“We”-and “I”-cultures

Worldview is “the deep-level assumptions, values, and commitments in terms of which people govern their lives.” Charles H. Kraft, Communication Theory for Christian Witness, Rev. ed. (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1991), 161.

“We”-and “I”-cultures

Culture “We” “I”Primary Identity

clearer group identity

interdependent

“we”e.g.,

introducing oneself with

one’s company

and/or family name first

clearer individual identity

independent“I”

e.g., introducing oneself with one’s first name only

Values group success and group initiatives

self-realization, individual

success, and individual initiatives

Culture “We” “I”

Goals group goals over individual

goals

individual goals over

group goalsStandards ingroup

conforms to group’s

standardsdifferent

standards for ingroup and

outgroup

universal standards for ingroup and

outgroup

“We”- and “I”-cultures

Implication for Mission

High- and Low-context Cultures

Culture High-Context(“We”)

Low-Context(“I”)

Direct or Indirect tend to understate, speak indirectly,

communicate ambiguously, and differentiate more between ingroup and outgroups

“can be characterized by

being direct, explicit, open, precise, being consistent with one’s feelings”;

differentiates less between ingroup

and outgroup

Culture High-Context(“We”)

Low-Context(“I”)

Verbal or Non-verbal Emphasis

communication emphasizes

contextual cues: age, dress,

posture, status, behavior, eye-

contact, and facial expression

communication emphasizes

words; communication is primary through

words

本音と建前[Honne is] an opinion or an action motivated by one’s true inner feelings and [tatemae is] an opinion or an action influenced by social norms. These two words are often considered a dichotomy contrasting genuinely-held personal feeling and opinions from those that are socially controlled. Nobuyuki Honna and Bates Hoffer, An English Dictionary of Japanese Culture (Tokyo: Yuhikaku, 1986), 94.

本音と建前Honne is one’s deep motive or intention, while tatemae refers to motives or intentions that are socially tuned, those that are shaped, encouraged, or suppressed by majority norms....[H]onne and tatemae are not actually opposites as these two values are relative to people and situations.Nobuyuki Honna and Bates Hoffer, An English Dictionary of Japanese Culture (Tokyo: Yuhikaku, 1986), 94.

D. Katan,Translating Cultures: An Introduction for Translators, Interpreters, and Mediators (Manchester, St. Jerome Publishing, 1999), in Giovanna Pistillo, “The Interpreter as Cultural Mediator,” Journal of Intercultural Communication, No 6 (2003) http://www.immi.se/jicc/index.php/jicc/article/view/135/103 (accessed December 21, 2011).

High- and Low-context Cultures

Implication for Mission

Discussion

What are you thoughts about the “We” and “I” cultures? High-context and low-context cultures?

Genesis 2:25 (NIV)

The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Genesis 3:7 (NIV)

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Genesis 3:8 (NIV)

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

Genesis 3:9-10 (NIV)

But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"

He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."

…the term guilt and its various derivatives occur 145 times in the Old Testament and 10 times in the New Testament, whereas the term shame and its derivatives occur nearly 300 times in the Old Testament and 45 times in the New Testament.Timothy C. Tennent, Theology in the Context of World Christianity: How the Global Church is Influencing the Way We Think about and Discuss Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007), 213.

Shame

focuses on the person focuses on what

happened

Guilt

Shame

“I did something

bad or wrong.”

“I did something bad

or wrong.”

Guilt

Shame

Guilt

“shrinking, feeling small,

feeling worthless, powerless”

“tension, remorse, regret”

Norman Kraus, Jesus Christ Our Lord: Christology from a Disciple's Perspective (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1990

Shame

“desire to hide, escape, or

strike back”

“ desire to confess,

apologize, or repair”

Guilt

Norman Kraus, Jesus Christ Our Lord: Christology from a Disciple's Perspective (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1990

Shame

Concern with others’ evaluation

of self

Guilt

Concern with one’s effect on

others

Shame

Love gets rid of shame.

Paying a penalty gets rid of guilt.

Guilt

Implication for Mission

Discussion

What are you thoughts about shame and guilt cultures?

Five Metaphors For Jesus Saving Effect:“the court of law (e.g., justification), the world of commerce (e.g., redemption), personal relationship (e.g., reconciliation), worship (e.g., sacrifice), and the battleground (e.g., triumph over evil).”

Joel Green & Mark Baker, Recovering the Scandal of the Cross (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 23.

Notes and Resources

arthur.rouzer@gmail.com626 394 1504