Unit 8 Intercultural Personhood An Integration of Eastern

Unit 8 Intercultural Personhood: An Integration of Eastern and Western Perspective 2021/6/4 1

An idiom { If you are not in tune with the universe, there is sickness in the heart and mind. —Navajo Saying 纳瓦霍人(美国最大的印第安 部落)

Communication competence Communication Competence Communication competence is a social judgment that people make about others.

“The ability to become effective and appropriate in interacting across cultures”

Intercultural communication competence refers to the ability to accomplish effective and appropriate intercultural communication between communicators of different cultures.

1. The definition of acculturation Acculturation（文化适应）refers to an individual’s learning and adopting the norms and values of the new host culture.

2. Modes of acculturation a. Assimilation is a process in which members of an ethnic group are absorbed into the dominant culture, losing their culture in the process. b. Integration is a process of desiring a high level of interaction with the host culture while maintaining identity with their native culture. c. Separation and segregation Separation is when individuals prefer low levels of interaction with the host culture and associated microcultural groups while desiring a close connection with, and reaffirmation of, their native culture. If such separation is initiated and enforced by the dominant society, this is called segregation d. Marginalization (边缘化) Marginalization occurs when the individual chooses not to identify with his or her native culture or with the host culture.

The Process of Acculturation Home Separation Integration Segregation New Assimilation Marginalization

Strategies for Avoiding Culture Shock and Engaging in Intercultural Adaptation ▲Pre-reading Task: Please role-play the following scenario: A is an American student who comes to China to go on with his higher education and he has been in China for 3 months. Now he finds that he sometimes has communication problems with Chinese people and feels very low. B is an American student who has been in China for over 3 years and he tries to comfort A and also tells A how to overcome such problems.

{ “Culture Shock”, first identified in 1958 by anthropologist Kalvero Oberg, is a long term psychological stress and It refers to the traumatic experience that all human beings may encounter when entering a different culture or when they move to a completely new cultural environment.

{ { Culture shock u sually sets in the first few weeks of moving to a new enviro nment, though sometimes can t ake longer to s urface. Culture shock, like a disease , has causes, symptoms and cu res.

1. Symptoms of culture shock a. b. physical symptoms psychological symptoms

a. physical symptoms Physical symptoms are over-concern about cleanliness of food, bedding, and dishes, extreme stress on health and safety; fear or physical contact with anyone in the new country; great concern over minor pains and skin eruptions; craving “home cooking”; use of alcohol and drugs; and a decline in work quality.

Home cooking

Alcohol

b. psychological symptoms Psychological symptoms are insomnia, fatigue, isolation and loneliness, disorientation, frustration, criticism of new country, depression, nervousness, self-doubt, irritability, anger, and emotional and intellectual withdrawal.

Fatigue

Disorientation

Depression

Strategies for Avoiding Culture Shock and Engaging in Intercultural Adaptation a. Study the host culture b. Study the local environment c. Learn basic verbal and nonverbal language skills d. Develop intercultural relationships e. Maintain an intimate social network f. Assume the principle of difference/Remember your perceptual context g. Anticipate failure events

Reduce cultural shock as much as you can { Cultural adjustment----Two W The adjustment process in a new culture: 1)Honeymoon period; 2) Cultural shock; 3) Initial adjustment; 4) Mental isolation; 5) Acceptance and integration The “Re-entry” Adjustment Process: [1] Acceptance and integration; [2] Return anxiety; [3] Return honeymoon; [4] Reentry shock; [9]5) Re-integration

The relativity of cultural differences { “Culture, though diversified, distinguish one another not in nature but in degree; all cultures bear the characteristics of HC and LC which vary merely in proportion in any two cultures; one culture may be in favor of HC, yet it still contains a less proportion of LC…” (Wu Aizhen) { “I love you” in Chinese

Localization and Globalization of Cultures { Globalizations Chinese culture adopts features of American culture: the changes of Chinese culture American culture adopts features of Chinese culture: Speaking in a straightforward way does not necessarily mean honesty and those who are thoughtful of others and do not always call a spade should be appreciated; “the underprivileged” for the poor and “the involuntarily leisured” for the unemployed Localization: Each culture tries even hard to resist the influence of cultures in a dominant position

Toward an intercultural personhood { Increase intercultural awareness Watch carefully and be ready to ask foreigners what surprises you Pay attention to the cultural information embedded when you are reading literary works Dig up as much cultural information as possible from English movie and television series

Two principles to follow { The principle of never imposing any culture upon another culture without its selection { The principle of letting people live as they so choose

Planetary culture { Eastern mysticism holistic, spiritual orientation of the East { Western science and rationalism willful, rational approach to the life of the West “voluntary simplicity” （"自愿简单化生活方式"， 在美国甚至孕育了一个崭新的、可称之为反消 费主义的生活方式） a practical life style务实的生活方式

Intercultural person { An image of future human development { whose cognitive, affective, and behavioral characteristics are not limited but open to growth beyond the psychological parameters of his or her own culture

Eastern and Western World Views { Influences { East: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen { West: Greek, the Judeo-Christian traditions { 在宗教文化异质多元的美国, 作为美国社会主流 宗教信仰——犹太-基督教

禅 { Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism大乘佛教 which originated in China during the 6 th century CE as Chán. From China, Zen spread south to Vietnam, to Korea and east to Japan. { The word Zen is derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the Middle Chinese word 禪 Dzyen (Modern Mandarin: Chán), which can be approximately translated as "absorption" or "meditative state". { Zen emphasizes experiential wisdom in the attainment of enlightenment. { 通过日常的实践，感悟到真正的智慧

Universe and Nature { basic premise: teachings about our relationship to the nature of the universe and to the non-human natural world { People in the West: the universe was initially created, externally controlled by a divine power: dualistic, materialistic, lifeless { elementary particles of matter { essentially non-living

Eastern view { Holistic, dynamic, spiritual { vast, multidimensional, living organism { a continuous dance of creation: the cosmic pattern is viewed as self-contained and self-organizing

Eastern view { Everything in this dynamic world is fluid, ever-changing, impermanent { a sharp contrast: { This notion of the impermance of all forms and the appreciation of the aliveness of the universe in the Eastern world view is strongly contrasted with the Western emphasis on the visible forms of physical reality and their improvement through technological progress

b. Knowledge The knowledge component comprises various cognitive aspects of communication competence; it involves what we know about ourselves and oth ers, and about various aspects of communication.

Knowledge { The ultimate purpose of knowledge is to transcend the apparent contrasts and to “see” the interrelatedness and underlying unity of all things (Eastern ) { dynamic balance between the two { yin and yang { the all-embracing, holistic, intuitive, aesthetic continuum

Western view { Rationality { “discovered” reason , Plato { clear and distinct ideas by means of categorization and linear analytic logic of syllogism

Time { East: dynamic wheel { West: an arrow or a moving river

Communication { Eastern { the view of self and identity { accepts hierarchy in social order

Communication (continued) { Western view { strong ego identification { egalitarian--cooperative arrangement between two partners { individualism

Contrast { While the East emphasizes submission (or conformity) of the individual to the group, the West encourages individuality and individual needs to override the group

Interpersonal understanding { Intuition vs logical reasoning { verbal hesitance and ambiguity , silence vs. Eloquent verbalization { subtle, implicit, nonverbal, contextual realm and is understood aesthetically and intuitively vs. Direct, explicit, verbal realm relying heavily on logical and rational perception, thinking, and articulation

Communication Patterns { High-context communication { Low-context communicaiton

A synthesis { The mechanistic Western world view: describe and explain the physical phenomena we encounter : alienation from self and others { The analytical mind of the West had led to modern science and technology, but it has also resulted in knowledge that is departmentalized, specialized, fragmented, detached from the fuller totality of reality.

A Synthesis(continued) { The East does not encourage worldly activism or promote the empowerment of individuals to fundamentally change the social and material circumstances of life. { The Eastern view tends to work toward ego extinction (transcendence). It tends to encourage ego dependency and passivity since people feel locked into an unchanging social order.

Our task { Not to trade one view for another { but to integrate { not to create a homogeneous mass { but to continuously unfold a diverse yet organic whole

Complementarity { Potential benefits(to West): a heightened sense of freedom a heightened awareness of the aliveness of the universe the holistic, aesthetic component, in human nature and in the nature of all things is a factor that pacifies us to East: incorporating the Western functional, pragmatic interpersonal orientation into Eastern life is a drive for

Research Question { The Chinese culture is mainly shaped by Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism while the Western Culture was originated from the Greek and the Judeo-Christian tradition. Please compare the American Christian Culture and Chinese Confucius Culture and evaluate their influences to its respective modern society.