Intercultural Communication

Intercultural Communication: Core Elements

No definition of intercultural communication can satisfy every reader, nor can any theoretical position be acceptable to all researchers. There are, however, several elements of the intercultural process that are widely agreed upon. The four most frequently described include the distinction between objective and subjective culture, the contrast between culture-general and culture-specific approaches, the focus on cultural differences more than similarities, and the necessity for intercultural competence.

Drawing on a popular distinction in language education, interculturalists differentiate between objective culture, the creations of a cultural group—including art, music, literature, theater, dance, and so on—and subjective culture, the learned and shared values, beliefs, and behaviors of a community of interacting people. Constructed by its members, subjective culture is constantly undergoing transformations. It is not a thing, but a dynamic process. Intercultural communication's primary focus is examining interactions based on subjective culture, those less visible aspects of human interaction that present barriers to shared meaning. This focus on the micro rather than macro level of culture, and on the interaction process rather than culture analysis, begins to differentiate intercultural communication from other disciplines. For example, rather than observing only that a particular culture often uses emotionally expressive communication styles, interculturalists examine what happens when that expressive individual interacts with a person from a culture that typically prefers a more restrained style.

Many individuals who find themselves in interaction with a person from a specific other culture frequently seek culture-specific information, detailed cultural background about the Iraqi living next door, the Sri Lankan student in a class, or the Somali in the next office. Cultures have multiple options of how individuals may, for instance, apologize, compliment, provide feedback, resolve conflicts, or make decisions, but generally there is a preferred pattern. Individuals looking for such preferred patterns for a particular culture are hoping that pattern will explain some of the behavior they see. Interculturalists are careful to point out that while there is often a learned and shared pattern, nevertheless some members of the culture do not subscribe to that preference for a variety of reasons, and indeed it is unlikely that any single person will display “typical” patterns. It is the thoughtful exploration of these generalizations that comprises the culture-specific perspective.

On the other hand, many professionals recognize that they come into contact each day with dozens of cultures, and instead seek culture-general frameworks in order to more readily understand the patterns they may confront in any culture. Culture-general frameworks describe possible cultural patterns without necessarily describing any one particular culture. The field explores such culture-general frameworks as nonverbal communication, communication styles, cognitive [Page 1211]styles, value patterns, prejudice and power, identity development, and conflict styles, all with a unique cultural perspective on the interaction. Individuals can use these frameworks to begin to understand any culture.

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