International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

Extract

The concept of culture was first found useful by social anthropologists in studies of tribal societies. More recently, it has also been used to analyze differences between industrialized societies. A culture can be said to exist when a number of persons interpret the events around them in relatively similar ways. These shared interpretations typically include the meanings of both the behaviors of other persons and the physical entities that are present in a particular setting. Thus, attributes of a culture might include agreement that a certain building is to be thought of as a school and perceptions that certain students are more able, attractive, or industrious than others. Culture is a concept that can be applied to marriages, teams, tribes, organizations, and nations. There is obviously less consensus between the members of a nation than there is between members of smaller groupings, but cross-cultural psychologists have found value in studying nations as cultures. By comparing survey responses of business employees from over 50 nations, Hofstede (2001) identified five dimensions describing cultural differences between nations. He named these as Individualism–Collectivism, Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Masculinity/Femininity, and Long-Term Orientation. First identified in the 1960s, these dimensions can still predict how many aspects of behavior relevant to communication ... log in or subscribe to read full text