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Every single individual is a member of a specific culture that influences their worldview, opinions about different phenomena, behaviors, and daily activities. Additionally, the technological advancements and traveling give people a possibility to interact with others from all around the world, establish strong personal relationships with them, and enrich knowledge. For this reason, it seems essential to understand the concept of culture better and start doing that as soon as possible in order to prevent the appearance of cultural misunderstandings and conflicts.
In order to understand culture, it is primarily essential to define what it is. As suggested by Zimmermann, “culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts” (2017). However, the definition can go much further by taking into consideration the distinguishing features of specific nationalities, behavioral patterns and interactions, socialization, and cognitive constructs. In general, every single thing, such as clothes, food, language, music, character, and many more, is the constituent of a specific culture that is authentic and different from any other one in the world.
Since it is clear that every single culture is unique, it is useful to know the exact differences that can be noticeable. One of the most obvious differences is individualism versus collectivism. Some cultures, such as the one in the United States, points out on the importance of personal development, realization, independency, and autonomy (“Nine cultural value differences,” n.d.). Thus, in individualistic cultures the focus is on the one person and their achievements. At the same time, in collectivistic cultures, people are more likely to see themselves as members of groups and communities (“Nine cultural value differences,” n.d.). Collective harmony, social interdependence, and family are extremely valued by these cultures.
Most of the cultural differences can be noticed in the specificities of communication. For example, highly people-oriented cultures are usually extremely open and easy going. Individuals are much more likely to remain in close proximity, engage in deep conversations, and keep eye contact (Atkinson, 2020). On the other hand, all the actions can be seen as inappropriate by people from cultures that value privacy and a small number of people that a close and can share the most important moments with them. Very often, this specific difference leads to misunderstandings between cultures and prevents people from developing relationships. Therefore, people have to start educating themselves and adapt their behavior in order to engage in respectful and appropriate communication with those around.
To summarize, culture is a complicated subject that has to be researched thoroughly. While having a possibility to travel around the world, meet new people, and establish personal relationships with them, individuals have to educate themselves about the cultural differences that exists and can lead to misunderstandings. The ones mentioned are only a few from many differences that arise in cross-cultural communication. Learning more about them and training oneself to adapt can not only save time but also contribute to the creation of a meaningful friendship with another person.
References
Atkinson, G. (2020). 6 examples of cultural differences in business communication. Berlitz. Web.
Nine cultural value differences you need to know. (n.d.). Web.
Zimmermann, K. A. (2017). What is culture? Live Science. Web.
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