Understanding How Different Cultures Communicate - Literature review Example

MISCOMMUNICATION by Student’s Name Code + Course Name Professor University City/State Date Miscommunication Introduction Among the many great problems faced in our modern society is the problem of miscommunication due to cultural differences (Mortensen and Ayres 1997, pg. 7). Miscommunication is defined as lack or failure of being able to pass on information. It is a situation where people are unable to communicate or understand each other well due to one or several underlying reasons (Coupland and Wiemann 1991, pg. 6). In most situations, one finds himself/herself in an argument or just staring at the other person speaking due to lack of understanding. Miscommunication sometime gives rise to reactions that are so much negative when one or several of the basic needs on the hierarchy of human needs are not met. Having all the basic needs facilitates communication within people (hall 2005, pg. 268). Travelling from one culture to another hinders the ability for the basic needs to be satisfied, thus making adaptation to new cultures more difficult (Hall 2005, pg. 269). Literature Review Different cultures equip their people with different ways of thinking, seeing, hearing and interpreting things (Cultural Barriers 2014, n.pg). This means that a word can have different meanings across cultures, even if people speak similar languages. The tendency of misunderstanding increases when different languages are used, as an interpretation has to be involved. The person interpreting may have a different meaning of what is being said, thus passing the wrong information to the listener (Moaghan and Goodman 2007, pg. 16). According to Collins and Walmsley (1992, pg 23), cross cultural understanding is interfered with by three different ways. The first one is ‘cognitive constraints’. This is defined as a reference point where all information is compared. A constraint in behavior is another thing that causes misunderstanding between people from different cultures. This is because each culture has their own rules about how people should behave properly, and this greatly affects the non-verbal as well as the verbal communication of an individual. According to Coupland and Wiemann (1991, pg. 41), looking into the eyes of the person speaking also called eye contact is essential in the USA. It shows that one is concentrating on the conversation and is interested in it. This is very different in Asian countries as keeping eye contact there shows disrespect. It may also mean that one is challenging the authority (Coupland and Wiemann 1991, pg 42). The distance between two people standing and talking among other rules have different meanings across cultures. Jacobsen (2005) in his research also found that the different uses of available physical space caused misunderstandings or misinterpretations between people. In some cultures, people are supposed to leave some space between them as they talk. This is especially if they are different sexes, while other cultures don’t have a problem with this (Maltz and Borker 1982, pg. 32). The third factor according to Collins and Wamsley (1992) is the constraints in emotions. How people display their emotions is regulated differently across cultures. Some cultures show much emotion while talking out issues. They clearly display their anger, frustrations, while others even cry among other feelings. Other cultures keep their emotions and feelings hidden; only sharing the factual emotions (Collins and Wamsley 1992, pg 26). On the other hand, Kryk (2012) in his research found out that the miscommunication between cultures is caused by the different values they exhibit. These include different attitudes, reactions and expectations. Having different communicating habits as well as styles also causes misunderstanding between people brought up in different cultures. Some people’s ways are very different but that is how they are and that is how they were taught how to communicate from a tender age. Habits of communicating include expectations of being wished and wishing everyone on the road a happy new year or merry Christmas. This habit is not present in all cultures (Kryk 2012, pg. 61). Speaking out loudly or quietly while giving speeches is also influenced by ones culture, while others might misinterpret that one is angry or sad. Other actions showed while communicating e.g. kissing ladies hands on the back or giving them a kiss on the cheeks might send a different message to people from other cultures where this is not acceptable (Where cultural miscommunication happens 2014). One going back home after living within a new culture for a long time posses to be hard, as one may have already adapted. Although many people do not understand, this means going back to a new culture again. The U-curve was extended to a W-curve after Jeanne understood the stages one undergoes when they go back home. This involves frustrations and time needed to readjust again to their own culture (Hall 2005, pg 287-288). In his book, Jacobsen (2005) states that one common thing usually misunderstood between cultures is humor. He talks of his own experience with communication breakdown while he lived in USA. During his 5 years stay, he worked at different restaurants where only Mexican men worked as cooks. During his work, he noticed how managers and servers never interacted with the dishwashers and cooks. Trying to bridge this gap, he started talking to them and everything seemed to go on well. Most of the workers understood English and so he thought bringing in some jokes to make them laugh would work well too. To his shock, he found out that some cultures did not entertain some forms of jokes while others took everything seriously. This brought him great trouble with some of the workers who never understood the difference between something serious and a joke (Jacobsen 2005, pg. 72). This is a common problem with people from some cultures. Jacobsen (2005) also talks of his another experience with miscommunication. As he talked with a Muslim friend, he forgot that Muslims respected older people that any other culture around the world. His Muslim friend was telling him that he was supposed to only listen and not respond as an older person was speaking to him. According to his friend, older people were wise and it was nice to listen to their advices and not argue it out. This was not right according to Jacobsen as everyone had a right to make their own decisions. Due to the cultural differences between them, they argued for long each one trying to make his point. The end result was only disappointments as they never agreed to each other. This is due to the different cultures they had been brought up into, being taught different values and behaviors (Jacobsen 2005, pg. 84). Methodology Understanding how different cultures communicate is an important step to effective communication. Miscommunication is found in almost all places, from schools and workplaces to shops and many other places and situations. This can cause a great disaster as different information is passed rather than the intended one (Collins and Wamsley 1992, pg. 90). The first step to understanding the problem of miscommunication and later solving is by carrying out surveys. A good example is carrying out research within the school. This is because the school is most likely to have students from many different cultures, who will act as a basis for the study. First, a person should prepare the questions, which he/she will ask the students. The questions should be diverse in order to cater for all the cultures present. Interviewing is the best option as one will be able to study the body languages and how the students respond. Carrying out the research is not a simple thing and one should be ready for anything. Being nice at free with the interviewees is a great step to correcting right information (Mortensen and Ayres 1997, pg. 101). Findings and Discussion I used the interview method in my research. Talking with my colleagues at school and asking them some questions proved to be the best method to collect data. After analyzing my findings, it was clear that miscommunication is mostly caused by differences in culture. Students from different cultures tend to behave differently on certain situations. Some went ahead and explained how hard it was to live within the country and even people with completely different cultures, which hindered their communicating process. Some are learning and adapting to the cultures of the places they stay to be able to interact well with others. Non-verbal communication is the most misunderstood by people who come from different cultures. Knowing how to handle cases of miscommunication is a great step in resolving the issue. Instead of discriminating people from other cultures due to how they communicate and trying to understand them will break the barrier existing. The first step in resolving is to understand the issues that cause the barrier in communication. If there are any difficulties in understanding one another, one should consider the possibility of differences in culture. It was evident from my research that it is forbidden to touch other people’s heads in some cultures, as it is a sign of disrespect. Understanding the cause of misunderstanding will help a great deal in avoiding future misunderstandings (Resolve Cross-Cultural Misunderstandings 2014). While resolving misunderstandings, one should also put into consideration the issue of culture. One should also understand that different interactions call for different responses. The people communicating might be using the same language but how they understand one another is affected by their cultures. Teachers are a group of people who should take into account having the knowledge of different cultures, and learning skills of intercultural communication. This will help them in their work if they have to deal with students who come from diverse backgrounds in terms of culture (Communicating Across Cultures, 2014). Verbal and non-verbal communications are also easily misunderstood due to the differences in cultural backgrounds. In order for one to succeed in avoiding misunderstanding while living with new people, acculturation is a great step to take. This is the process in which one becomes competent with the cultures of the new place that they are living (Hall 2005, Pg. 270). According to Hall (2005, pg 271-274), for one to have competence in intellectual communication they must undergo several stages which include understanding the U-curve model. This is the first stage followed by the Honeymoon stage. Crisis stage comes third followed by the recovery stage. Adjustment is the last stage and at this stage, one is able to live and interact with the people well. Conclusion Clearly, miscommunication is largely caused by differences in our cultures. Understanding the cultures of other people who we live with and interact with daily will help in reducing the chances of conflicts. It will also improve the relationships we share, thus improving the passing of information. We do not really have to understand their cultures, but knowing the basics will be enough. References Cindyking.biz, (2014). Where Cultural Miscommunication Happens - Cindy King's International Business Blog. [online] Available at: http://cindyking.biz/where-cultural-miscommunication-happens/ [Accessed 26 Oct. 2014]. COLLINS, R. J., & WALMSLEY, J. (1992). Japan-think, Ameri-think: an irreverent guide to understanding the cultural differences between us. New York, Penguin Books. Colorado.edu, (2014). Cultural Barriers. [online] Available at: http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/problem/cultrbar.htm [Accessed 26 Oct. 2014]. COUPLAND, N., GILES, H., & WIEMANN, J. M. (1991). "Miscommunication" and problematic talk. Newbury Park, Sage Publications. Education.vic.gov.au, (2014). Communicating Across Cultures. [online] Available at: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/careers/pages/communication.aspx [Accessed 26 Oct. 2014]. Hall 2005. How can we ucceed in our interultural travels. Chapter 9 JACOBSEN, J. L. (2005). Miscommunication in male/female conversations. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Arizona State University, 2005. KRYK, B. (2012). Intercultural miscommunication past and present. Frankfurt am Main, Peter Lang. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1054926. MALTZ, D. N., & BORKER, R. A. (1982). A cultural approach to male-female miscommunication. Language and Social Identity / Edited by John J. Gumperz. MONAGHAN, L. F., & GOODMAN, J. E. (2007). A cultural approach to interpersonal communication: essential readings. Malden, MA, Blackwell Pub. MORTENSEN, C. D., & AYRES, C. M. (1997). Miscommunication. Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage Publications. Sielearning.tafensw.edu.au, (2014). Resolve cross-cultural misunderstandings - Resolve cross-cultural misunderstandings. [online] Available at: https://sielearning.tafensw.edu.au/MCS/9362/Sterilisation%20disk%203/lo/7374/7374_00.htm [Accessed 26 Oct. 2014]. Read More