Intercultural communication (Single Spaced W/Cover Page) - Research Paper Example

This necessitates that, at times, one has to learn the culture of others for effective communication to take place (Redding & Stening 2003). This paper will discuss the various constraints that can affect intercultural communication with regards to American culture and the Venezuelan culture. The discussion is based on the comparison of the two cultures as exhibited from my own perspective as an American and that of a friend from Venezuela. The analysis is based on three main constraints namely cognitive, behavioral and emotional.

Cognitive constraints involve the world views from both cultures and how this impact on communication. Behavioral constraints involve an analysis of the rules about behavior from both cultures. Each culture has its own rules as regards behavior and these impacts on both verbal and non-verbal communication. Lastly, it is also a common observation that people from different cultures display their emotions differently while communicating. Other factors that will be brought out are the impact of education, social issues and economic status on intercultural communication.

The subject under comparison is named Rafa from Venezuela. Rafa is a 22-year old from a rich family background in Venezuela and is highly educated. From an analysis of the culture, I noticed that the in the country, the rich families usually dominate the economy of the country and they love discussing on issues that relate mostly to business. Although in the United States, his culture has not been affected too much as an observation of his behavior shows some strict adherence to some of the things they do in Venezuela.

Basically, Venezuela as a country has a diverse and complex culture that is influenced by people from different regions who made the country their home (Dinneen 2000). People from Venezuela depict a rich culture integrated in them as it will be shown in the analysis. The first thing to note in the culture of Venezuela is the