Connecting Across Cultures

by Beverlee Ludema, Psy.D.

 

"I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my

windows to be stuffed.  I want the cultures of all the lands to

be blown about my house as free as possible.  But I refuse 

to be blown off my feet by any."

 --Mahatma Ghandhi

 

The United States’ cultural diversity is increasing.  According to a Pew Research Center study, if current population trends continue, by 2050 non-Hispanic whites will comprise 47% of the US population and one in five Americans will be a foreign-born immigrant.  While diversity brings new opportunities for the adventurous to experience new foods, clothing, and philosophies, such rapid cultural shifts also increase confusion and anxiety.  Conflict, anger, and defensive reactions from either immigrant groups and/or the majority population within the United States can appear.  Developing skills to connect to others across cultural barriers can decrease conflict and create opportunities for understanding.

 

A basic understanding of “culture” is:  the integrated system of values and beliefs transmitted within an identifiable community. Everyone is deeply influenced by the culture in which they grow up and awareness of this influence is where connecting across cultures begins.  Befriending people from other cultures reveals ways in which culture shapes ideas and beliefs about the world.  Awareness of the profound effects of culture on everyone can inspire respect for differences as well as openness to learning about other cultures.

 

Attention to culture and its influence reveals many within-group differences, both large and small, that show variety within a culture, its subgroups, and their relationship to the broader culture(s) in which they exist.  Keeping this in mind helps to avoid stereotypical interpretations and to avoid overlooking the situations of minority groups.  Issues of racial identity development (which spans several phases and can take years to complete) for members of minority groups can influence acculturation.

 

When connecting across cultural barriers with immigrants to the United States, the attitude towards acculturation (adopting the behaviors and beliefs of the surrounding culture) is revealing.  Four basic attitudes towards acculturation are:  assimilation (abandonment of original culture), separation (rejection of surrounding culture), marginalization (rejection of both cultures), and integration (acceptance of selected aspects of both cultures).  The attitude toward the immigrant group by the majority group can be an influence:  ethnocentrism from either side can interfere with acculturation.  

The willingness to trust within the cultural group of interest is important.  The investment of trust tends to be faster in task-oriented cultures like the United States and slower in relationship-oriented cultures.  The latter tend to more highly value qualities of integrity, ability, kindness and benevolence.  

 

A related influence on adaptation is whether the group is migrating from a low- or high-context culture.  A high-context culture uses a communication style in which many things are left unsaid and assumed to be implicitly understood.  Words are chosen carefully to communicate effectively to a small group of insiders, simultaneously excluding outsiders.  In high context cultures, personal and professional dimensions of life often intertwine, and small, tight-knit groups that support each other are the norm.  Low-context cultures, like the United States, rely on more explicit verbal communication, expect more relationships but less intimate ones, and require more independence.  Revealing tacit meanings and giving feedback are behaviors that are valued by low-context cultures and emerge from the belief that making the implicit explicit increases understanding.  This requires personal qualities of openness, patience, and self-control.  A person moving from a high-context to a low-context culture may ask questions of the same few people rather than work independently and may feel frustrated if others tire of giving assistance and do not seem to want to form relationships with them in expected ways. 

Stories about cross-cultural relationships tend to focus on conflicts, tensions and failures.  There are, however, many stories of successful cross-cultural connecting.  Lincoln, NE, a community that has adapted well to an influx of Muslim Iraqis was recently described in an article in Parade Magazine.  This article says Lincoln (population 250,000) was described by the US State Department as a refugee friendly community in the 1970s.  Thousands of Vietnamese refugees settled there as well as immigrants from many other nations.  Between 5-7,000 Muslim Iraqis have come to call Lincoln home in the past 15 years.  Lincoln’s schools now have children speaking 52 languages.  Mayor Chris Buetler said, “I’m proud of how our citizens have responded…. We’ve invited these immigrants to share their culture with us and that enriches the entire community.”  Naef, who arrived in Lincoln 18 months ago with his wife and their 7 children said, “I want to stay and be a good citizen.  I want to give back to this country.  I have found peace in this land.”

 

"Preservation of one’s own culture does not require
contempt or disrespect for other cultures."
– César Chávez
 

Beverlee Ludema, Psy.D. sees clients in our St. Charles Location.

 

Return to Articles