Handbook of Intercultural Training. Area Studies in Intercultural Training

313 Pages·1983·5.85 MB·English

by  Dan Landis and Richard W. Brislin (Eds.)

HANDBOOK OF INTERCULTURAL TRAINING
edited by Dan Landis and Richard W. Brislin
Volume I: Issues in Theory and Design
Volume II: Issues in Training Methodology
Volume III: Area Studies in Intercultural Training
Pergamon Titles of Related Interest
Brislin CROSS-CULTURAL ENCOUNTERS: Face-to-Face Interaction
Bochner CULTURES IN CONTACT: Studies in Cross-cultural
Interaction
Goldstein/Segall AGGRESSION IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
Marsella/Pedersen CROSS-CULTURAL COUNSELING AND
PSYCHOTHERAPY
Morris SAYING AND MEANING IN PUERTO RICO: Some Problems
in the Ethnography of Discourse
Related Journals*
HABITAT INTERNATIONAL
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTERCULTURAL RELATIONS
WOMEN'S STUDIES INTERNATIONAL QUARTERLY
WORLD DEVELOPMENT
*Free specimen copies available upon request.
PERGAMON GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY SERIES
EDITORS
Arnold P. Goldstein, Syracuse University
Leonard Krasner, SUNY at Stony Brook
Handbook of Intercultural Training
Volume III
Area Studies in Intercultural Training
Edited by
Dan Landis
Purdue University, School of Science,
Indianapolis
Richard W. Brislin
East-West Center, Honolulu
PERGAMON PRESS
New York Oxford Toronto Sydney Paris Frankfurt
Pergamon Press Offices:
U.S.A. Pergamon Press Inc., Maxwell House, Fairview Park,
Elmsford, New York 10523, U.S.A.
U.K. Pergamon Press Ltd., Headington Hill Hall,
Oxford 0X3 OBW, England
CANADA Pergamon Press Canada Ltd., Suite 104, 150 Consumers Road,
Willowdale, Ontario M2J 1P9, Canada
AUSTRALIA Pergamon Press (Aust.) Pty. Ltd., P.O. Box 544,
Potts Point, NSW 2011, Australia
FRANCE Pergamon Press SARL, 24 rue des Ecoles,
75240 Paris, Cedex 05, France
FEDERAL REPUBLIC Pergamon Press GmbH, Hammerweg 6,
OF GERMANY D-6242 Kronberg-Taunus, Federal Republic of Germany
Copyright © 1983 Pergamon Press Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Main entry under title.
Handbook of intercultural training.
(Pergamon general psychology series ; 116)
Includes index.
Contents: v. 1. Issues in theory and design.»
v. 2. Issues in training methodology-v. 3. Area
studies in intercultural training.
1. Intercultural communication-Addresses, essays,
lectures. 2. Culture conflict-Addresses, essays,
lectures. 3. Adjustment (Psychology)-Addresses,
essays, lectures. I. Landis, Dan. II. Brislin,
Richard W. III. Series.
GN496.H36 1982 303.4'82 82-40392
ISBN 0-08-027535-4
All Rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means:
electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Printed in the United States of America
For Rae Michael, and Michele,
f
who make it all worthwhile.
-DL
For members of my nuclear and
extended family, who in some
cases provided the opportunities
for my own cross-cultural exper-
iences, and in all cases supported
them.
»-RB
Foreword
Trying to deal across cultures is really an extraordinarily complex, and often bewildering, busi-
ness. We have to gather knowledge about the other culture, to organize the information into
some understandable and useful form, to always question whether our very mode of gather-
ing and organizing data has imposed preconceived or distorted frameworks on the data, to
train a new generation of persons who must work in different capacities, and at the same time
try to make ourselves understood by other societies and cultures. One starts to ask what kinds
and how much information has to be transmitted before people in one culture begin to under-
stand and are able to work effectively with people from another culture.
A year ago, I joined the East-West Center, an international educational institution estab-
lished by the United States Congress in 1960. Since that time I have been trying to look at
some broader questions of scholarly approaches to cross-cultural research: Who is concerned
with the products of this research? How can we encourage more genuinely cooperative work
among scholars and practitioners in many countries? How can we assure that the research
topics selected are truly of high mutual concern to all participating countries and individuals?
To an unsettling degree, I am impressed by how limited scholarly developments are on these
questions, perhaps to a point where we are failing to communicate across cultures—even
when we think we are communicating. The literal words are heard, but are often not under-
stood. In dealing across cultures, communication involves problems of language, social and
political structure, economics, and the habits and psychology of both the individual and the
larger group. Values are also highly important factors. We are well past—I hope—the more
extreme forms of cultural chauvinism and blindness, exemplified by the U.S. senator who said
in the 1930s that "With the help of God, we will lift the city of Shanghai up and up until it is just
like Kansas City." Nevertheless, one's basic socialization experiences within one's own culture
give one a set of standards of right and wrong, of proper and improper behaviors or values.
When people come into contact with members of other cultures, they use these same stand-
ards and bases for judgment, whether in an appropriate or inappropriate manner. We must
constantly strive to broaden people's perspectives beyond the experiences of their socializa-
tion within any one culture.
The issues are much more subtle than the one raised by one U.S. senator. For example, as
I read through sophisticated contemporary writings on development and modernization, I see
a large number of unspoken assumptions that give particular weight to economic growth, to
formation of certain kinds of political institutions and attitudes, to certain changes in social
structures, and to increased use of technology. These factors, or perhaps they are values, are
built into the view of what is considered developed, advanced, or modern. We should at least
ask whether there are other ways of measuring the progress of civilization, and hence whether
there are other factors or values to which we should be paying more attention.
ix
x Foreword
Let me illustrate the point with a story from the Heian period of Japan. A court noble, Su-
gawara Michizane, lost out in a political struggle and was exiled. After he died, he returned as
an angry Shinto spirit to haunt and to kill the people who were his enemies during life. Many
steps were taken to placate this god of vengeance, including building a shrine to him in Kyoto.
Over the years this spirit started to mellow. In the 13th century he appears in the garb of a
Confucian scholar to a Zen monk and asks for instruction. Gradually, this angry, vengeful god
becomes the protector of intellectuals, the patron saint of poetry, and ultimately was seen to
be a manifestation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion. The secret magic formulas that formerly
were used to propitiate this angry god became poems used to pacify the hearts of man. A Bud-
dhist temple dedicated to him was built next to his Shinto shrine.
This course of events is not modernization or development in the usual economic or polit-
ical sense. Yet the transformation of an angry spirit to a Bodhisattva of Compassion reflects a
basic advance of civilization. Moreover, the interrelationships among Shinto, Confucian, and
Buddhist elements help shape modes of thought in Japan about dealing with differences and
coping with new ideas. The concept is very modern even though the events are of a thousand
years ago.
The authors of the chapters of this third volume of the Handbook of Intercultural Training
deal with the issues raised above as well as with a broad range of other basic questions. They
have made important contributions to cross-cultural scholarship. Their work exemplifies the
East-West Center's congressional mandate "to promote better relations and understanding
between the United States and the nations of Asia and the Pacific through cooperative study,
training, and research."
Victor Hao Li
President, East-West Center
Preface
This handbook deals with a problem that is central to today's complex world: How can people
best live and work with others who come from very different cultural backgrounds?
This book was formally born at the 1980 meetings of the Society for Intercultural Educa-
tion, Training and Research (SIETAR) held in Mt. Pocono, Pennsylvania. But its origin dates
further back than a few cold, beer-filled nights in the mountains near Scranton. We, the edi-
tors, have been involved in cross-cultural research, education, and training for some years
now, although we scarcely qualify as "grand old men" of the field. We have both been im-
pressed with the desire of people to subject themselves to the rigors of working in strange cul-
tures. We have had extensive interaction with people who prepare others for cross-cultural
experiences, frequently called "trainers." We have also been impressed with the intuitive feel-
ings of many trainers and just as equally impressed by the naivete of others who are also called
"trainers." There are times when we have been blessed with that exhilaration that comes from
a successful training session or beset by the depression that comes from one that fails. There
are also times when we look over the work of others and stand in awe, as well as times when
we are ashamed and furious. But most of all, like many behavioral and social scientists who
have a background in extensive empirical analysis, we have been most impressed by the lack
of communication and theoretical rigor in this important applied field. As Lewin noted years
ago, nothing is so practical as a good theory. Well, the lack of a good theory—despite much
that passes as one—may be the reason that training is still an art whose replicability is more a
matter of chance than design. Thus, this book was conceived.
For the serious trainer and cross-cultural scientist, there is much here that will be inter-
esting, intriguing, and even useful. For the practitioner who is not interested in developing his
or her activities on a more rational, careful basis, these volumes will disappoint and perhaps
even anger. There is little we can do for such individuals. For them, handbook volumes re-
main on someone else's shelf. It is our hope that even if this proves to be the case, perhaps
once in a while they will be borrowed and scanned. That will be one measure of the success of
this enterprise, which has involved over three dozen scholars and trainers. The other measure
is the anger quotient. We expect to be controversial because this is a contentious field, as any-
one who has attended a planning meeting for a cross-cultural training program can attest. We
have asked our contributors to take chances with their ideas. We want these chapters to stand
as good contributions 20 and 30 years from now, much as S. S. Stevens' Handbook of Exper-
imental Psychology, (New York: Wiley, 1951) is still treasured by the best graduate students.
The major focus of the chapters is the experience of living and working for long periods in
cultures other than one's own. Experiences such as those of Peace Corps volunteers,
overseas businesspeople, foreign students, diplomats, technical assistance advisors, immi-
grants, and many others, are thus the topics of study and analysis. But working with members
xi
xii Preface
of other cultures can also include extensive interaction among different people within a given
country; such interactions stem from majority-minority group relations. These are also the
focus of some chapters. Given the broad subject area addressed, we asked numerous experts
to deal with various specific topics that are integral to the cross-cultural experience. Hence, we
find chapters on the selection of people for overseas and other types of cross-cultural exper-
iences, their training and preparation, their integration into complex organizations, and spe-
cific information on various parts of the world in which they might live. We have also asked
different authors to analyze the sorts of experiences people are likely to have, such as the frus-
tration of stress involved in adjusting to another culture, as well as the benefits stemming from
coping with problems successfully. Further, other authors address how the benefits of inter-
cultural interaction can be integrated into different levels of a country's educational system
and how the oft-cited goals of international education can be facilitated through greater atten-
tion to the face-to-face cross-cultural experience.
Beyond the contributors, we profited from the labors of many in the preparation of these
volumes. In Indianapolis, those included Mrs. Pat Gould, Ms. Cathi Eagen, Mrs. Judy Peak,
and Mrs. Donna Mclnturff (who also prepared the author index). No mere listing of names
can do justice to their patience in dealing with an irascible boss who should have been caged
long ago and fed through a door.
In Hawaii, Charlene Fujishige and Jenny Ichinotsubo assisted with manuscript processing,
demonstrating tolerance as authors demonstrated behavior that was predictable by knowl-
edge of temporal conditioning as their deadlines approached. Mary Brandt, Lanette Shizuro,
and Susan Goldstein kept records of manuscripts during the submission and revision process
and also made substantive comments on various drafts. We are happy to include them as co-
authors of the introductory chapters to the volumes. A number of authors who originally
agreed to prepare chapters did not honor their commitments. While this is usually true of
multi-volume works, it still causes editorial problems. Memories of the lessons our mothers
taught us keep us from listing their names. We are especially grateful to those authors who not
only honored their agreements but also consented to prepare other chapters to fill voids left by
those who were unable to prepare chapters as originally planned. The following colleagues
prepared more than one chapter, the second contribution usually on very short notice: Drs.
Norman Dinges, Michael Hamnett, and R. Michael Paige.
A special note of appreciation is due our editors, Jerry Frank, Marie Meisel and Margaret
Graham of Pergamon Press. Their amazing ability to elevate academic phraseology to rea-
sonable clarity contributes much to this work. Other authors should be so fortunate.
Preparation of this volume was partially supported by contract NO 014-83-K-0021 from
the Office of Naval Research to D. Landis.
1
International Education, Area Studies,
and Materials Acquisition
Susan Goldstein, Richard W. Brislin, and Dan Landis
In establishing a cross-cultural training program, administrators must necessarily be concerned
with methods, content, and context. Extensive discussions of methods can be found in the
first two volumes of this handbook, and discussions of the contexts in which training takes
place can be found in Volume II. Volumes I and II also contain material on such general con-
tent areas for training as reactions to culture shock, the competencies that are called upon dur-
ing sojourns, and the difficulties of coping with different situational variables. A major content
area in this volume is information about the countries in which people will be living and work-
ing, and it is our experience that trainers are constantly seeking new and better country-specif-
ic information to incorporate into programs. We asked six people who are familiar with cross-
cultural training to write about countries with which they are very familiar in order to demon-
strate what types of content might be included in training. Another reason for including the six
chapters on Japan, Iran, the Indian subcontinent, Australia, Canada, and the Pacific Islands is
because these areas have been the recipients of large numbers of sojourners. Of course, no
one book can provide detailed country-specific information on every country in the world; it
can, however, provide information on how to acquire country-specific information and ma-
terials. We have found the following sources especially helpful.
The Foreign Area Studies program at American University (Washington, D.C.) has
published approximately 108 books, each devoted to a specific country or region of the
world. Topics include history, politics, economics, and social conditions. At the time this
handbook went to press, books were available on the following countries:
Afghanistan Bolivia Chile Dominican Republic
Albania Brazil China
Algeria Bulgaria China, People's Ecuador
Angola Burma Republic of Egypt
Argentina Burundi Colombia El Salvador
Australia Congo Ethiopia
Austria Cambodia Costa Rica
Cameroon Cuba Finland
Bangladesh Ceylon Cyprus
Belgium Chad Czechoslovakia Germany, East
1
2 Handbook of Intercultural Training
Germany, Fed. Japan Nigeria Soviet Union
Rep. of Jordan Spain
Oceania
Ghana Sudan
Kenya
Greece Pakistan Syria
Korea, North
Guatemala Panama
Korea, South Tanzania
Guinea Paraguay
Thailand
Guyana Laos Persian Gulf
Trinidad and
Lebanon States
Haiti Tobago
Liberia Peru
Honduras Tunisia
Libya Philippines
Hungary Turkey
Poland
Malagasy Republic
India Malawi Portugal Uganda
Indian Ocean Malaysia Romania Uruguay
Territories Mauritania Rwanda
Venezuela
Indonesia Mexico
Saudi Arabia Vietnam, North
Iran Mongolia
Senegal Vietnam, South
Iraq Morocco
Sierra Leone
Israel Mozambique Yemens, The
Singapore
Italy Yugoslavia
Nepal, Bhutan, Somalia
Ivory Coast
& Sikkim South Africa Zaire
Jamaica Nicaragua Southern Rhodesia Zambia
The intercultural Press (70 W. Hubbard St., Chicago, Illinois, 60610) publishes or distri-
butes country-specific information as part of a series of books called "Updates" and "Interact,"
as well as individual books by various authors. They are different from the Foreign Area Study
series in that they were written by people who have themselves had extensive experience in
the sorts of cross-cultural training concerns addressed throughout this three-volume hand-
book (e.g., difficulties faced by sojourners in the various countries). However, fewer countries
are covered than in the Foreign Area Study series. For those countries covered by books avail-
able from the two organizations, our recommendation is to acquire both. Information on the
following countries is available in individual volumes.
Australia Mexico
Bahrain/Qatar People's Republic of China
Belgium Nigeria
Brazil Saudi Arabia
Britain Singapore
Canada South Korea
Egypt Republic of China (Taiwan)
France Thailand
Hong Kong United Arab Emirates
Indonesia United States of America
Japan Venezuela
Kuwait West Germany
Malaysia
The Language and Intercultural Research Center (Brigham Young University, Provo,
Utah) has catalogued massive amounts of relevant materials. The Center will do computer