Culture and Intercultural Relationships
An intercultural relationship generally means a relationship between people from different national cultures. The term “intercultural relationship” here is defined as a union of two people from diverse cultures as well as different countries. What are the cultural differences and their possible impact they may have on romantic relationships? To answer this question we need to define the term “culture”. Since we will primarily focus on the influence culture has on perceptions, thoughts and behaviors of people in intercultural relationships.
Culture is a frequently used term and there are as many meanings of it as people using the term, so a generally accepted universal definition of culture does not exist. This basic definition of culture was frequently used from various perspectives – cultural anthropology, ethnology, cultural sociology, and psychology, which then expanded in its context and acquired new interpretations.
The most concise and precise definition the of term culture, which is still remaining popular among scientists, was given by Edward B. Tylor in the introduction to his book “Primitive Culture”, 1871: “culture…is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” (Knapp 2002:300). Culture “comes down to behavior patterns associated with particular groups of people, that is, to customs or to people’s way of life” (Harris 1968:16). Drawing from these conceptualizations of culture, culture is defined in this work as “a complex frame of reference that consists of patterns of traditions, beliefs, values, norms, symbols, and meanings that are shared to varying degree by interacting members of a community”.
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