Cultural Background
James K. is a person who is chosen for this project to understand his cultural background and formulate proper gospel communication practices. This is a 26-year-old male, who was born in the US in a family that moved from China 24 years ago. The family of James practices traditional Chinese values and prefers interacting with their compatriots. Even they are not opposed to other cultures, this family considers that it is better to be surrounded by other Chinese only. On the contrary, James believes that he wants to communicate with people regardless of their ethnicity, which causes conflicts with his parents.
This person is my neighbor, and I know him for two years. I regularly see him on the street, when we speak about general themes. A couple of times he asked me about my occupation, and I told him that I study the field of overcoming addictions. When I mentioned some excerpts from the Bible to support my ideas about the need to constantly struggle with challenges, it seemed that he is skeptical about religion. James answered that he never believed in God and that everything depends on a person’s attitudes and efforts.
Cultural Systems
To reach James through gospel communication, it is critical to understand his cultural systems. In this case, an economic system is one of the most relevant ones as it considers capitalist versus socialist ways of organization. The Chinese culture practices the socialist view that implies an active role of the government, strong collective ties, and some extent of equality to access basic resources.1 The US is a capitalist state that encourages individual resources and market economy to meet individuals’ needs. Even though James is from a Chinese family, it is evident that he has a mixed view regarding the economic system. On the one hand, he values his family’s opinion as it is one of the most important principles. On the other hand, the young man understands that he lives in a different environment.
Marriage and family systems are one more issue that helps to learn James’ worldview. His family practices kinship relationships, in which blood ties play a great role. For example, if one of the family members has serious problems, it concerns the entire family that tries to assist this person in overcoming his or her problems. Such relationships also imply that the family should be consulted before major decisions, such as marriage or moving to another country. Children in kinship families are taught to listen to the advice of older members, who, in turn, can rely on younger members in financial terms.2 Accordingly, James’ views regarding faith also depend on his family to some extent. At the same time, the nuclear families that are predominant in the area he lives in also impact his system. It seems that James is more likely to disobey his parents if he would decide to marry a girl with a different cultural background.
The importance of a religious system to James makes it important to discuss the role of rational and mystical in his life. Consistent with his Chinese family, the young man seems to deny the presence of God, claiming that he is an atheist. According to his statements, there are no supernatural powers that can impact his life. Instead, everything that happens is caused by himself or other people. When I asked him about the role of trust, openness, and faith play in how people overcome challenges, he answered that only relationships matter. In other words, my neighbor if sully confident that God does not help people and that it is useless to pray or practice other religious traditions.
The formal educational patterns are characteristic of the educational system that sis adopted in James’ family. During one of our brief conversations, he noted that public schools are considered to be important in his country likewise in the US. The extent to which this person values formal education can be understood via the following example. I told him that one of my friends from Japan received informal education since her father acted as a role teacher. They used books, but education was provided in at-home settings. James responded that without the interaction with other people, it is impossible to learn properly. He is sure that only group work can be effective as every team member should contribute to the common goal.
Cultural Value Orientations
The system of emotional intelligence that was developed by Daniel Goleman distinguishes between ten dimensions that reflect cultural value orientation. For James, identity, authority, communication, time, social norms, rules, and achievement are the most significant issues. In terms of the individualist versus collectivist orientations, this young man identifies himself as a part of family and society, focusing on collective benefits. Power distance refers to the amount of authority that is considered to be appropriate in a certain culture. For the Chinese, it is normal when the government is involved in their affairs. On the contrary, Americans are more protective of their rights to privacy. In case of James, power distance can be identified as moderate as he can express individual behaviors but also pays attention to the ideas given by the state. Communication serves as the tool to understand others, and Chinese culture has a high context since the issues are not told explicitly.3 Much attention is placed on interpreting the context and words that were said by a person. There are many unwritten rituals that accompany the process of communication, and it can be difficult for people from other cultures to understand what was meant.
The time-related value orientations of James are associated with the approximate perception of time. For example, In China, if the meeting was planned to start at 6 PM, it is appropriate that its members would gather at 6.20 PM, which reflects the focus on long-term orientation. Social norms and rules are two more dimensions that are tight in Chinese culture. The strength of such orientations defines the extent of tolerance that is characteristic of a culture. James seems to be leaving almost no place for the fact that every person has a unique set of rules and norms. Instead, he is likely to believe that by following strict norms and rules, it is possible to keep society organized.
The achievement-related value orientation determines the way a person acts in a group. As a cooperative person, James is interested in working on common tasks and accomplishing shared goals. It should be stressed that he does not value competitiveness and individual success. Ultimately, James has a high level of uncertainty avoidance as he becomes anxious in ambitious situations, preferring to properly plan and follow the agreed course of action.
Bibliography
Cohen, Adam B., Michael Shengtao Wu, and Jacob Miller. “Religion and culture: Individualism and collectivism in the East and West.” Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 47, no. 9 (2016): 1236-1249.
Livermore, David, and A. N. G. Soon. Leading with cultural intelligence: The real secret to success. New York, NY: Amacom, 2015.
Zang, Xiaowei. Understanding Chinese society. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Routledge, 2016.
Footnotes
- Adam B. Cohen, Michael Shengtao Wu, and Jacob Miller. “Religion and culture: Individualism and collectivism in the East and West,” Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 47, no. 9 (2016): 1239.
- Xiaowei Zang, Understanding Chinese society, 2nd ed. (New York, NY: Routledge, 2016), 47.
- David Livermore, and A. N. G. Soon. Leading with cultural intelligence: The real secret to success (New York, NY: Amacom, 2015), 92.