Interpersonal Communication - Essay Example

Running head: Communication Communication s Communication Through the process known as “Enculturation”, people identify themselves and behave according to what is called cultural display rules. The word “Culture” has a diverse standing and it varies and differs from another culture along set dimensional lines. Anthropologists have, for years, studied people and watched generations after generations, and have concluded that people are very clearly and deeply involved in the culture they were brought up in. whether it makes them similar, or different, Anthropologists know that people are deeply influenced by their cultures (Bentley; p 34). Culture and cultural interaction is set on a system of many signs and symbols, shared by the natives of the culture. Every culture has“logic” and has a sense of semiosis. (Bentley; p 38) Culture grows and moves from one generation onto the next. People, who are born in a culture, maintain it and then pass it on to their children; this is a combined production of meaning in their lives. (Bentley p 40) People interact with each other, communicate through signs and symbols. They act out their lives in kinship groups, clans or tribes. These are known as “cultural spheres”. The knowledge of these rules, norms and symbols, are passed from one generation onto the next, from an older to a younger. Forms of non-verbal communication are passed on along with verbal communication.(Henslin; p 65) Cultures have boundaries which can be interchanged and are permeable. Variability in cultural patterns is as expected as the contrasts between different cultures. The variability is because of different places, different religions, different beliefs and differences in daily patterns of life. But sometimes, people living in 2 different cultures can sometimes be similar. Like they share in the common tasks of growing up, living their life, and eventually, dying.(West & Turner; p 56) Modern day technology such as television, films and other digital media, has rapidly changed the net of traditional culture. All these things, at first were constricted to the United States of America have now dispersed all over the world and into countries with rich cultural backgrounds such as Japan. And now, countries which were as different from each other, culturally as water is from oil, are now all part of a new technology-based culture. People seem to be constructing, what is now popularly known as a “global village”( Macionis & Plummer; p 78) Traditional cultures do exist today and they are the source of examples for nonverbal communication. The best way to view and understand nonverbal communication is through “interactionism”. It’s a creative and somewhat dynamic process and focuses on the symbolic meaning of human communication.( Mehrabian; p 104) People create meanings for their life. They create and enact lines of action, nonverbal communication, nonverbal action and performance, as and when they adjust to, influence and interact with other people and take part in events in their lives. Humans being social animals, not only act in groups of small numbers but they also interact and engage in cultural practices with large groups of people. Though not all members of a particular culture think and act alike. Within cultures, there are ethnic groups who have a separate way of life and that differs them from the mainline culture. The word “culture” doesn’t mean people who think alike, act alike. It’s a broad term and sometimes includes groups without giving a lot of attention, or specific attention to the thoughts, feelings and way of life of every single individual. (Womack; p 129) The word culture has multiple meanings. For instance, popular culture is often associated with mass communications. People themselves decide what to read, what to watch on Television, and what event to attend. Then there is the “high culture” in which there is a set of social activities which are preferred by a few people in the society. The perception is that well educated people prefer classical music, art and archaeological activities. On the other hand, popular culture involves everything from television to radio to books to newspapers. Imbedded in all cultures are Values. These values are the centre of a child’s cultural upbringing. For example, if society accepts openness and expressiveness, people will show these “values” in their behavior and actions while interacting with other people. (Alexander; p 67) These values are a person’s guide on how to act in society. The cultural background is what influences the person to act the way he does. For example, if the culture of a person values nonverbal communication more than verbal communication, the person will have strong body language and will communicate more through gestures rather than words. In different cultures, symbols and signs are used differently to depict different meanings in life. The human body is one of the things, which represent different things in accordance with the culture, ranging from Mayans, who painted bodies black to represent evil and the underworld. Long hair represented strength, as shown in the story of Samson and Delilah. The human body is also used to represent different castes in the caste system of the Hindus. The human head represented the Brahmins, the highest class. And the feet represented the Shudras, the lowest class. The human body also depicted greatness and beauty, as the Roman and Greeks, gods and goddesses were male and female images. In a nutshell, the human body is the ultimate symbol. (Johnson; p 87) These symbols are products and representations of our culture. Everything has a different meaning in every culture. They have a life of their own and represent cultural beliefs, customs and practices. Everything is symbolic of one thing or the other. The human language, the human body, in some cases the human tools are also representatives. They carry coded information and they are decoded by people who use them.(Fowler; p 40) They are iconic and may even represent nations. For example, Elvis Presley is an icon of music to many, to others he’s an American Icon. The statue of Liberty, is an Icon of hope, depicted as such by people who immigrated to the United States of America. Christianity is represented by the cross, the swastika, which was once a respected and honored symbol in India was used by Hitler and automatically became something which is hated. Flags are the biggest examples of symbols, used to represent their culture, and the members of their society. People respond to these signs and symbols. And these are then used as a form of cultural transmission.(Browne & Fishwick & Browne; p 35) In today’s modern world, modern symbols are used and have given a whole new meaning to the word “representative”. The logos of different, modern day and powerful companies are used all around the globe and have ended up influencing various cultures. These symbols are effective to the point that their names bring up images and influence people. The names “Hershey’s” and “Nestle’” automatically make people think of chocolates. But of course there are many countries that aren’t familiar with the western symbols and their language do not include the names of the products, but these products have spread out all over the world in places like New Guinea and India. Then there is Iconography, in which visual symbols are used to portray cultures. These are sometimes sacred, sometimes they are global. The tall minarets of the mosques depict the Muslim world, as are the face covering veils worn by Muslim women. (Browne & Fishwick & Browne; p 87) What we must remember is culture is an important and necessary part of conflict and conflict resolution. Cultures are interwoven into the lives of people, in their relationships and give us messages that help us shape up our judgments of others, perceptions, attributions and ideas of self. It is very powerful but unconscious and influences conflict, and attempts to resolve that conflict in indiscernible ways. Two things must always be remembered about culture, they always change and they are related to symbolic dimensions of life. The symbolic dimension is where we enact our identities and make meanings out of life. (Bentley; p 104) As it is universally known, cultures are a part of every conflict because conflicts are there in relationships. Everything we do related to conflicts, it is affected by the culture. Culture is always a part of conflict, whether it plays a central role or influences it from the sidelines. Whenever there’s a conflict that hits a nerve, about our identity or where we have meaning, there are always cultural components. The biggest example is the India-Pakistan conflict that is being fought over Kashmir. This conflict is not only territorial but its also a conflict about representation, different identities, acknowledgment, ways of living and making meaning. (Bentley; p 112) When it comes to conflict resolution, there’s a very simple approach to it, and that is cultural fluency, since culture is a factor in most conflicts. It involves respecting, recognizing, and acting accordingly from the knowledge that ways of naming, communication, framing, and resolving conflict, Identities, all these things vary across different cultures. References Alexander, R.D. (1987). The biology of moral systems. New Jersey: Aldine Transaction. Bentley, K.A. (2003). Whose right it is anyway?: equality, culture and conflicts of rights. Cape Town: HSRC Press. Browne, R.B., Fishwick, M.W., & Browne, K.O. (1990). Dominant symbols in popular culture. Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. Fowler, L. (1987). Shared symbols, contested meanings: Gros Ventre culture and history, 1778-1984. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Henslin, J.M. (2000). Essentials of sociology: a down-to-earth approach. Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon. Johnson, R.M. (1992). The Picture Communication Symbols. 2nd ed. Mayer-Johnson. Macionis, J.J., & Plummer, K. (2002). Sociology: A Global Introduction. 2nd ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Mehrabian, A. (2007). Nonverbal communication. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. West, R., & Turner, L.H. (2008). Understanding Interpersonal Communication. Stamford: Cengage Learning. Womack, M. (2005). Symbols and meaning: a concise introduction. Lanham: Rowman Altamira. Read More

Though not all members of a particular culture think and act alike. Within cultures, there are ethnic groups who have a separate way of life and that differs them from the mainline culture. The word “culture” doesn’t mean people who think alike, act alike. It’s a broad term and sometimes includes groups without giving a lot of attention, or specific attention to the thoughts, feelings and way of life of every single individual. (Womack; p 129) The word culture has multiple meanings. For instance, popular culture is often associated with mass communications.

People themselves decide what to read, what to watch on Television, and what event to attend. Then there is the “high culture” in which there is a set of social activities which are preferred by a few people in the society. The perception is that well educated people prefer classical music, art and archaeological activities. On the other hand, popular culture involves everything from television to radio to books to newspapers. Imbedded in all cultures are Values. These values are the centre of a child’s cultural upbringing.

For example, if society accepts openness and expressiveness, people will show these “values” in their behavior and actions while interacting with other people. (Alexander; p 67) These values are a person’s guide on how to act in society. The cultural background is what influences the person to act the way he does. For example, if the culture of a person values nonverbal communication more than verbal communication, the person will have strong body language and will communicate more through gestures rather than words.

In different cultures, symbols and signs are used differently to depict different meanings in life. The human body is one of the things, which represent different things in accordance with the culture, ranging from Mayans, who painted bodies black to represent evil and the underworld. Long hair represented strength, as shown in the story of Samson and Delilah. The human body is also used to represent different castes in the caste system of the Hindus. The human head represented the Brahmins, the highest class.

And the feet represented the Shudras, the lowest class. The human body also depicted greatness and beauty, as the Roman and Greeks, gods and goddesses were male and female images. In a nutshell, the human body is the ultimate symbol. (Johnson; p 87) These symbols are products and representations of our culture. Everything has a different meaning in every culture. They have a life of their own and represent cultural beliefs, customs and practices. Everything is symbolic of one thing or the other.

The human language, the human body, in some cases the human tools are also representatives. They carry coded information and they are decoded by people who use them.(Fowler; p 40) They are iconic and may even represent nations. For example, Elvis Presley is an icon of music to many, to others he’s an American Icon. The statue of Liberty, is an Icon of hope, depicted as such by people who immigrated to the United States of America. Christianity is represented by the cross, the swastika, which was once a respected and honored symbol in India was used by Hitler and automatically became something which is hated.

Flags are the biggest examples of symbols, used to represent their culture, and the members of their society. People respond to these signs and symbols. And these are then used as a form of cultural transmission.(Browne & Fishwick & Browne; p 35) In today’s modern world, modern symbols are used and have given a whole new meaning to the word “representative”. The logos of different, modern day and powerful companies are used all around the globe and have ended up influencing various cultures.

These symbols are effective to the point that their names bring up images and influence people. The names “Hershey’s” and “Nestle’” automatically make people think of chocolates. But of course there are many countries that aren’t familiar with the western symbols and their language do not include the names of the products, but these products have spread out all over the world in places like New Guinea and India.

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