Interpersonal Relationships
There are very evident and distinct cultural differences when it comes to intimacy between people. For instance, in low-context cultures such as Canada and the US, it is fairly clear that personal space is very important. People are more individualistic and less ‘touchy’. However, in high-context cultures such as Mexico, two people could be standing within centimeters of each other on a bus and that would be normal.
Another issue I found to be fascinating within high-context cultures is their kissing habits. For example, in Egypt the norm for family and friends of the same sex is to kiss
once on each cheek upon meeting. Same sex friends even go out holding hands in public and no questions are raised. In Kuwait, men usually kiss three times on the right cheek. In France, a man and woman being introduced for the first time usually go for a kiss on the cheek; however, there are places in France that go for up to four kisses, two on each cheek alternating. This might seem peculiar for people raised in Canada without a high-context culture in their backgrounds. However, as someone who was raised in the Middle East for the first part of their life and then Canada for the second part, it is very interesting to study the different forms of physical and emotional intimacy between humans.
In the same way, studying how the notion of intimacy has changed throughout the ages is very important since it gives us a new perspective on life. The seventeenth century saw a formal kind of intimacy even between spouses (Adler 2006) and the nineteenth century saw the romantic period flourish (Adler 2006). I believe that to some extent the twenty-first century in North America has somewhat returned to the formal model of the seventeenth century (Adler 2006), with relationships occurring mostly on a surface base. However, I agree with Dr. Sevigny’s (lecture on Tuesday October 31st) and have hope that once attained, true physical and emotional intimacy is easier to maintain. Understanding the changing concept of intimacy can help show us that notions we take for granted are not universal and are often shaped by economic and social conditions (Adler 2006).
There are very evident and distinct cultural differences when it comes to intimacy between people. For instance, in low-context cultures such as Canada and the US, it is fairly clear that personal space is very important. People are more individualistic and less ‘touchy’. However, in high-context cultures such as Mexico, two people could be standing within centimeters of each other on a bus and that would be normal.
Another issue I found to be fascinating within high-context cultures is their kissing habits. For example, in Egypt the norm for family and friends of the same sex is to kiss
once on each cheek upon meeting. Same sex friends even go out holding hands in public and no questions are raised. In Kuwait, men usually kiss three times on the right cheek. In France, a man and woman being introduced for the first time usually go for a kiss on the cheek; however, there are places in France that go for up to four kisses, two on each cheek alternating. This might seem peculiar for people raised in Canada without a high-context culture in their backgrounds. However, as someone who was raised in the Middle East for the first part of their life and then Canada for the second part, it is very interesting to study the different forms of physical and emotional intimacy between humans.In the same way, studying how the notion of intimacy has changed throughout the ages is very important since it gives us a new perspective on life. The seventeenth century saw a formal kind of intimacy even between spouses (Adler 2006) and the nineteenth century saw the romantic period flourish (Adler 2006). I believe that to some extent the twenty-first century in North America has somewhat returned to the formal model of the seventeenth century (Adler 2006), with relationships occurring mostly on a surface base. However, I agree with Dr. Sevigny’s (lecture on Tuesday October 31st) and have hope that once attained, true physical and emotional intimacy is easier to maintain. Understanding the changing concept of intimacy can help show us that notions we take for granted are not universal and are often shaped by economic and social conditions (Adler 2006).
Works Cited
Adler, Ronald B. and George Rodman. Understanding Human Communication. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
posted by sam @ 7:18 PM
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