Richard Lewis 'Book When Cultures Collide'

Everyone is Different, Everyone is the Same

A world traveler who speaks ten languages, British linguist Richard Lewis decided he was qualified to plot the world's culture on a chart. In his book called "when cultures collide", Lewis plot countries in relation to three types. The first one is Linear-actives–those who plan, well-organized, do one thing at a time. The second one is Multi-actives–those lively, emotional who do many things at once, planning their priorities depends on the importance that each appointment brings with it. The third one is Reactives–those people prioritize courtesy and respect. During a conversation, they listen quietly and carefully for most of the time. He thinks that this categorization of nation norms does not change significantly over time. The behavior of people in different cultures exists clear trends, sequences and traditions. In my opinion, I think that the Lewis Model is useful to us in the early period of communicating with foreigners. These three types of people are totally different and distinct from each other. There is not similarity in each type. For example, Americans are open-minded, Chinese Germans are strict, French are romantic. We will not be confused when classifying which category people are in. One of the reasons is that it has a strong connection with their own cultures which are different. …show more content…
A Lot of foreign people are starting to appear in our normal life. It is quite possible for us to come across with them not only as their friends but also as their colleagues. Learning basic knowledge about general type of people of their countries can be very helpful. As a friend, we know about their personality, we can avoid unnecessary conflict and quarrels. As a colleague, if we learn about their manner of working, we will become more efficient. If we go traveling around the world, it can help us to learn about the local culture, fitting in local life and having a better