Anxiety/Uncertainty
Management Theory
Critique

Have you ever tried to communicate with someone from a different culture and felt uneasy, frustrated and nervous? Almost every person I have talked to about the subject matter has had an experience with difficulty communicating with someone from a different culture. There are the barriers of slang, different dialects, and cultural differences. Cross-cultural communications are a difficult matter to start with. In knowing this, William Gudykunst developed 47 axioms to help in aid in the communication process between different cultures. There are good and bad parts to these axioms in which I will explain.

I feel that the axioms are a good foundation for intercultural communication but they should not be followed through to every last word. I think that the axioms are hard to read and follow. They seem to dance around intercultural communication matters. Some do get into more detail, but not every stranger is the same and will communicate the same

Axiom 41:

An increase in our knowledge of strangers' language (dialect, jargon, and slang) will produce an increase in our ability to manage our anxiety and an increase in our ability to accurately predict their behavior.

I have personally experienced some difficulties in cross-cultural communication. I was in Germany when a native informed me that it was acceptable to stare at people. In knowing this I would stare right back, making no faces or insulting gestures when I was approached and told I was being rude. I explained that I was lead to believe that it was all right to stare. I was then informed that it was all right for Germans to stare and I was an American and it was not all right. That in my opinion contradicts axiom 41

Knowing that German Culture was different didn't benefit me in that particular situation and my knowing more about the German culture caused more of a problem for me.

Links
Chasity's research report

Danielle's application

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