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1. Introduction Individualsin different cultures use different patterns and learn different theories tocontrol their behavior when communicating with others. Americansattach great importance to independence but Chinese have a regard for human relation,one of the major cultural value differences between Americaand China.This paper reports a study on the relation-valued Chinese culture andindependence-valued American culture in order to give some culturalunderstanding to avoid communicative misunderstanding for Chinese andAmericans. The author first begins with discussing the causes for forming thetwo different cultures; and then the comparison between the two differentcultures, and their reflections in dealing with work and their differentfriendship patterns. http://www.paper51.com Thereare three major parts in this paper: In part one, the comparison between theChinese interpersonal relationship and the American independence, in part two, the Chinese human relation culture and the westerngoal culture, especially embodied in the business negotiation; in part three, theirdifferent friendship patterns. copyright paper51.com 2. Reasons for forming thetwo different cultures 内容来自论文无忧网 www.paper51.com 2.1 Influence of Ren and Yi of the Confucianism in China http://www.paper51.com Confucianism is about the personality;it regards the good relationship as the base of society. Confucianism scholarsheld up four acceptable principles: “Ren”, “Yi”, “Li”, “Zhi”, Ren isthe inner core, the cardinal principle of the Confucianism; it lays great emphasis on relationship. Man shouldbe friendly and benevolent. paper51.com Yiis used as a norms or a means for people to achieve ideal manhood or good relationship.It means loyalty and fairness. Confucius regards “Yi” as moral concept toestimate the people’s idea and behavior. In our usual life, Yi is oftenqualified as a life standard. The norm consists of the prescriptions foracceptable behavior concerning almost every aspects of life, such as morality,social order, social rituals, customs, social interactions, and so on and soforth. Ren and Yi are systems of moral codes in Chinese. 内容来自论文无忧网 www.paper51.com
Besides,Doctrine of the Mean, called Zhongyongin Chinese literally meaning middle and constant, is also central to Chineseculture. The Doctrine of the Mean advocatesthat men should not go to extreme or should constantly keep themselves in themiddle. The purpose of Mean is to bring balance and harmony; men in the societyprefer to live in harmony. Nobody expects conflicts with others. Thus under theinfluence of Ren, Yi and the Mean, people in the Chinese culture attach greatimportance to relation. copyright paper51.com
2.2American individualism and human rights 内容来自www.paper51.com
Individualismhas two meanings in American. First is its positive aspect, individualisticindependent, confident, optimistic, American people believe they are the best,they can achieve what they want to do; second is its negative aspect, people pursueown advantages but neglect others. American social ideology thinks the mostimportant value is the individualism. This is the obvious symbol of Americanculture. Individualism is different from benefitlism. The origin ofindividualism is to pursue personal freedom. Therefore, they value theirindependence very much and consider freedom as the most important value. In theAmerican family, children will earn their living by themselves when they becomeadult, they rely on themselves to survive, and gradually they regardindependence as their primary belief. Therefore, unlike Chinese culture, Renand Yi find no place in the American philosophy and religion. What is highlyvalued in the USAis individualism, and as a result equal relationship is quite important forthem. They think that: “each individual is unique, special, and completely differentfrom others,” (Samovar, L.A.: 2000, 62) theybelieve the words “I am the best”. Everybody is born equal and democratic. Inthis case, the love and benevolent humanitarianism advocate entirely differentfrom those advocated by Ren in the Chinese. And thus people in this culturetend to link loosely with others; they are motivated by their ownrepresentation but not others, and give priority to their personal goals. Theythink a lot of independence and freedom. 内容来自www.paper51.com 3. Chinese interpersonal relationshipand American independence http://www.paper51.com Under the impact of Ren and Yi in China and the individualism in America, two entirely differentinterpersonal relationships exist between two countries. paper51.com
3.1Chinese harmonious relationship vs. American emphasis on self http://www.paper51.com |