Chapter 2 Background to Intercultural Communication

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Intercultural

Communication

Involves

Fundamental

Attitudes Toward

Groups and

Relationships

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Contact and impression. The second phase of intercultural uncertainty re­duction involves the initial impression within the first few minutes of verbal com­munication. Brooks and Emmert (1976) suggest that during the first four minutes, a decision is made to continue or discontinue the relationship. Even within the first two minutes, we form some rather important judgments: "Do I like him?" "Is she understanding me?" "Am I wasting my time?" "He sure doesn't look like much." This four minute barrier as it sometimes is labelled, may not take exactly four minutes, but the power of early impressions is certain.

Closure. The third phase of uncertainty reduction involves closure, or completion, of the intercultural relationship. This is not just a way of exiting or saying goodbye. It is the longer lasting attitudes based on the early impressions in stage two. There is a tendency to form a comfortable summary of another per­son, a mental picture or verbal phrase that profiles a final evaluation concerning the other person. These fundamental and powerful attitudes are the basis for the following intercultural communication axiom.

When you read about racism, bigotry, and prejudice such words stir emotions. In the close of the twentieth century, how could anyone hold these attitudes, much less feel hatred or act violently toward "out-groups"? The daily news reports such tensions. What attitudes deny peace between coexisting cultures? What causes these attitudes, and what signifies their presence?

Positive intercultural attitudes lead to adaptive, functional outcomes, such as friendship, peace, increased understanding, and lasting bonds. The attitudes and accompanying communication behaviors emerge as openness, affirmation, questioning, supporting, listening, offering feedback, asserting, and suggesting.

Negative intercultural attitudes lead to nonadaptive, dysfunctional outcomes including prejudice, racism, ethnocentrism, discrimination, and negative stereo­typing. These are related to communication behaviors such as withdrawing, blocking, closed-mindedness, authoritarian communication, slandering, con­demning, and hating.

How do these and other attitudes originate? The perceptual processes are complicated, but in simple terms, there are four reasons.

1. Attribution. This theory refers to our understanding and summarizing others' behaviors by inferring their motivations. If someone does some­ thing we like, we attribute a positive motivation to that person because, after all, he or she practiced what we valued. Negative actions, however, cause us to infer a negative motivation—"He doesn't like me," "She's out to get me," "He's manipulative," "She really is working for a differ­ ent position in the company."

2. Impression consistency. A related concept is called implicit personality theory. This theory implies that we seek consistency with our first "per­ sonality" assessment of another individual. If the first impression of a per­ son's qualities is positive, then we ascribe additional positive qualities to that person. For instance, if Jim is energetic and assertive, then he will also be . What word did you think about inserting? Courageous? Intelli­ gent? The theory predicts that some positive word will follow. In the same