Assignment #21

Case Study Sample Analysis (to Case 1)

Many Americans shake hands when they meet someone, but to an American, the important things are the words and tone of voice. In other cultures, such as Eva’s, a greeting is not a real greeting if there is no physical contact. A handshake or a kiss is a way of showing respect. And Asian greetings are different, too. In most Asian cultures, there is no physical contact at all in a greeting. Respect is shown by not touching the other person.

Eva used the “rules” of her own culture to understand Mrs. Larsen. But she misunderstood her. To Eva, Mrs. Larsen seemed cold because in Eva’s culture a woman who greets another woman without giving her a kiss is cold. But Mrs. Larsen was not cold by the rules of American culture; she gave a warm smile and asked friendly questions. In fact, in Mrs. Larsen’s culture, to kiss another woman when meeting for the first time would seem very strange.

Another reason why Mrs. Larsen seemed cold to Eva was that she stood so far from her. Scientists, mainly anthropologists and psychologists, have studied personal space, or how far from each other people stand. How much personal space people need to feel comfortable is a cultural matter. For example, Americans feel comfortable with their friends at a distance of 18 inches to 4 feet. If someone stands closer, it is too friendly and the American feels uncomfortable. If someone stands farther than 4 feet away, he seems cold. But Latin Americans and Arabs normally stand closer than 18 inches from their friends. In those cultures, standing father than 18 inches seems unfriendly.

Greetings and personal space, like gestures, are examples of nonverbal communication, or body language. Some examples are eye contact, ways of moving, and touching. Nonverbal communication is an extremely important part of conversation. Some scientists believe that people pay more attention to body language than to spoken language. For example, Eva thought Mrs. Larsen was cold even though her words were warm.

So, to understand what people from another culture really mean, you must be aware of two things. First, you must pay attention to your own nonverbal actions. Second, learn the nonverbal ways of the other language. But both things are difficult to do because of the way deep culture works. Most people are not aware of their own nonverbal communication because it is so much a part of them: it just feels like the only natural way to act. So to learn about another culture, you must watch carefully how people act and how they react. In doing so, you may learn as much about your own culture as about others.

Case 1

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14