Communication Between Cultures

emphasizes the importance of the group. Arab culture teaches that the needs of the group

are more important than the needs of one person.^110

In collective Arab families, people“share work, income, and expenses as a single

economic unit.”^111 Arab families, as part of their collective orientation, have through

the centuries developed a keen sense of family loyalty. Part of that loyalty was

reflected in a study that revealed that there is special closeness between Arab youth

and their parents even though they were raised with a large series of rules that

restricted their conduct.^112

Not only has the Arab view of collective families been a tradition for thousands of

years, but this key value travels with families as they move from place to place. For

example, Arab Americans maintain a very traditional view of the collective family,

even in the United States. They continue to have“large families in which all aunts,

uncles, cousins and grandparents are considered part of the immediate family, even if

there is only one breadwinner in the household.”^113

Japan is another culture where collectivism is manifested in the family. Newman

offers a summary of the Japanese view of collectivism:“People consider duty, sacrifice,

and compromise more desirable traits than personal success and individual achieve-

ment. They assume that group connections are the best guarantee for an individual’s

well-being. Hence, feelings of group loyalty and responsibility for other members tend

to be strong.”^114 In Japanese families“individuals are encouraged to find fulfillment

for their needs within the family and to put the collective interests of the group

before their own personal interests.”^115 Japanese parents also expect their children to

be compliant“and avoid confrontations”that might disturb the harmony within the

family.^116 So strong are these family ties that children often live with their parents

until they are married. This sort of tight bond creates values such as loyalty and har-

mony that become part of a person’s entire life. The Japanese have a saying that reaf-

firms the allegiance and duty children have to their parents:“If your parents are

living, don’t go on a long trip.”

The Chinese perception of collectivism is deeply rooted in Confucianism, and

“family interests are placed above those of society and other groups within it.”^117

The importance of the family has been linked historically not only to Confucianism

but also to the geographic nature of China. Because vast areas of the country are

widely separated, most Chinese have always felt detached from the central govern-

ment. There is an important Chinese proverb reminding people that loyalty to family

supersedes all other commitments:“Heaven is high and the Emperor is far away.”

Hence, family devotion goes before any other institution, including the economic

forces of globalization. Kissinger examines this essential value and how it might be

manifested in the economic arena:

Nepotism is a special problem, in any event, in a culture as family oriented as the

Chinese. In times of turmoil, Chinese turn to their families. In all Chinese societies

whether it is China, Taiwan, Singapore, or Hong Kong—ultimate reliance is placed on

family members, who in turn benefit in ways determined by family criteria rather than

abstract market forces.^118

So strong is the value of loyalty that ethnographic studies suggest that Chinese chil-

dren are raised in a manner that teaches them that they should not bring shame to their

family, which would be perceived as a lack of devotion. Hence, in China,“Children are

socialized to be conscious of what others think of them and are expected to act so as to

Cultural Variants in Family Interaction 91

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