Nonverbal communication and culture. Identity, stereotypes and prejudices, страница 5

Another parallel between culture and nonverbal behavior is that both need to be learned. Although much of outward behavior is innate (such as smiling, moving, touching, eye contact), you are not born knowing the communication dimensions associated with nonverbal messages. First, a word about some exceptions to this notion before we develop this relationship between learning and nonverbal communication. Research supports the view that because people are all from one species, a general and common genetic inheritance produces universal facial expressions for most of your basic emotions (for example, fear, happiness, anger, disgust and sadness). Most scholars, however, agree that cultures formulate display rules that dictate when, how and with what consequences nonverbal expressions will be exhibited.

Classifications of Nonverbal Communication

Body Behavior. This dimension includes appearance and attire (clothing), body movement (posture and gestures), facial expressions, eye contact and gaze, touch, smell and paralanguage (volume, noises, laughing, accents and dialects).

Appearance. In intercultural communication, appearance is important because the standards you apply and the judgments you make are subject to cultural interpretations. In the United States, people tend to value the appearance of tall, slender women, but in many other cultures, the definition of what is attractive calls forth a series of different images. In Japan, small size, diminutive females are thought to be the most attractive. In Africa we can see yet another definition of physical attractiveness. Plumpness is considered a sign of beauty, health and wealth, and slimness is evidence of unhappiness or disease or that a woman is being mistreated by her husband. Big and stout people are also valued in parts of Russia. And China has yet another cultural standard for female attractiveness. Many women keep their hairstyles simple (often one or two braids) and make little attempt to draw attention to themselves through self-decoration such as colorful scarves, jewelry, or makeup.

Because cultures are dynamic, it might be interesting to observe if perceptions of attractiveness begin to change in Japan, Africa, Russia, and China as these cultures come into greater contact with Western cultures.

Attire. Clothing – how much, how little, and what kind – is also a reflection of a culture's value orientation. For example, modesty is highly valued among Arabs. In most instances, girls are not allowed to participate in swimming classes because of the prohibitions against exposing their bodies. Of the German culture, Hall and Hall (1990:53) write:

“Correct behavior is symbolized by appropriate and very conservative dress. The male business uniform is a freshly pressed, dark suit and tie with a plain shirt and dark shoes and socks. It is important to emulate this conservative approach to both manners and dress. Personal appearance, like the exterior appearance of their homes, is very important to Germans”.

The Spanish also link appearance to one's rank, as Ruch (1989: 166-167) notes: “Historically, dress has denoted social status.” In Spain, it is not uncommon to see people of high status wearing a suit and tie in very hot weather.

Perhaps nowhere in the world is the merger between attire and a culture's value system more evident than in Japan. McDaniel (2000: 274) makes the connection when he writes: “The proclivity [predisposition, tendency] for conservative dress styles and colors emphasizes the nation's collectivism and, concomitantly, lessens the potential for social disharmony arising from nonconformist attire.”

In much of the world, people still dress in their traditional garments. For Arab men correct business attire would include a long loose robe called a dishdasha or thobe and a headpiece, a white cloth kaffiya banded by a black egal to secure it. Arab women cover their hair with scarves and wear floor-length, full-sleeved clothing, often a long black cloak called an abaya.