Time, Differing Cultural Conceptions of

Monochronic and Polychronic Perspectives of Time

The dominant Caucasian culture of the United States uses monochronic time; more collectivist cultures, such as Asian, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, and various refugee and immigrant groups from Africa, have a polychronic perspective of time. The effects of these conflicting views of time can be seen in mundane daily events such as being on time for school, appointments, or social events.

More significant conflicts can be seen in such arenas as business, education, media, health care, logistics, and special celebrations like weddings and funerals. Consequences can be severe for those failing to meet cultural expectations of time, whether deviating from schedules; being late for work, social engagements, or appointments; missing deadlines for completion of work; or exceeding time allotments.

Medical settings with diverse cultures lend themselves to serious misunderstandings. The dominant U.S. medical culture sees illness as having a trajectory in time and treatment, views patients as billable units of time, and follows a timetable in the administration of drugs. People from collectivist cultures, such as Latinos and Hispanics, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Hmong, may view the cause of illness from a more spiritual perspective or attribute it to an imbalance of elements. Thus, medical treatment might require significantly more time and attention to the patient in order to restore the spirit or the balance of elements.

School systems serving a culturally diverse population have special challenges, as perceptions of time can affect work completion rates, time spent on or off task, the expectation of individual expenditure of time versus collective group expenditure of time on a project, and parents’ involvement in and compliance with homework. A good example of this cultural diversity is the Los Angeles public school district, which serves 1 million students, with Asians and Hispanic/Latinos predominating.

Social and group gatherings provide additional examples of collisions in perceptions of time. The starting and ending times of the event; the length of time a guest is expected to stay; and the time allotted to eating, speeches, and other customary behavior can vary widely among cultures. For example, a white Protestant church service may last 60 minutes, whereas an African American Protestant service may last two hours. A Hindu wedding or Divali celebration may begin an hour or two after the published start time, whereas a municipal Fourth of July celebration can be expected to start on time. A civic Thanksgiving dinner may be scheduled for two hours in a hotel, whereas a community Eid celebration among Muslims might go on for four hours. If people are unaware of potential differences in the perception of time, they can feel frustrated, insulted, or confused.

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