Intercultural Communication in Your Life

Edition: 2

Copyright: 2018

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Where groups of people gather, there is always an elephant in the room: difference. 

Elephants are remarkable, complex creatures which take up much space. Likewise, matters of race, culture, and difference require creative and complicated conversations—which moves us beyond “we are all alike” or “we all matter”—to understanding the significance of difference, as both a gift and a challenge. 

Intercultural Communication in Your Life teaches readers the essential nature of difference, what to do with difference, and how to see difference beyond deficiency. It provides a lens for understanding the complex networks of communication in which we dwell.

Readers are invited to study communication and culture as a part of their everyday lived experience including but not limited to popular culture, co-culture, worldview, race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, personal relationships, verbal/nonverbal communication, conflict, new media, and more.  

The NEW second edition of Intercultural Communication in Your Life:

  • Streamlines the vast research base for intercultural communication and speaks directly to the reader.      
  • Takes readers on a journey through many rooms, personal and professional. Readers will see many critical topics, theories, and dialogue embedded within this text—providing concrete and complex, but accessible approaches to studying and thinking seriously about culture and everyday life.
  • Incorporates an In Your Life organizing feature - a process designed to develop the reader’s critical thinking skills and make him/her a more reflexive communicator with the ability to adapt and continually improve.  
  • Is a perfect choice for a variety of face-to-face, hybrid, and online courses - including introduction to intercultural communication, cultural competence, communication and diversity, and more.  

PREFACE  

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS  

ABOUT THE AUTHORS  

CHAPTER 1: INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN YOUR LIFE     
Chapter Outline  
What You Will Learn  
Communication, Culture, and Diversity Defined 
Communication  
Culture
Diversity   
Cultural Rituals
Connecting and Engaging Intercultural Communication  
Cultural Awareness  
Cultural Competence
Mutual Respect  
Cultural Imperatives  
Examples of Diversity Across Communication Contexts  
Gender  
Ethnicity and Race  
Language Differences  
Religion and Spirituality  
People with Disabilities
Sexual Identity
Barriers to Communication, Culture, and Diversity  
Stereotypes  
Prejudice and Discrimination  
Ethnocentrism  
Hate Speech   
An Overview for Your Study of Communication and Culture  
Ethics     
Identity and Dimensions of Cultural Variability  
Assimilation, Acculturation, and Sojourning  
Verbal and Nonverbal Communication  
Conversations  
Group Communication  
Conflict
Social Class
Health 
Business and Professional Context
What You’ve Learned  
Review  
Reflect
Key Terms

CHAPTER 2: Ethical Dimensions of Intercultural Communication  
Chapter Outline  
What You Will Learn  
Defining Ethics
The Importance of Ethics in Intercultural Communication  
Ethical Considerations  
The Ethics of Electronic Communication  
Ethical Responsibility  
Adapting to the Audience  
Ethical Responsibility Strategies  
Some Ethical Perspectives  
Religious Perspective  
Human Nature Perspective  
Dialogical Perspective  
Situational Perspective  
What You’ve Learned  
Review  
Reflect
Key Terms

CHAPTER 3:  Culture and Identity  
Chapter Outline
What You Will Learn
The Nature of Identity
Identity as Self
Functions of Identity 
The Connection Between Identity and Face
Theories and Models of Identity
Self-Aspects Model of Identity 
Social Identity Theory
Communication Theory of Identity
Implications of Cultural Identity
Ethnic Identity  
Age  
Gender and Sex
Negotiating Between Identities
What You’ve Learned 
Review
Reflect
Key Terms

CHAPTER 4: Sojourning, Assimilating, and Acculturating  
Chapter Outline  
What You Will Learn  
Sojourning   88 Assimilating   92   Acculturating   95   Cross-Cultural Adaptation   97   Models and Perspectives of Cultural Adaptation  
Influences on Adaptation
What You’ve Learned 
Review
Reflect
Key Terms

CHAPTER 5:  Intercultural Dimensions of Verbal and Nonverbal Communication  
Chapter Outline
What You Will Learn
Verbal Communication  
The Relationship Between Verbal and Nonverbal Codes  
Language: As Barrier and Bridge  
Hate Speech  
Racial Slurs  
The Connection Between Language and Culture  
Sapir–Whorf Hypothesis and Other Language Theories  
Using Words Inclusively and with Sensitivity  
Nonverbal Communication  
Environment  
Perceptions of Environment  
Reactions to Environment  
Chronemics  
Proxemics  
Sex and Sexual Identity  
Territoriality  
Haptics  
Types of Touch  
Appropriateness of Touch  
Culture and Touch  
Physical Appearance  
Body Type, Shape, and Size  
Kinesics  
Categories of Kinesics  
Face and Eyes  
Eye Behavior  
What You’ve Learned  
Review  
Reflect
Key Terms

CHAPTER 6: Conversing and Relating in Intercultural Contexts  
Chapter Outline  
What You Will Learn  
Conversational Turn-Taking  
Language and Culture in Conversation  
Emotional Expression in Conversation  
Display Rules and Cultural Variations  
Emotional Intelligence
Building Bridges, Building Relationships  
Challenges and Rewards of Intercultural Relationships  
Romantic Relationships  
Intercultural Friendships  
Relational Dialectics  
What You’ve Learned  
Review  
Reflect
Key Terms

CHAPTER 7: Intercultural Issues in Group Communication  
Chapter Outline 
What You Will Learn 
Group Communication in Context  
The Nature of Groups and Teams 
Functional Perspective of Small Groups 
Diversity Characteristics  
Psychological and Personality Differences 
Dimensions of Cultural Variation 
In-Group and Out-Group Distinctions 
Minding the Gap: Overcoming Differences in Groups 
What You’ve Learned  
Review 
Reflect 
Key Terms

CHAPTER 8:  Intercultural Communication and Conflict
Chapter Outline  
What You Will Learn  
Understanding Conflict
What Is Conflict?
Cultural Variations in Attitudes Toward Conflict
Types of Conflict
Differences and Their Influence on Conflict Interaction
Conflict Styles
Intercultural Influences on Conflict Styles
Sex Differences in Conflict
Face-Negotiation Theory
Making the Most of Conflict
Introducing Conflict
Managing Conflict
Principled Negotiation
What You’ve Learned
Review  
Reflect
Key Terms

CHAPTER 9:  Communicating Social Class and Understanding the Culture of Poverty  
Chapter Outline
What You Will Learn  
Defining Social Class  
Ascription  
Achievement  
Capital  
Why Is Social Class Important?  
Social Construction of Social Class  
Understanding the Culture of Poverty  
Defining Poverty  
Financial Resources  
Emotional Resources  
Mental Resources  
Spiritual Resources  
Physical Resources  
Support Systems  
Relationships/Role Models  
Knowledge of Hidden Rules  
Key Points and Statistics About Poverty  
What You’ve Learned  
Review  
Reflect  
Key Terms

CHAPTER 10:  Intercultural Issues in Health, Wellness, and Medicine  
Chapter Outline  
What You Will Learn  
Defining Health and Health Communication
Worldviews and Perspectives  
Biomedical and Biopsychosocial Models of Health Care  
Western and Eastern Perspectives  
Interpersonal Issues of Health  
Bridging Cultural Differences in the Conversation  
Ethnic Differences  
Gender and Sex Differences  
Disability  
Ageism and Older Adults  
Bridging the Cultural Gap  
Diversity Within the Health Care Organization  
Health Care Access and Marginalization  
Marginalized Populations  
Health Literacy  
What You’ve Learned  
Review  
Reflect
Key Terms

CHAPTER 11: Intercultural Communication in Business and Professional Contexts
Chapter Outline  
What You Will Learn   
Fostering Culture and Diversity in the Workplace  
Diversity Initiatives in the Workplace  
Diversity and Customer Relations  
Fostering Cultural Competence in the Workplace  
Interviewing Through the Cultural Lines  
Discrimination in the Workplace  
Power in the Workplace  
What You’ve Learned  
Review  
Reflect  
Key Terms

GLOSSARY

REFERENCES  

INDEX

Shawn Wahl

Dr. Shawn Wahl is the Founding Dean of the Judith Enyeart Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities (RCASH) and Professor of Communication at Missouri State University (MSU). Shawn’s most notable accomplishment in higher education leadership is facilitating the largest scholarship and structural private eight-figure gift in university history. He has served in the Dean role since 2017 and as Department Head of Communication at MSU from 2012 to 2017. Prior to MSU, he served as the Department Head of Communication, Mass Media & Theatre at Angelo State University and as the Founding Director of Graduate Studies at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi. Dr. Wahl was the 2016 President of the Central States Communication Association (CSCA). He has authored numerous books, including Public Speaking: Essentials for Excellence; Nonverbal Communication for a Lifetime; The Communication Age: Connecting and Engaging; Business and Professional Communication: KEYS for Workplace Excellence; Persuasion in Your Life; Intercultural Communication in Your Life; Public Relations Principles: Bridging Theory and Practice and Organizational Communication:  Strategies for Success. He has published articles in Communication Education, Communication Research Reports, Communication Studies, Communication Teacher, Journal of Family Communication, and the Basic Communication Course Annual. Dr. Wahl and colleagues received the Distinguished Article Award: Instructional Development Division (IDD) National Communication Association (NCA), 2021. Shawn completed two executive leadership programs at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, the Management Development Program (MDP, 2016), and the Institute for Educational Management (IEM, 2022). In addition, Shawn is an experienced organizational communication consultant and executive leadership coach in various industries (e.g., commodity trading, mining, oil and gas, and health care).

Jake Simmons

Jake Simmons, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Communication, Director of The Master of Arts in Communication Graduate Program at Missouri State University, has published articles in a variety of national and international academic journals, including Communication Education, Text and Performance Quarterly, Communication Teacher, Departures in Critical Qualitative Research, Technoculture: A Journal of Technology and Society, and others. Jake serves on the editorial board for a number of National Communication Association journals. He is co-editor of Digital Horizons, a recurring section in Liminalities: A Journal of Performance Studies. He is an active member of The National Communication Association, Central States Communication Association, and The International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry. In addition, Jake has presented to various groups on the importance of intercultural communication and diversity and inclusion on college campuses. 

Jeffrey McCune, Jr.

Jeffrey Q. McCune, Jr., Ph.D., Associate Professor of African & African American Studies and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, is the author of the award-winning book Sexual Discretion: Black Masculinity and the Politics of Passing. He is presently completing two book projects. The first, Read!: An Experiment in Seeing Black, and the other On Kanye: A Philosophy of Black Genius. He has published in a variety of journals, which include Text and Performance Quarterly and QED: A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking. Jeffrey serves on the editorial board of numerous journals, while being an active member of the National Communication Association and the American Studies Association. He has directed several initiatives which advance diversity and inclusion within and outside college communities. For his work at the intersections, of race gender, and sexuality, Jeffrey has been featured on Left of Black, Sirius XM’s Joe Madison Show, HuffPost Live, NPR and as a guest expert on Bill Nye Saves The World.

Where groups of people gather, there is always an elephant in the room: difference. 

Elephants are remarkable, complex creatures which take up much space. Likewise, matters of race, culture, and difference require creative and complicated conversations—which moves us beyond “we are all alike” or “we all matter”—to understanding the significance of difference, as both a gift and a challenge. 

Intercultural Communication in Your Life teaches readers the essential nature of difference, what to do with difference, and how to see difference beyond deficiency. It provides a lens for understanding the complex networks of communication in which we dwell.

Readers are invited to study communication and culture as a part of their everyday lived experience including but not limited to popular culture, co-culture, worldview, race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, personal relationships, verbal/nonverbal communication, conflict, new media, and more.  

The NEW second edition of Intercultural Communication in Your Life:

  • Streamlines the vast research base for intercultural communication and speaks directly to the reader.      
  • Takes readers on a journey through many rooms, personal and professional. Readers will see many critical topics, theories, and dialogue embedded within this text—providing concrete and complex, but accessible approaches to studying and thinking seriously about culture and everyday life.
  • Incorporates an In Your Life organizing feature - a process designed to develop the reader’s critical thinking skills and make him/her a more reflexive communicator with the ability to adapt and continually improve.  
  • Is a perfect choice for a variety of face-to-face, hybrid, and online courses - including introduction to intercultural communication, cultural competence, communication and diversity, and more.  

PREFACE  

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS  

ABOUT THE AUTHORS  

CHAPTER 1: INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN YOUR LIFE     
Chapter Outline  
What You Will Learn  
Communication, Culture, and Diversity Defined 
Communication  
Culture
Diversity   
Cultural Rituals
Connecting and Engaging Intercultural Communication  
Cultural Awareness  
Cultural Competence
Mutual Respect  
Cultural Imperatives  
Examples of Diversity Across Communication Contexts  
Gender  
Ethnicity and Race  
Language Differences  
Religion and Spirituality  
People with Disabilities
Sexual Identity
Barriers to Communication, Culture, and Diversity  
Stereotypes  
Prejudice and Discrimination  
Ethnocentrism  
Hate Speech   
An Overview for Your Study of Communication and Culture  
Ethics     
Identity and Dimensions of Cultural Variability  
Assimilation, Acculturation, and Sojourning  
Verbal and Nonverbal Communication  
Conversations  
Group Communication  
Conflict
Social Class
Health 
Business and Professional Context
What You’ve Learned  
Review  
Reflect
Key Terms

CHAPTER 2: Ethical Dimensions of Intercultural Communication  
Chapter Outline  
What You Will Learn  
Defining Ethics
The Importance of Ethics in Intercultural Communication  
Ethical Considerations  
The Ethics of Electronic Communication  
Ethical Responsibility  
Adapting to the Audience  
Ethical Responsibility Strategies  
Some Ethical Perspectives  
Religious Perspective  
Human Nature Perspective  
Dialogical Perspective  
Situational Perspective  
What You’ve Learned  
Review  
Reflect
Key Terms

CHAPTER 3:  Culture and Identity  
Chapter Outline
What You Will Learn
The Nature of Identity
Identity as Self
Functions of Identity 
The Connection Between Identity and Face
Theories and Models of Identity
Self-Aspects Model of Identity 
Social Identity Theory
Communication Theory of Identity
Implications of Cultural Identity
Ethnic Identity  
Age  
Gender and Sex
Negotiating Between Identities
What You’ve Learned 
Review
Reflect
Key Terms

CHAPTER 4: Sojourning, Assimilating, and Acculturating  
Chapter Outline  
What You Will Learn  
Sojourning   88 Assimilating   92   Acculturating   95   Cross-Cultural Adaptation   97   Models and Perspectives of Cultural Adaptation  
Influences on Adaptation
What You’ve Learned 
Review
Reflect
Key Terms

CHAPTER 5:  Intercultural Dimensions of Verbal and Nonverbal Communication  
Chapter Outline
What You Will Learn
Verbal Communication  
The Relationship Between Verbal and Nonverbal Codes  
Language: As Barrier and Bridge  
Hate Speech  
Racial Slurs  
The Connection Between Language and Culture  
Sapir–Whorf Hypothesis and Other Language Theories  
Using Words Inclusively and with Sensitivity  
Nonverbal Communication  
Environment  
Perceptions of Environment  
Reactions to Environment  
Chronemics  
Proxemics  
Sex and Sexual Identity  
Territoriality  
Haptics  
Types of Touch  
Appropriateness of Touch  
Culture and Touch  
Physical Appearance  
Body Type, Shape, and Size  
Kinesics  
Categories of Kinesics  
Face and Eyes  
Eye Behavior  
What You’ve Learned  
Review  
Reflect
Key Terms

CHAPTER 6: Conversing and Relating in Intercultural Contexts  
Chapter Outline  
What You Will Learn  
Conversational Turn-Taking  
Language and Culture in Conversation  
Emotional Expression in Conversation  
Display Rules and Cultural Variations  
Emotional Intelligence
Building Bridges, Building Relationships  
Challenges and Rewards of Intercultural Relationships  
Romantic Relationships  
Intercultural Friendships  
Relational Dialectics  
What You’ve Learned  
Review  
Reflect
Key Terms

CHAPTER 7: Intercultural Issues in Group Communication  
Chapter Outline 
What You Will Learn 
Group Communication in Context  
The Nature of Groups and Teams 
Functional Perspective of Small Groups 
Diversity Characteristics  
Psychological and Personality Differences 
Dimensions of Cultural Variation 
In-Group and Out-Group Distinctions 
Minding the Gap: Overcoming Differences in Groups 
What You’ve Learned  
Review 
Reflect 
Key Terms

CHAPTER 8:  Intercultural Communication and Conflict
Chapter Outline  
What You Will Learn  
Understanding Conflict
What Is Conflict?
Cultural Variations in Attitudes Toward Conflict
Types of Conflict
Differences and Their Influence on Conflict Interaction
Conflict Styles
Intercultural Influences on Conflict Styles
Sex Differences in Conflict
Face-Negotiation Theory
Making the Most of Conflict
Introducing Conflict
Managing Conflict
Principled Negotiation
What You’ve Learned
Review  
Reflect
Key Terms

CHAPTER 9:  Communicating Social Class and Understanding the Culture of Poverty  
Chapter Outline
What You Will Learn  
Defining Social Class  
Ascription  
Achievement  
Capital  
Why Is Social Class Important?  
Social Construction of Social Class  
Understanding the Culture of Poverty  
Defining Poverty  
Financial Resources  
Emotional Resources  
Mental Resources  
Spiritual Resources  
Physical Resources  
Support Systems  
Relationships/Role Models  
Knowledge of Hidden Rules  
Key Points and Statistics About Poverty  
What You’ve Learned  
Review  
Reflect  
Key Terms

CHAPTER 10:  Intercultural Issues in Health, Wellness, and Medicine  
Chapter Outline  
What You Will Learn  
Defining Health and Health Communication
Worldviews and Perspectives  
Biomedical and Biopsychosocial Models of Health Care  
Western and Eastern Perspectives  
Interpersonal Issues of Health  
Bridging Cultural Differences in the Conversation  
Ethnic Differences  
Gender and Sex Differences  
Disability  
Ageism and Older Adults  
Bridging the Cultural Gap  
Diversity Within the Health Care Organization  
Health Care Access and Marginalization  
Marginalized Populations  
Health Literacy  
What You’ve Learned  
Review  
Reflect
Key Terms

CHAPTER 11: Intercultural Communication in Business and Professional Contexts
Chapter Outline  
What You Will Learn   
Fostering Culture and Diversity in the Workplace  
Diversity Initiatives in the Workplace  
Diversity and Customer Relations  
Fostering Cultural Competence in the Workplace  
Interviewing Through the Cultural Lines  
Discrimination in the Workplace  
Power in the Workplace  
What You’ve Learned  
Review  
Reflect  
Key Terms

GLOSSARY

REFERENCES  

INDEX

Shawn Wahl

Dr. Shawn Wahl is the Founding Dean of the Judith Enyeart Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities (RCASH) and Professor of Communication at Missouri State University (MSU). Shawn’s most notable accomplishment in higher education leadership is facilitating the largest scholarship and structural private eight-figure gift in university history. He has served in the Dean role since 2017 and as Department Head of Communication at MSU from 2012 to 2017. Prior to MSU, he served as the Department Head of Communication, Mass Media & Theatre at Angelo State University and as the Founding Director of Graduate Studies at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi. Dr. Wahl was the 2016 President of the Central States Communication Association (CSCA). He has authored numerous books, including Public Speaking: Essentials for Excellence; Nonverbal Communication for a Lifetime; The Communication Age: Connecting and Engaging; Business and Professional Communication: KEYS for Workplace Excellence; Persuasion in Your Life; Intercultural Communication in Your Life; Public Relations Principles: Bridging Theory and Practice and Organizational Communication:  Strategies for Success. He has published articles in Communication Education, Communication Research Reports, Communication Studies, Communication Teacher, Journal of Family Communication, and the Basic Communication Course Annual. Dr. Wahl and colleagues received the Distinguished Article Award: Instructional Development Division (IDD) National Communication Association (NCA), 2021. Shawn completed two executive leadership programs at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, the Management Development Program (MDP, 2016), and the Institute for Educational Management (IEM, 2022). In addition, Shawn is an experienced organizational communication consultant and executive leadership coach in various industries (e.g., commodity trading, mining, oil and gas, and health care).

Jake Simmons

Jake Simmons, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Communication, Director of The Master of Arts in Communication Graduate Program at Missouri State University, has published articles in a variety of national and international academic journals, including Communication Education, Text and Performance Quarterly, Communication Teacher, Departures in Critical Qualitative Research, Technoculture: A Journal of Technology and Society, and others. Jake serves on the editorial board for a number of National Communication Association journals. He is co-editor of Digital Horizons, a recurring section in Liminalities: A Journal of Performance Studies. He is an active member of The National Communication Association, Central States Communication Association, and The International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry. In addition, Jake has presented to various groups on the importance of intercultural communication and diversity and inclusion on college campuses. 

Jeffrey McCune, Jr.

Jeffrey Q. McCune, Jr., Ph.D., Associate Professor of African & African American Studies and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, is the author of the award-winning book Sexual Discretion: Black Masculinity and the Politics of Passing. He is presently completing two book projects. The first, Read!: An Experiment in Seeing Black, and the other On Kanye: A Philosophy of Black Genius. He has published in a variety of journals, which include Text and Performance Quarterly and QED: A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking. Jeffrey serves on the editorial board of numerous journals, while being an active member of the National Communication Association and the American Studies Association. He has directed several initiatives which advance diversity and inclusion within and outside college communities. For his work at the intersections, of race gender, and sexuality, Jeffrey has been featured on Left of Black, Sirius XM’s Joe Madison Show, HuffPost Live, NPR and as a guest expert on Bill Nye Saves The World.