physical-contact

Touching--physicalcontact王璨新闻传播学院•Physicaltouchvariesfromculturetoculture.Accordingtosomeresearchers,worldculturesfallintotwocategories:contactcultureandlow-contactculture.TheformerincludesculturesinmostoftheArabworld,Mediterranean（地中海）countries(includingFrance,Greece,Italy),andthoseoftheJewsinEuropeandMiddleEast,EastEuropeannations,Russians,Indonesiansandsoon.ThelatterincludesculturesinmostNorthernEurope,Germany,Britain,theUnitedStates(Anglo-Saxons盎格鲁撒克逊)andJapan.TheAustraliansareinbetween.Handshake•Inmanyinternationalbusinesssettings,thehandshakehasbecomeanacceptedtouchbetweenbusinesspeoplewhentheyfirstmeet,replacingorcomplementing(补足)traditionalgreetingrituals.Butthetypeofhandshakevarieswidely.•TheGermansandAmericanspreferafirmhandshake,whichisseenasasymbolofstrengthandcharacter.•TheFrenchgenerallyhaveamuchsofterhandshake.TheymayfeeluncomfortablewiththegripofaGerman,andtheGermanmaywonderaboutthelimphandshakeoftheFrench.•Middleeasternersmayputthefreehandontheforearmofthepersonwithwhomtheyareshakinghands.Asaresult,thedistancetotheotherpersondiminishes.•TheJapaneseusedtobowing,mayshakehandswithforeignbusinesspartnersbutkeeptheirarmfirmlyextendedtokeepagreaterdistance.Inaddition,theymayslightlybowandtherebycombinetheJapaneseandwesterngreetingritual.•Germanmentraditionallywouldalsobowwhenshakingsomeone’shand.TheGermanbow,however,differssignificantlyfromtheJapanesebow.•LetushaveatestondifferenthandshakesCountryorregionTypeofhandshakeUnitestatesFirmhandshakeFranceSofthandshakeGermanyFirmhandshake,formen,traditionallyaccompaniedbyaslightbowJapanHandshakewitharmfirmlyextended,accompaniedbybowMiddleeastHandshakeandfreehandplacedonforearmofotherpersonFirmhandshakeSofthandshakeFirmhandshake,formen,traditionallyaccompaniedbyaslightbowHandshakewitharmfirmlyextended,accompaniedbybowHandshakeandfreehandplacedonforearmofotherpersonBow•Thehandshakewiththebowillustrates(说明)thatgreetingritualsinmanycasescombinedifferenttypesofnonverbalcommunication.Asthementionabove,theGermanandJapanesebowdiffer.•TheJapanesebowfromthehipwithastraightback.Menkeeptheirarmsatthesidewiththehandsextendedatthesideoftheupperlegs.Japanesewomenputtheirhandsonthefrontofthethighs(大腿)whenbowing.Duringthebowingtheneckremainsstraight.TheministerofJapan•InGermanbowing,ontheotherhand,thehipsremainstraight;thebowcomesoutofaloweringofthehead.TheGermanbowiscalledaDiener.Thismeansitisabowtoandrecognitionofauthority.ThewordDienermeansservant,sowiththebowtheGermansays”atyourservice.”OlderGermansmaystilldoaDiener,butmostpeopletodayjustgiveaslightnodofthehead.Thebowdoesnotfitwithnotionsofdemocracy(民主主义)andequality.FormerChancellor(大臣)HelmutKohlwascriticizedbyanumberofpeopleandmagazinesbecausehedidaDienerwhengreetingformerpresidentbush.ThegesturewasseenbymanyGermansasunacceptablyservile.Kiss,embraceorother•InArgentinawhenwomenmeetworkassociatesorfriendstheystretchforwardsotheirrightcheekistouchingtheotherperson’srightcheek,andperhapskisstheearbelowtheotherperson’srightear.•Womendothiswhenmeetingmenorwomen;•Menonlydothiswhenmeetingwomen.•Nottoperformthisgreetingritualistoappearcold,unfriendly,andevenangry.•InLebanon(黎巴嫩),typicallymenwillkisstherightcheektheleftcheek,andperhapstherightcheekagainofothermen.•InEstonia(爱沙尼亚),however,cheekkissingisnotapproved.Estoniansexpectafirmhandshakeuponmeeting,andagainwhenaskingleaveofsomeone.•InGermany,shakinghandsisanacceptedandexpectedgreetingritual;however,Germansseldomembrace.Hugging,evenamongfamilymembers,israrerthaninFranceorLatincultures.Thehandshakeestablishestouch,butatarm’slength,whereasanembraceisjusttoomuchinvasionofthepersonalbubble.•TheMaoriofnewZealand,ontheotherhand,expecttouchingaspartofthegreetingritual.Maoribusinesspeoplemayfeelleftoutofbusinessmeetingsifthetraditionalgreeting,thehongiorpressingofnoses,andthekarangaorformalcryofwelcome,arenotperformed.•Peoplefromlow-contextculturestendtofeelcrowdedbypeoplefromhigh-contextcultures,andthepeoplefromhigh-contextculturesfeelleftoutandrejectedbypeoplefromlow-contextcultures.Peoplecomewithcertainexpectationsthatframetheirbehavior,andwhenthoseexpectationsarenotmet,theyfeelconfused,resentful,orleftout.•Allpeoplefromallculturesbringtheiruniqueculturalbaggagewiththem.However,aspeoplelearnmoreaboutanotherculture,theyadjusttheirexpectations.Theybecomemoresophisticated(诡辩的，久经世故的)andadjusttheirbehavioraccordingtothecontextandtheirdegreeofawarenessofthiscontext.•Howdoweknowwhatthe“right”distanceisandwhatacceptabletouchis?Asinchildhood,welearnbyobservationinindividualsituations.Bookscanhelp,butlistsofdo’sanddon’ts,whileprovidingsomeinitialguidelines,donotgivetheunderlyingreasonsforindividualdifferences,variations,andchanges.•Theattitudetowardspacereflectsthe“right”distance.•IntheUSAthatbubbleisaboutthelengthofanarmandwetalkaboutarms-lengthrelationships,meaningthatwekeepsomeoneatadistanceanddon’tallowthemintoourpersonalsphere.ThatbubbleisalittlebitsmallerinFrancebutlargerintheNetherlandsandGermany.ItisevenlargerinJapanbutmuchsmallerinLatincountriesandtheMiddleEast.CulturesSpace