跨文化交际中的障碍

情感问题、态度问题

课本重点章节文字：

1. Ethnocentrism

All cultures teach their members the "preferred" ways to respond to the world, which are often labelled as "natural" or "appropriate. Thus, people generally perceive their own experiences, which are shaped by their own cultural fore, as natural, human, and universal.

1) Ethnocentrism Defined

Ethnocentrism refers to negatively judging aspects of another culture by the standards of one's own culture. To be ethnocentric is to believe in the superiority of one's own culture.

Cultures train their members to use the categories of their own cultural experiences when judging the experiences of people from other cultures. Our culture tells us that the way we were taught to behave is "right" or "correct", and those who do things differently are wrong.

2) Various Forms of Ethnocentric Attitudes

As a major barrier to intercultural communication, ethnocentrism may take one form or another in intercultural contacts. The following opinions are typical ethnocentric attitudes:

. Most other cultures are backward compared with my culture.

. My culture should be the role model for other cultures.

. Other cultures should try to be more like my culture.

. Most people from other cultures just don't know what's good for them.

. I have little respect for the values and customs of other cultures.

. Most people would be happier if they lived like people in my culture.

2. Stereotyping

Human beings have a psychological need to categorise and classify We have a tendency to make claims that often go beyond the facts, with no valid basis. These may be based on truth, but they are exaggerated statements regarding our belief about what a group of people are or should be. We call these claims stereotypes.

1) Definition

The word stereotyping was first used by a journalist Walter Lippmann in 1922 to describe judgments made about others on the basis of their ethnic group membership. Today, the term is more broadly used to refer to negative or positive judgments made about individuals based on any observable or believed group membership.

Who stereotypes? And who is the target of stereotyping? The answer to both questions is that anyone can stereotype and anyone can be stereotyped.

2) Categories of Stereotypes

Categories that are used to form stereotypes about groups of people can vary widely, and they might include the following:

. regions of the world (Asians, Arabs, South Americans, Africans);

. countries (Kenya, Japan, China, France, Great Britain);

. regions within countries (northern Indians, southern Indians, U.S. midwesterners, U.S. southerners);

. cities (New Yorkers, Parisians, Londoners);

. cultures (English, French, Latino, Russian, Serbian, Thai, Navajo);

. race (African, Caucasian);

. religion (Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian);

. age (young, old, middle-aged, children, adults);

. occupations (teacher farmer, doctor, housekeeper, mechanic, architect,  musician);

. relational roles (mother, friend, father, sister, brother);

. physical characteristics (short, tall, fat, skinny);

The consequence of stereotyping is that the vast degree of differences that exists among the members of any one group may not be taken into account in the interpretation of messages.

3. Prejudice

Prejudice refers to the irrational' dislike, suspicion, or hatred of a particular group, race, religion, or sexual orientation. Prejudice involves an unfair, biased, or intolerant attitude towards another group of people. An example of prejudice would be the attitude that women should not be in positions of power because they are not as logical or competent as men.

Prejudiced attitudes can take many forms, including irrational feelings of dislike and even hatred for certain groups, biased perceptions and beliefs about the group members that are not based on direct experiences and firsthand knowledge, and the readiness to behave in negative and unjust ways toward members of the group. For example, individuals can hold prejudices against others based on their skin colour, foreign accent or local dialect, cultural or religious practices, and the like. In fact, the root of prejudice is seeing difference as a threat. Prejudice prevents people from seeing reality and often results in the indecent treatment of others.

4. Racism

Racism is any policy, practice, belief, or attitude that attributes characteristics or status to individuals based on their race. Racism involves not only prejudice, but also the exercise of power over individuals based on their race, Racism can be conscious or unconscious, intentional or unintentional.

Racism exists worldwide. In some Western countries, race is seen as a continuum rather than mutually exclusive categories. Racism appears in songs, insults and malicious' humour, employment ads written to discourage non-White applicants, 

At the cultural level, racism denies the existence of the culture of a particular group; for example, the denial that African Americans represent a unique and distinct culture that is separate from both European American culture and all African cultures. Cultural racism also involves the rejection by one group of the beliefs and values of another, such as the negative evaluations by whites of black cultural values.

跨文化交际中的障碍

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