Running head: Dimensions of Culture, Values, and Communication
Dimensions of Culture, Values, and Communication
Bob Dussault
University of Phoenix
Abstract
The author will examine culture, values and communication by exploring his own experiences. Experiences reviewed are feeling at odds with a cultural norm, perceptions regarding a group that are excluded from the dominant culture, and situations where being categorized as a cultural outsider might provide benefit.
Dimensions of Culture, Values, and Communication
Communication, as defined by the Massachusetts Department of Education (2001), is the successful transmission of information though a common system of symbols, signs, behavior, speech, writing, or signals. The culture in which we have grown up and the values that were taught to us by our family and community affect the way we communicate with others. Since no two of us share exactly the same experiences and we may come from different cultures, religions, or geographical regions communication can sometimes be difficult. I would like to examine some of my own personal experiences to illustrate.
As an obese person I have faced many challenges over the years. From my earliest recollections, I can remember television and magazine ads that stress the importance of looking the best you can, anything less is just not "normal". Those kinds of influences color people's opinions of others that don't fit the popular definition of normal causing all kinds of prejudices. One example of such a prejudice from a recent study from Rice University, Master (2005), shows that sales clerks at convenience stores act unfriendly, neglect to smile, avoid eye contact and end interactions prematurely when dealing with overweight customers, clea ...