Communication 440/690 Panama 2015
Cultural Context
» The cultural context represents an accumulated pattern of values, beliefs, and behaviors shared by an identifiable group of people with a common history and verbal and nonverbal symbol systems
Communication 440/690 Panama 2014
Dimensions of Cultural Variability
» Individualism – Collectivism» High-Low Context» Value Orientations» Power Distance» Uncertainty Avoidance
Interaction
» The most basic of human activities• Talking • Living in groups
» Lies at the hub of culture
Association
» Complex organisms are really a society of cells, each with a function• Begins when two cells have joined
» The issue is one of organization• Pecking order
Subsistence
» Nutritional requirements• How does one eat and go about getting food
» This Primary Message System includes everything from food to a country’s economy
» Work is a key dimension of subsistence• Work and stigma?
Bisexuality
» (Not contemporary elided usage of the term) Sexual reproduction and sexual differentiation, the combinations of genes.
» Sexual differentiation is not about physiology» Gender is socially or culturally constructed
Temporality
» Life is full of rhythms and cycles» Tempos of speech» Time to eat» Time often an obvious cultural message
system
Territoriality
» Taking possession, use, and balance of life and usage of space
» History of mankind is often described as one group trying to get space from another
» Status and space
Learning
» Behavior modification, adaptive mechanisms, and the various patterns of learning as agents of culture.
» Tied to when animals became warm-blooded• Had to adapt to environment
» Learning by doing or watching or being told
Play
» Joking relationships, intimately interwoven with learning, competition primarily as displayed in the west versus vast continuum among various cultures with wider spectrum of vast degrees of enjoyment.
» Competition as play
Defense
» Through warfare, religion, medicine and law enforcement, internal or external dependencies, cross-culturally various degrees of contemporary compartmentalization.
Exploitation of Resources
» Elaboration or materials, in dress, tools, toys, books, signs of status, etc.
» Furniture takes the place of squatting» Telephone carries a voice over long distances» Clothes
Communication 440/690 Panama 2014
I A F G T S L P D U
Interaction AI FI GI TI SI LI PI DI UI
Association IA FA GA TA SA LA PA DA UA
Food IF AF GF TF SF LF PF DF UF
Gender IG AG FG TG SG LG PG DG UG
Time IT AT FT GT ST LT PT DT UT
Space IS AS FS GS TS LS PS DS US
Learning IL AL FL GL TL SL PL DL UL
Play IP AP FP GP TP SP LP DP UP
Defense ID AD FD GD TD SD LD PD UD
Use of Resources
IU AU FU GU TU SU LU PU DU