resolve conflicts.^96 This attitude toward problem solving by individualistic cultures is
evident in the number of U.S. lawyers, the frequency of lawsuits, and the requirement
to sign a lengthy contract for such basic services as a mobile phone or a cable service
account. Collectivistic nations, such as Japan and China, have far fewer lawyers and
prefer to resolve disputes through intermediaries.
These contrasting attitudes toward conflict give rise to quite different culturally
based communication styles. During intercultural communication events, the diver-
gent styles can result in confusion, misinterpretation, or even animosity between the
participants. Adherence to an indirect communication style to sustain amicable rela-
tions, as used in high-context cultures, can actually produce the opposite effect among
individualistic participants, who may well view the indirectness as duplicity. Con-
versely, the use of open, direct, forthright communication, common in low-context
cultures, can be perceived as rude and inconsiderate by collectivistic participants,
who will likely consider the interaction as face threatening.
The differences between face and facework across cultures are a function of dissim-
ilar cultural values. Just as we have discussed throughout this chapter, the differences
in cultural values have a direct and continuing influence on how you perceive the
world, behave, and communicate.
The hope is that you will be moti-
vated to learn more about variations
in cultural patterns so that you will
be able to understand, predict, and
even adapt to the behavior of people
of different cultures.Cultural Patterns and Communication
By now, you have probably realized that cultural patterns occupy a very prominent
position in the study of intercultural communication. This chapter has provided
only a preliminary overview of how cultural patterns can help you understand and
anticipate varied communicative behaviors that may arise during an intercultural
exchange. A succinct overview of the most common patterns and their influence on
behavior and communication is provided in Table 6.15.Developing Cultural Value Awareness
When someone wants to learn about another culture, it is easy to go to a website or
pick up a book that offers a general background on a country and commonly either
lists or provides concise paragraphs on how that culture differs from others. Usually,
these“differences”focus on such basics as greetings, introductions, business protocols,
dress, food, punctuality, gender issues, important holidays, and similar topical
subjects. This information is essential to gaining an appreciation of how a culture
can differ from your own but offers little or no actual understanding of the causes
that underlie those differences. In other words, they seldom provide insight into
what we consider to be a fundamental part of learning about other cultures—under-
standingwhycultural differences exist. Without an appreciation of why members of
another culture have beliefs and behaviors that differ from your culture’s, you can
inadvertently fall into the trap of simplistically viewing those differences as exotic,
strange, oppressive, or even misguided.CONSIDER THIS
Gaining an awareness of cultural values is essential to under-
standing another culture.238 CHAPTER 6•Cultural Values: Road Maps for Behavior
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