The Role of Culture in Communication (DP IB Psychology)

Individualistic versus collectivist communication styles

• Culture refers to the products of socialisation within any organised group, society or nation and involves a set of rules, norms and customs that are agreed by the members of that group  

• Culture is active rather than passive; each individual contributes to the culture in which they were born – and to the cultures they encounter throughout their life

• A collectivist culture is one in which the group takes precedence over the individual:

  • family, community and social groups are at the forefront of the attitudes, beliefs, behaviours and values of collectivist cultures

• An individualistic culture is one in which the individual takes precedence over the group:

  • self-reliance, ambition and independence are considered to be positive and desirable traits in individualistic cultures

• It is almost impossible to draw a very distinct line between collectivist and individualistic communication styles and behaviours but some notable differences include:

  • Expressive speech tends to be highly valued in some Caribbean and Arab cultures but it is not favoured in countries such as Thailand or indigenous Alaskan communities

  • Direct eye contact is regarded as showing politeness and attentiveness in the USA and Western Europe but it would be frowned upon in Japan or China as a sign of disrespect to elders

  • The expression of sadness is considered healthy in most individualistic cultures but it may be deemed inappropriate in some collectivist cultures, particularly those of East Asia

  • Collectivist cultures tend to be low on self-disclosure as it may be thought to bring shame on the family/group if the disclosure reveals something negative

Arranged marriages & collectivist cultures

• One of the main ideological differences between individualist and some collectivist cultures is that of arranged marriages versus ‘love’ marriages

• Arranged marriages are part of the cultural norm in some countries, for example:

  • India

  • South Korea

  • Indonesia

  • Bangladesh

• The idea of having a marriage arranged by a third party (often family) is in direct opposition to the idea of a ‘love-match’ in which emotion, passion and personal choice are valued 

• Individualist cultures tend to have high divorce rates  which may highlight some flaws in the romantic model 

• When a couple are entering into an arranged marriage they bring with them a great deal of ‘family baggage’

  • As the families have played a key role in arranging the marriage they may wish to dictate how the couple run their lives and this may have an effect on the couples’ communication

  • The flip side of the above issue is that with an arranged marriage the two families have entered into a mutually beneficial agreement which may help to cement and reinforce the relationship 

• It may be that a particular and distinct type of communication is necessary for an arranged marriage to succeed (compared to that of love marriages)

Research which investigates the role of culture in communication

• Ahmad & Reid (2008): the link between traditional marital expectations and listening styles in arranged marriage couples

• Regan et al. (2012): differences in feelings towards arranged or love-based marriages in an immigrant community

Ahmad & Reid (2008) and Regan et al. (2012) are available as ‘Two Key Studies of The Role of Culture in Communication’ – just navigate the Role of Communication section to find them.