Comment on different values and beliefs between the Chinese and American in Guasha.docVIP

On Different Values and Beliefs between the Chinese and American in Guasha Abstract Intercultural communication plays an important part in people’s daily life. Nevertheless, the great differences of beliefs and values between cultures greatly restrict people’s effective communication. Through the analyses of different values and beliefs between the Chinese and American in Guasha, this view can be highlighted. The solutions which can help people appreciate similarities and accept differences in an intercultural communication are as follows: Know Yourself; Know the Communication Context; Seek to Understand Diverse Message Systems; Develop Empathy; Encourage Feedback; Learn about Cultural Adaptation. Key words: Introduction Intercultural communication is not new. Wandering nomads, religious missionaries, and conquering warriors have encountered people different from themselves since the beginning of the time. Obviously, the quantity and quality of intercultural communication are very important, because it is closely related to social development and world communication. Since our global has already become an “Earth Village”, improving communication between cultures becomes emergent. Chapter One Definitions of Beliefs and Values 1.1 Definition of Beliefs As the Spanish poet Antonio Machado reminds us, “Under all that we think, lives all we believe, like the ultimate veil of our spirits.” Belief systems are significant to the study of intercultural communication, because they are at the core of our thoughts and actions. They are our conviction in the truth of something. They tell us how the world operates. 1 1.2 Definition of Values One of the most important functions of the belief systems is that they are the basis of our values. According to Rokeach, “Values are a learned organization of rules for making choices and for resolving conflicts.” 11 Therefore, values can tell us what is good or bad, what is useful or useless, what is right or wrong, what to strive for