Running Head: REFLECTIVE ESSAY

Reflective Essay
Laura Haight
Intercultural/International Communication - Com 40164
Ottawa University
Michael Henry
December 12, 2015

Running Head: REFLECTIVE ESSAY

Identify and explain interpersonal, collective and/or institutional discrimination.

Discrimination is the behavior that results from stereotyping or prejudice-overt actions
to exclude, avoid, or distance oneself from other groups (Martin & Nakayama, 2011, p. 60).
Unfortunately, discrimination is everywhere. Martin & Nakayamas (2011) formula of power
plus prejudice is all it takes for racism, sexism, etc. to become widespread (p. 60). What this
essentially means is that if there are prejudice people that hold power against others that
discrimination will become visible.
Interpersonal discrimination refers to discriminatory interactions between individuals,
which usually can be directly perceived (Karlsen & Nazroo, 2002). In this type of discrimination,
individuals or groups are singled out. When one has prejudice towards another, they may avoid
eye contact, avoid the individual or group entirely, or display unfriendly behavior. For example,
If members of a particular group are consistently treated with less positive social interaction
across situations than other groups this pattern of behavior can be attributed to interpersonal
discrimination (Paludi, 2012, p. 172). A good example of this is the discrimination of Muslim
people. They are a group that has been singled out because some people of this religion choose to
display horrific behavior. Because of this, the others are discriminated against and have to endure
the consequences of other Muslims actions.
Institutional discrimination involves the denial of opportunities and equal rights to
individuals or groups that result from the normal operations of a society (Schaefer, 2001, p. 310).
Examples of this would be a company eliminating women or people of a certain race or religion
for employment opportunities. This discrimination tends to be more subtle than interpersonal
discrimination.
Sadly, discrimination will never go away. It is irresponsible and often destructive. Our
responsibility as part of the human race is to always try to treat others respectfully and fairly. The

Running Head: REFLECTIVE ESSAY

hope is that discrimination will diminish.

How do the choices we make about popular culture influence the formation of our cultural
identity?
Popular culture is fascinating. According to YourDictionary.com, it is the ideas,
knowledge, information, creative works and principles expressed or enjoyed by a majority of a
population at a given time. It is essentially the culture of the people. The choices we make about
popular culture have a tremendous influence of the formation of our cultural identity.
Popular culture has many different forms such as styles of dress, the use of slang
language, social media, music, movies, how people greet each other, the types of foods people
eat, and politics. Good and bad actions, opinions, and influences are formed through popular
culture. It has some positive effects such as giving people common ground, sharing discussion,
and is good for the economy; however, it also has some negative effects. It gives labels to people
who do not conform to it and some popular music, films, and video games are filled with
violence and negativity. Unfortunately, there are those individuals that do not practice right from
wrong and will act out what they pick up from the culture around them.
Popular culture influences trends. My popular culture may not be the same as another
persons. It does not define us as a culture, but it is what culture is perceived as. It is ever
changing and it really does matter. It has an influence on all of us. Without it, we would be lost
as a human race. Our responsibility is to keep aware of this ever-changing culture in order to
benefit our well-being and the well-being of others.
How might different attitudes toward work lead to intercultural communication conflicts?
Just as people have principals and standards of behavior in their personal lives, they also
have the same in their work lives. Conflict is bound to occur when you mix different ethnicities,
diversities, religions, genders, and generations in the workplace. I know firsthand what it is like

Running Head: REFLECTIVE ESSAY

to work with many different types of cultures and have observed many communication conflicts.
I find it interesting how different peoples work ethics vary. In my place of employment
the older culture seems to be stuck in their ways and only do just what they need to in order to
collect their pay checks. The culture of people my age seem to strive for success and always go
beyond what is expected of them. Then there is the younger culture that seems to be quite lazy
and seem to expect everything handed to them on a silver platter. This is quite frustrating and
because of this, there tends to be quite a bit of conflict between staff. Conflict can arise in any
number of scenarios and can be described as anything from a minor annoyance or nuisance to a
major challenge to core cultural values (Mulkeen, 2014).
People have different sets of perceptions about appropriate ways to handle conflict. I
have found that in order to handle intercultural conflict it is important to make an effort to
understand the attitudes, expectations, and behaviors of other cultures. This may explain why
they are behaving a certain way. According to Universal Class, Inc. It's vital to be able to take
others' perspectives into consideration when engaging in intercultural conflict (2015).
Is it possible for two people to communicate effectively if they do not speak the same
language?
It is quite important and possible that people are able to communicate effectively if they
do not speak the same language. While it would be helpful if we knew some of the same
language of the person we are trying to communicate with, nonverbal communication can be
extremely helpful. When relaying a message, the sender will only use 10% linguistics while the
other 90 % is nonverbal (Trenholm & Jensen, 2013).
Nonverbal communication allows us to convey information about our emotional state,
define or reinforce the relationship between people, provide feedback to others, and regulate the
flow of communication. When using nonverbal communication we must consider the place and

Running Head: REFLECTIVE ESSAY

the people as well as the culture in order to not offend anyone. For example, a simple thumbs up
gesture in America and other English speaking countries signals approval. In Greece, Italy and
some parts of the Middle East it is considered offensive.
We live in such a diverse world that we must have effective communication skills in
order to communicate with people of all different cultures. Mastering and being aware of our
nonverbal communication is beneficial in our daily lives.
Describe your plan to become more interculturally savvy in communication.
Each year I am blessed enough to be able to go on vacation with my family to the
Bahamas. As many years as I have been going, I have never thought to do some research on
Bahamian customs and traditions. Next year, I plan to do this in order to better communicate
with the people that live on the island.
This class has opened my eyes to knowing the importance of intercultural
communication. It is interesting that I am taking this course as so many cultural dilemmas are
currently going on in the world. I pride myself in being open, aware, and sensitive of people of
different cultures and people that have different beliefs. I will continue to go out of my way to
get to know people that have different customs, traditions, values, and beliefs. It is important for
me to be interculturally savvy because of the diverse workplace that I spend each day in. I plan
to continue to learn various communication techniques in order to remain interculturally savvy in
communication. Intercultural communication is a skill that must be learned and continually
practiced.

Running Head: REFLECTIVE ESSAY

References
Global Communication, & Mulkeen, D. (2014, February 17). Managing conflict in an
international work place. Retrieved from
https://www.communicaid.com/communication-skills/blog/communicationskills/managing-conflict-international-workplace
Klein, S. S. (2007). Gender equality in career and technical education. In Handbook for
achieving gender equity through education (p. 12). Retrieved from
http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Achieving-Gender-ThroughEducation/dp/0805854541
Martin, J., & Nakayama, T. (2014). Experiencing intercultural communication: an introduction.
(5th ed.) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 9780078036927
popular-culture. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12th, 2015, from
http://www.yourdictionary.com/popular-culture
Universal Class. (2015). How to manage intercultural conflicts | universal class. Retrieved from
https://www.universalclass.com/articles/business/intercultural-communication/how-tomanage-intercultural-conflicts.htm