JAMAICAN CULTUREBy. Amy Yeomans

SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS

SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS 2

Basically your whole PCV experience or trip is about relationships. The nature or these relationships will be different based on if this is a friendship or work place relationship. The cultural understanding will only be meaningful when applied to specific situations.

THE CIRCLE OF RELATIONS

You may need a guide to help you with social relations because how you relate to and regard other people may be different in your host country.

Some of the ways you may classify your relationships with other people could be how involved you are in their life, how responsible you feel for the happiness and well-being of the person, how much of your life and feelings you share with them and how much that person ‘means’ to you.

RULES OF THE HOUSE

When you are visiting a new culture you must consider what their culture says about the rules and etiquette of their house.

We all obey many rules for interacting with other people in close quarters and rules may vary in different places and cultures.

THE LIMITS OF FRIENDSHIP

While here it may be okay to ask a friend just about any favor in a different culture it may not be okay to ask them certain things.

ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS

Romantic relationships are hard enough with people from your own culture but it is even harder when you are in a different culture and have one with a native person.

5 OBSERVATIONS

1) How the teachers and students interact with each other.

2) How the students interact with each other.3) Different ways the teachers teach the

children.4) How people greet and talk to each other

depending on their relationship to each other.

5) How people work together in groups

ADJUSTING TO A NEW CULTURE

When you are living in new place that has a different culture you will have to go through a lot of adjustments. There are three aspects you will go through. They are the cycle or stages of adjustment, the levels of cultural awareness, changes in attitudes toward cultural difference.

TRANSITIONS

When you move or go to a new place you have to go through two transitions.

1) From living in one place to living in another place.

2) From working in one job to working in a different job.

CYCLE OF ADJUSTMENT

1) Initial Enthusiasm2) Initial Country and Culture Shock3) Initial Adjustment4) Further Culture Shock5) Further Adjustment

THE FOUR LEVELS OF CULTURAL AWARENESS

1) Unconscious Incompetence-You are unaware of cultural differences.

2) Conscious Incompetence-You are aware there are cultural differences between

your own culture and the local culture but you understand very little about them.

3) Conscious Competence-You know cultural differences exist and you

understand a little about them so you try to adjust your behavior accordingly.

4) Unconscious Competence-Culturally appropriate behavior is now like second

nature to you.

ATTITUDES TOWARD CULTURAL DIFFERENCE

Your adjustment will also include your attitude towards cultural difference. As your awareness of culture increases so does your attitude toward cultural differences.

ETHNOCENTRISM

Stage 1 – Denial The people in this stage do not believe in cultural

differences. Generally these people have limited contact with people from other cultures and therefore have no basis for believing in other cultures.

Stage 2 – Defense The people in this stage believe in cultural differences

but are threatened by it. They feel that other cultures are inferior and prefer to have little or no contact with other cultures.

Stage 3 – Minimization People in this stage are still threatened by difference

but don’t think those who are different are inferior.

ETHNORELATIVISM

Stage 4 – Acceptance People in this stage accept differences as being deep

and legitimate. They are not threatened by cultural differences nor do they judge them as wrong or bad.

Stage 5 and 6 – Adaptation and Integration The people in these stages are able to both accept and

adjust to cultural differences.

QUOTES

QUOTES 2

LESSONS TO BRING

1) Respect everyone’s differences.2) Don’t be threatened by the different culture.3) Try to learn about the culture so you can

understand it and maybe not have any misunderstandings because our culture is different.

Culture Matters – The Peace Corps Cross–Cultural WorkbookBy. Craig Storti, Laurette Bennhold-Samaan, and the U.S. Peace Corps. Chapters 5 and 6