Understanding Intercultural Communication

California State University, FullertonUniversity of San Diego

• DEDICATION PAGE; PREFACE; ACKNOWLEDGMENTS; ABOUT THE AUTHORS; PART ONE: FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS IN INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION; 1: WHY STUDY INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION?; PRACTICAL REASONS TO STUDY INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION; ADJUSTING TO GLOBAL WORKPLACE HETEROGENEITY; ADAPTING TO DOMESTIC WORKFORCE DIVERSITY; ENGAGING IN CREATIVE MULTICULTURAL PROBLEM SOLVING; COMPREHENDING THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN GLOBAL COMMUNICATION; FACILITATING BETTER MULTICULTURAL HEALTH CARE COMMUNICATION; ENHANCING INTERCULTURAL RELATIONSHIP SATISFACTION; FOSTERING GLOBAL AND INTRAPERSONAL PEACE; DEEPENING CULTURAL SELF-AWARENESS AND OTHER-AWARENESS; CULTURE: A LEARNED MEANING SYSTEM; SURFACE-LEVEL CULTURE: POPULAR CULTURE; INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL CULTURE: SYMBOLS, MEANINGS, AND NORMS; DEEP-LEVEL CULTURE: TRADITIONS, BELIEFS, AND VALUES; STAMPING YOUR INTERCULTURAL PASSPORT; 2: WHAT IS INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION FLEXIBILITY?; DEFINING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION: A PROCESS MODEL; INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION PROCESS: OVERALL CHARACTERISTICS; INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION: MEANING CHARACTERISTICS; PRACTICING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION FLEXIBILITY; THREE CONTENT COMPONENTS: KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND SKILLS; THREE CRITERIA: APPROPRIATENESS, EFFECTIVENESS, AND ADAPTABILITY; DEVELOPING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION FLEXIBILITY; A STAIRCASE MODEL; AN ESSENTIAL HOOK: A MINDFUL PERSPECTIVE; DEEPENING INTERCULTURAL PROCESS THINKING; PROCESS CONSCIOUSNESS: UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES; INTERCULTURAL REALITY CHECK: DO-ABLES; 3: WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIAL CULTURAL VALUE PATTERNS?; FUNCTIONS OF CULTURAL VALUES; ANALYZING CULTURAL VALUES; IDENTITY MEANING FUNCTION; EXPLANATORY FUNCTION; MOTIVATIONAL FUNCTION; INGROUP-OUTGROUP EVALUATIVE FUNCTION; ANALYZING CULTURAL VALUE DIMENSIONS; DISCOVERING CULTURAL VALUES; IDENTITY: INDIVIDUALISM-COLLECTIVISM VALUE PATTERN; POWER: SMALL-LARGE POWER DISTANCE VALUE PATTERN; UNCERTAINTY: WEAK-STRONG UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE VALUE PATTERN; SEX ROLES: FEMININE-MASCULINE VALUE PATTERN; ADDITIONAL VALUE ORIENTATION PATTERNS; VALUE ORIENTATIONS: BACKGROUND INFORMATION; MEANING: ACTIVITY VALUE ORIENTATION; DESTINY: PEOPLE-NATURE VALUE ORIENTATION; TIME: TEMPORAL VALUE ORIENTATION; INDIVIDUAL SOCIALIZATION DEVELOPMENT; INDEPENDENT VERSUS INTERDEPENDENT SELF-CONSTRUAL; HORIZONTAL VERSUS VERTICAL SELF-CONSTRUAL; INTERNAL VERSUS EXTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL; INTERCULTURAL REALITY CHECK: DO-ABLES; 4: WHAT ARE THE KEYS TO UNDERSTANDING CULTURAL AND ETHNIC IDENTITIES?; FAMILY AND GENDER SOCIALIZATION; FAMILIES COME IN DIFFERENT SHAPES; GENDER SOCIALIZATION AND INTERACTION PATTERNS; GROUP MEMBERSHIP: INTERCULTURAL BOUNDARY CROSSING; THE PROCESS OF ACCULTURATION AND ENCULTURATION; SYSTEMS-LEVEL FACTORS; INDIVIDUAL-LEVEL FACTORS; F2F AND NETWORK-LEVEL FACTORS; MASS MEDIA-LEVEL FACTORS; GROUP AFFILIATION AND IDENTITY FORMATION; CULTURAL IDENTITY CONCEPTUALIZATION; ETHNIC IDENTITY CONCEPTUALIZATION; ETHNIC/RACIAL IDENTITY CHANGE PROCESS; CULTURAL-ETHNIC IDENTITY TYPOLOGICAL MODEL; RACIAL-ETHNIC IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT MODEL; MULTIRACIAL AND BIRACIAL IDENTITY; INTERCULTURAL REALITY CHECK: DO-ABLES; PART TWO: CROSSING CULTURAL AND COMMUNICATION BOUNDARIES ADAPTIVELY; 5: WHAT IS CULTURE SHOCK?; UNPACKING CULTURE SHOCK; CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE SHOCK; PROS AND CONS OF CULTURE SHOCK; APPROACHING CULTURE SHOCK: UNDERLYING FACTORS; INITIAL TIPS TO MANAGE CULTURE SHOCK; INTERCULTURAL ADJUSTMENT: DEVELOPMENTAL PATTERNS; THE U-CURVE ADJUSTMENT MODEL; THE REVISED W-SHAPED ADJUSTMENT MODEL; CULTURE SHOCK: PEAKS AND VALLEYS; REENTRY CULTURE SHOCK; REENTRY CULTURE SHOCK: SURPRISING ELEMENTS; RESOCIALIZATION: DIFFERENT RETURNEES' PROFILES; INTERCULTURAL REALITY CHECK: DO-ABLES; 6: WHAT IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN VERBAL COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE?; HUMAN LANGUAGE: DISTINCTIVE FEATURES AND RULE PATTERNS; DISTINCTIVE LANGUAGE FEATURES: ARBITRARINESS, ABSTRACTNESS, MEANING-CENTEREDNESS, AND CREATIVITY; MULTIPLE RULE PATTERNS: PHONOLOGICAL, MORPHOLOGICAL, SYNTACTIC, SEMANTIC, AND PRAGMATIC RULES; APPRECIATING DIVERSE LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS; THE CULTURAL WORLDVIEW FUNCTION; THE EVERYDAY SOCIAL REALITY FUNCTION; THE COGNITIVE SHAPING FUNCTION; THE GROUP MEMBERSHIP IDENTITY FUNCTION; THE SOCIAL CHANGE FUNCTION; VERBAL COMMUNICATION STYLES: A GENERAL FRAMEWORK; DEFINING LOW-CONTEXT AND HIGH-CONTEXT INTERACTION PATTERNS; DIRECT AND INDIRECT VERBAL STYLES; SELF-ENHANCEMENT AND SELF-HUMBLING VERBAL STYLES; BELIEFS EXPRESSED IN TALK AND SILENCE; INTERCULTURAL REALITY CHECK: DO-ABLES; 7: WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT WAYS TO COMMUNICATE NONVERBALLY ACROSS CULTURES?; THE IMPACT OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION; MAKING SENSE OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION; ONE CODE, COUNTLESS INTERPRETATIONS; VERBAL AND NONVERBAL COMPARISONS; FORMS OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION; PHYSICAL APPEARANCE; PARALANGUAGE; FACIAL EXPRESSIONS; GESTURES; HAPTICS; BOUNDARY REGULATIONS; REGULATING INTERPERSONAL BOUNDARIES; ENVIRONMENTAL BOUNDARIES; PSYCHOLOGICAL BOUNDARIES; REGULATING TIME; INTERCULTURAL REALITY CHECK: DO-ABLES; PART THREE: MANAGING CHALLENGES IN INTERCULTURAL RELATIONSHIPS FLEXIBLY; 8: WHAT CAUSES US TO HOLD BIASES AGAINST OUTGROUPS?; HUMAN PERCEPTION TENDENCIES: SOME GENERAL PRINCIPLES; SELECTIVE ATTENTION; SELECTIVE ORGANIZATION AND LABELING; SELECTIVE INTERPRETATION; BIASED INTERGROUP FILTERS: ETHNOCENTRISM AND STEREOTYPES; ETHNOCENTRISM AND COMMUNICATION; DISTANCES OF INDIFFERENCE, AVOIDANCE, AND DISPARAGEMENT; DEVELOPMENTAL MODEL OF INTERCULTURAL SENSITIVITY (DMIS); STEREOTYPES AND COMMUNICATION; STEREOTYPES: WE ARE WHAT WE WATCH; MARKING INGROUP/OUTGROUP MEMBERSHIP BOUNDARIES; US VERSUS THEM; GROUP MEMBERSHIP STRUGGLES; INTERGROUP ATTRIBUTION BIASES; SHATTERED LENS: PREJUDICE, DISCRIMINATION, AND RACISM; PREJUDICE: MULTIPLE EXPLANATIONS AND FUNCTIONS; PREJUDICED REMARKS OR INNOCENT JOKES?; FOUR DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES; DIFFERENT TYPES OF RACISM; REDUCING PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION; INTERCULTURAL REALITY CHECK: DO-ABLES; 9: HOW CAN WE MANAGE INTERCULTURAL CONFLICT FLEXIBLY?; INTERCULTURAL CONFLICT: CULTURAL BACKGROUND FACTORS; CULTURE-BASED CONFLICT LENSES; INTERCULTURAL WORKPLACE CONFLICT GRID; INTERCULTURAL CONFLICT PERCEPTIONS; INTERCULTURAL CONFLICT GOAL ISSUES; PERCEIVED SCARCE RESOURCES; INTERCULTURAL CONFLICT PROCESS FACTORS; DEFINING CONFLICT STYLES; CROSS-CULTURAL CONFLICT STYLES; CROSS-ETHNIC CONFLICT STYLES AND FACEWORK; FLEXIBLE INTERCULTURAL CONFLICT SKILLS; FACEWORK MANAGEMENT; MINDFUL LISTENING; CULTURAL EMPATHY; MINDFUL REFRAMING; ADAPTIVE CODE-SWITCHING; INTERCULTURAL REALITY CHECK: DO-ABLES; 10: WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPING AN INTERCULTURAL-INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP?; DEVELOPING INTERCULTURAL-INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS: INVISIBLE CHALLENGES; CULTURAL-ETHNIC MEMBERSHIP VALUES; LOVE EXPECTATIONS AND EXPRESSIONS; AUTONOMY-CONNECTION ISSUES; COMMUNICATION DECODING ISSUES; INTERCULTURAL-INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP ATTRACTION: FACILITATING FACTORS; PERCEIVED PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS; PERCEIVED SIMILARITY; CROSS-CULTURAL SELF-DISCLOSURE COMPARISONS; ONLINE DISCLOSURE OF AFFECTION; THIRD PARTY MATCHMAKERS: ONLINE AND MOBILE DATING; INTERCULTURAL/INTERRACIAL ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT; INTERCULTURAL-INTIMATE CONFLICT: OBSTACLES AND STUMBLING BLOCKS; THE ENCOUNTER: PREJUDICE AND RACISM; COUNTERING RACISM AND PREJUDICE: COPING STRATEGIES; RELATIONAL TRANSGRESSIONS AND TERMINATIONS; RAISING SECURE BICULTURAL CHILDREN; BICULTURAL IDENTITY STRUGGLES; CULTIVATING A SECURE MULTIFACETED IDENTITY; INTERCULTURAL REALITY CHECK: DO-ABLES; 11: WHAT ARE THE COMMUNICATION ISSUES FACING A GLOBAL IDENTITY?; WIRED AND ON: THE ROAR OF THE INTERNET; THE INTERNET AS OUR CENTRAL STATION; WIRED COMMUNICATION; THE TRANSFORMATION OF LOCAL AND GLOBAL IDENTITIES; THE LENS OF TELEVISION: IDENTITY IMITATION; GLOBAL TELEVISION IMPACT; BE HIP, BE HOT, AND POP CULTURE IMPACT; OUTSOURCED BEATS: YOU ARE WHAT YOU CAN DANCE TO; YOU ARE WHAT YOU WEAR: POP CULTURE AS FASHION; WHO AND WHAT ARE E.NETIZENS?; DEFINING THE BACKGROUND OF E.NETIZENS; CHARACTERISTICS OF AN E.NETIZEN IDENTITY; THE DIALECTICS PULLS OF AN E.NETIZEN; SPATIAL ZONE DIALECTICS; TEMPORAL ZONE DIALECTICS; THE TIPPING POINT: COMMUNICATION PATTERN CHANGES; GADGET COMMUNICATION PATTERNS: FAST AND FURIOUS; SHARING INTIMATE PARTNERS WITH A GADGET; LANGUAGE STYLES: TEXT, TWEET, TALK; COMMUNICATING TO BE SOCIAL CHANGE AGENTS; PRESENT BUT VIRTUAL; PERSONAL IDENTITIES IN FLUX: THE GLOBAL FACE; INTERCULTURAL REALITY CHECK: DO-ABLES; 12: HOW CAN WE BECOME ETHICAL INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATORS?; INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION ETHICS: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES; GLOBAL STANDARD PROCEDURE AND LOCAL JUSTICE ISSUES; CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY AND LOCAL CUSTOMARY PRACTICE; CULTURAL VALUE CLASH AND COMMUNICATION PREFERENCE; MULTIPLE ETHICAL POSITIONS: ASSESSING PROS AND CONS; ETHICAL ABSOLUTISM POSITION; ETHICAL RELATIVISM POSITION; ETHICAL UNIVERSALISM POSITION; META-ETHICS CONTEXTUALISM POSITION; BECOMING ETHICAL AND FLEXIBLE INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATORS; BECOMING ETHICAL: TEN QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER; BECOMING FLEXIBLE: FINAL PASSPORT DO-ABLES; REFERENCES; GLOSSARY; INDEX

Ting-Toomey and Chung have put a tremendous amount of work and effort into compiling this textbook. The book is certainly worth recognition, and the effect this textbook may have in generating flexible, effective, and competent intercultural communicators is going to be enormous.