Meaning of Stereotypes for Cross Cultural Communication

Contents

Introduction

Stereotypical views of other peoples and cultures ready to interact with foreign cultures, reduce the power of manifestation of culture shock. Indeed, one partner perceives the other with his actions and through the actions, in the process of intercultural communication. The adequacy of the understanding of the actions and their causes depend building a relationship with another person. Therefore, stereotypes allow to speculate on the causes and possible consequences of their own and others ' actions. A person is endowed by certain traits and qualities with the stereotypes, and it is predicted behavior on this basis. Thus, stereotypes play a very important role - in communications, in general, and in the process of intercultural contacts.

1. Meaning of stereotypes for cross-cultural communication

Analysis of the role stereotypes in intercultural communication reveals their importance in the interaction and mutual understanding of cultures. Two approaches are developed in a result of research. The first one can be called "academic". He is represented in the works of the English psychologist R. Stagner, who believes that the stereotypes in intergroup perception facilitate intercultural interaction strangers or unfamiliar phenomena alien culture, enabling fast, simplified socio-cultural context of the individual.
Another approach has the role of stereotypes in the context of social interaction. Stereotypes are seen as a manifestation of latent racism, ethnocentrism and discrimination.
In cross-cultural communication patterns are the result of an ethnocentric reaction. Attempts to judge other people and cultures in terms solely of their culture. Quite often at cross-cultural communication and evaluation of their partners in communication people are already initially guided by the previously prevailing stereotypes. Obviously, there is no free man from stereotypes can really only talk about different degrees of stereotyping people. Researches show that stereotyping is inversely proportional to the degree of experience cross-cultural interaction.
Stereotypes are hard "embedded" in our value system which it is integral part and provide the kind of protection for our positions in society. For this reason, patterns are used in each cross-cultural situation. Mechanisms of cross-cultural perceptions drive the selective application of the norms and values of their native culture, we can’t impossible to manage without the use of these very common culturally specific ways to assess how their own group, as well as other cultural groups. Representatives of other groups, at the same time identified on grounds such as gender, ethnicity, especially the speech, appearance, color, marital customs, religious beliefs, etc.
The relationship between cultural affiliation this or that man and character traits attributed to him is usually not adequate. People belonging to different cultures have different understandings of the world, making communication with a "unified" position impossible. Guided by the norms and values of their culture, the man himself determines what facts and how to evaluate the light, which significantly affect the nature of our communication with other cultures.
For example, when dealing with busy gesticulating while talking Italians Germans, accustomed to a different style of communication, there may be a stereotype of a "whimsical" and "disorganization" of the Italians. In turn, the Italians might get the stereotype of Germans as "cold" and "restrained", etc.
Stereotypes can be helpful or harmful to the communication depending on the types and uses. Stereotypes help people understand the situation and act in accordance with the new circumstances in the following cases: if it consciously adhere to : the individual must understand that stereotype reflects the group norms and values , group traits and symptoms and not the specific qualities inherent in each single individual in the group ; if the stereotype is descriptive rather than evaluative : it involves stereotypes reflected in the real and objective characteristics and properties of the people in this group , but did not evaluate them as good or bad ;
If the stereotype is accurate , which means that the stereotype should adequately reflect the characteristics and traits of the group to which the person belongs ;
If the stereotype is only a guess about the group, but not a direct information about it : this means that the first impression of the group did not always give a true knowledge of all the individuals of the group;
If the stereotype is modified, based on further observations and experiences with real people or used goes from the experience of the real situation.
Stereotypes are only effective when they are used as a first guess and positive about the person or situation , rather than being viewed as the only correct information about them, in a situation of cross-cultural contacts.
Stereotypes become ineffective and difficult to communicate when , guided by them, people do not mistakenly attributed to groups correctly describe the group norms , stereotypes when mixed with a description of a particular individual, and when you can’t modify the stereotypes based on actual observation and experience. In such cases, stereotypes can become a serious obstacle for cross-cultural contacts.
In general, there are the following reasons why stereotypes can hinder intercultural communication:
• If you can’t for the stereotypes to reveal the individual characteristics of people: stereotyping assumes that all members of the group have the same characteristics. This approach is applied to the entire group and the single individual for a certain period of time in spite of individual variation;
• If repeated stereotypes and reinforce certain erroneous convictions and beliefs, as long as people do not start taking them as true;
• If the stereotypes are based on half-truths and distortions. Preserving its actual characteristics group stereotypes while distorting reality and give inaccurate ideas about people, which made cross-cultural contacts.
People keep their stereotypes, even if the reality of their life experience and contradict them. Therefore, in a situation of intercultural contact is important to be able to effectively deal with stereotypes, recognize and use them, and be able to give them up when they do not conform to reality.

Conclusion

Stereotype includes standard, which is non-linguistic reality and the norm that exists on the linguistic level. As stereotypes can act as the characteristics of other people as, that to do with ideas about the culture of one nation by another nation as a whole. The behavior of every person (despite the fact that in particular cases it individually) in any society is typed , that is, it is subject to those produced in a given society individually and in various ways . The set of stereotypes for each individual company strictly specific. Cultural stereotypes affect human behavior within the native cultural and linguistic space and begin to digest it from the moment when a person realizes himself part of a particular ethnic group , part of a particular culture.
For the successful implementation of a communicative act between different nations must not only language skills, but also the presence of background knowledge. An important role in the communication process is played by the case law of the names - the names of the individual and the situation, the well-known representatives of this or that nation. The case law of the names are part of such a thing as a background knowledge. As background knowledge, as well as the names of important precedent for "decoding" and the interpretation of national stereotypes of culture, for their understanding and correct interpretation. They include a system of beliefs, attitudes prevailing in a given society, ethical evaluations of aesthetic tastes, norms of speech and nonverbal behavior, and most of the knowledge possessed by all members of the society. Many aspects of the life of the people, traditions, way of life, customs, historical events, which are known to the members of a linguistic community and the unknown foreigner, have produced certain stereotypes in this cultural space.

References

1. Садохин А.П. Введение в теорию межкультурной коммуникации. М.: 2005.
2. http://www.countries.ru

References: 1. Садохин А.П. Введение в теорию межкультурной коммуникации. М.: 2005. 2. http://www.countries.ru