitting the money would be to take the percentage of work you did and multiply it by the total amount of money earned. However, in this case, this sounds more like a group project and that even though some people did more work than others, each of them were assigned a specific area to work on. Each should receive a fourth for their work in my opinion.\ Cultural Categories Compared -Age- Age is looked upon differently in Mexico then it is here in the United States. The US thinks of age and the younger you are, the more opportunities you have where as if you are old, there is not much left for you. In Mexico, age is looked upon with great respect. The older you are, the more experienced you are and are considered to be ³wiser´ then the rest of the community. Fate- Fate in the US is seen as something that you make for yourself. ³You are your own destiny´ is a common quote in the US. While in Mexico, I spoke with a religious person who believed that her fate had already been decided, and that she had to read the signs that God puts out in front of her. Change- The US views change as something good. It shows that we are constantly moving forward closer to perfection. Mexico does not oppose change but holds strongly onto their traditions, such as in their religious and family lives. Self esteem/self-worth- In America you are judged more on your personal achievements to gain esteem and honor in society. In Mexico, it is similar to the US way but more based on what you are born into, your seniority, or your position. Equality- Americans view that everyone is the same but no one is equal either, It is an
idea based around egalitarianism. In Mexico, they believe that everyone was created by God and that He does not have favorites so everyone is equal. Formality- Americans are a very casual people. Even when we greet people of importance, we still greet with a handshake and a ³how are you.´ In Mexico they have dedicated an entire form to show respect to people. I have a friend who lives in Korea and he told me that they have to bow to their grandparents every time they see them. Attitude towards doing- Americans are a society that wants to get things done. We are of no use if we are just sitting around. In Mexico, they believe that getting the job is important but if something more important comes up such as a family issue, that anything they are doing they will drop it and go to their family. The Body Speaks -In American we see it as important to communicate with our gestures, touch, hand movements, and eye contact. These are all forms of communicating, however, in other countries, not necessarily in Mexico, it can be considered rude to look at the person directly in the eye because it shows that you think you are superior to them.
