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CHAPTER 2
The Cultural Context
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A Contextual Model of Intercultural
Communication
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Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 6e.
© SAGE Publications, 2015.
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Individualism
• Valuing personal independence
– personal responsibility
– freedom of choice
– personal autonomy
– achieving self-fulfillment
• Promoting the self
– talent and potential in each person
– pursuit and development of abilities
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Collectivism
• Groups bind and mutually obligate individuals
– a sense of duty to group
– interdependence to others
– harmony
– working with the group
– subordinating personal goals for the sake of
preserving the ingroup
• people are not seen as isolated individuals but
as interdependent with others
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Individualism—Collectivism
• How do individuals perceive themselves?
– “I am distinct and unique.”
– “I am a member of a family.”
• How do individuals relate to others?
– “What do I gain?”
– “How will this affect others?”
• What goals do they follow?
– “I want to win.”
– “I am a team player to help the group win.”
• What drives their behavior?
– “It is my right to do this.”
– “My duty is to my group.”
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Behavioral Traits Associated With
Individualism and Collectivism
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Levels of the Continuum
Cultural Level=
Individualism—Collectivism
Psychological Level=
Idiocentrism—Allocentrism
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Vertical and Horizontal Cultural
Orientations
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Horizontal individualism
Vertical individualism
Horizontal collectivism
Vertical collectivism
The Pancultural Self
• The idea that the individual self is pancultural
• i.e., the individual self is more fundamental to
self-definition than the collective self across
all cultures
• Motivation to achieve positive self-regard
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High-Context—Low-Context
• Restricted code
• Silence is valued
• Indirect, implicit
messages
• Examples: China,
Vietnam, and many
African cultures.
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• Elaborated code
• Silence is
uncomfortable
• Direct, explicit
messages
• Examples: the U.S.,
Switzerland, and
France
Value Orientations
•Values affect intercultural communication
•Like culture, values are learned
•A universal structure to values
•Condon and Yousef’s six dominant themes:
•self
•family,
•society
•human nature
•nature
•the supernatural
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Power Distance
“the extent to which the less powerful
members of institutions and organizations
within a country expect and accept that
power is distributed unequally.”
–Hofstede
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Uncertainty Avoidance—the degree to which
the members of a particular culture feel
threatened by uncertain or unknown
situations.
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