In the United States, respect is earned for success, wealth and achievement. Children are encouraged to be independent and make personal decisions. Transferring the same traits in other cultures can cause communication crisis and cultural conflict. This paper discusses how in the case, "Shame and Making Truth," the move was taken by Cameron Hay to expose and accuse a family member of stealing from her resulted in conflicts between individualism versus collectivism, high and low context culture, and indulgence versus restraint cultures. The paper also discusses various ways the author could have employed to successfully address the problem without causing a cultural conflict and communication crisis she experiences using examples from the text,
…show more content…
According to Edward Hall, as cited by LeBaron Michelle, communication differs depending on the degree of field dependence which he defines as the extent to which elements outside the dialogue influence the meaning. The degree depends on how the culture screens the messages, shape the perception and interpret the word according to the selected filters. In high-context setting, the culture designs the message to allow the implied meaning arise from the relational cues, physical surrounding, or common understanding. It is direct to the point. The United States is an example of high-context communication setting. On the other hand, a low-context environment is characterized by an immediate attention to the literal meanings of words and less to the environmental context of words (LeBaron, Michelle). Indonesia is a low-context communication setting. The difference leads to a communication crisis when Hay accuses a family for stealing from her. She addresses the matter directly without …show more content…
Hay did not have to love the culture, but she could have kept a check on her reactions to customs and values that seem different from hers. Learning the culture and appreciating it could be another possible solution (Rasmussen, Louise). She could have attempted to make sense of the culture by herself using the available information. By finding two or more locals, Hay could have received answers to some disturbing and conflicting cultural norms. Finally, hay could have taken time obtain local perception about her revelation before expressing herself (Rasmussen, Louise). The move could have enabled to put in a more cultural friendly
According to Edward Hall, as cited by LeBaron Michelle, communication differs depending on the degree of field dependence which he defines as the extent to which elements outside the dialogue influence the meaning. The degree depends on how the culture screens the messages, shape the perception and interpret the word according to the selected filters. In high-context setting, the culture designs the message to allow the implied meaning arise from the relational cues, physical surrounding, or common understanding. It is direct to the point. The United States is an example of high-context communication setting. On the other hand, a low-context environment is characterized by an immediate attention to the literal meanings of words and less to the environmental context of words (LeBaron, Michelle). Indonesia is a low-context communication setting. The difference leads to a communication crisis when Hay accuses a family for stealing from her. She addresses the matter directly without …show more content…
Hay did not have to love the culture, but she could have kept a check on her reactions to customs and values that seem different from hers. Learning the culture and appreciating it could be another possible solution (Rasmussen, Louise). She could have attempted to make sense of the culture by herself using the available information. By finding two or more locals, Hay could have received answers to some disturbing and conflicting cultural norms. Finally, hay could have taken time obtain local perception about her revelation before expressing herself (Rasmussen, Louise). The move could have enabled to put in a more cultural friendly