Understanding American Culture

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Understanding American Culture

• International Center
• Pfeiffer University

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Understanding American Culture

• This presentation has been created to help you
  make a successful transition to the United States
  and to Pfeiffer University.
• Culture, as a body of learned behaviors common
  to a given human society, acts rather like a
  template (i.e. it has predictable form and
  content), shaping behavior and consciousness
  within a human society from generation to
  generation.
• Culture is ordinary that is the first fact.
  Every human society has its own shape, its own
  purposes, its own meanings.

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Cultural Generalizations

• Each culture has some generalizations that you
  can use to better understand its values and
  characteristics.

• By understanding a new cultures values and
  characteristics you can better navigate the
  challenges of day-to-day life and become more
  comfortable in your new surroundings.

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American Characteristics Values

• individualism self-reliance
• friendly, informal,
• outgoing
• confidence, idealism ambition
• generosity, openness and predictability
• respect for laws

• tolerance and multiculturalism
• passionate about truth, justice, equality
• firm believers in the written word
  contractual agreements
• affluence, consumerism, capitalism

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friendly, outgoing, informal

• Bold Talent shook his head. How like children
  the Americans were, with their pranks and easy
  warmth. Men who offered their hands for
  strangers to shake, ladies who sat and chatted at
  dinner with gentlemen they had never seen before,
  children who threw snowballs at adults no matter
  what their station. He would miss them.
• -Betty Bao Lord, Spring Moon

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confidence, idealism, ambition, and a can-do
attitude

• The United States is like a gigantic boiler.
  Once the fire is lighted under it there is no
  limit to the power it can generate
• -Sir Edward Grey

• It is a fabulous countryit is the one place
  where miracles not only happen, but where they
  happen all the time.-Thomas Wolfe
• This is America. We can do anything here.
• -Ted Turner

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tolerance, multiculturalism

• For me there was only one place to go if I
  couldnt live in my own country America. It is
  a country of immigrants. There is such tolerance
  for the foreign and unfamiliar. Americans
  continue to amaze me.
• -Milos Foreman, Time

• "America is not like a blanket -- one piece of
  unbroken cloth, the same color, the same texture,
  the same size. America is more like a quilt --
  many patches, many pieces, many colors, many
  sizes, all woven and held together by a common
  thread.
• -Henry M. Jackson

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respect for the law

• Once we were out in a rural area in the middle
  of nowhere, and we saw an American come to a stop
  sign. Though he could see in both directions for
  miles and no traffic was coming, he still
  stopped!
• -Turkish exchange student in
• There is a Difference

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generosity, openness and predictability

• Khoo Ah Au liked Americans. He found them on
  the whole, generous, easygoing and completely
  predictable. Above all he found their personal
  relationships easy to read
• His own people were always very careful not to
  give themselves away, to expose crude feelings
  about one another. Americans seemed not to care
  how much was understood by strangers. It was
  almost as if they enjoyed being transparent.
• -Eric Ambler, Passage of Arms

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affluence, consumerism, and capitalism

• But as always happens, no matter how often one
  visits America, the really overwhelming thing was
  the affluenceWe should always remember that when
  Americans talk about being in a slump, they mean
  a slump by their standards. For the visitor, the
  sheer wealth of the country must remain the
  abiding impression.
• -Clive James, Flying Visits

• America is really a salesmans societythey are
  always selling something. They are selling their
  product, their company, their services, and last
  but not least, they are selling themselves-and
  doing quite well at it too.
• -Visitor from the Netherlands.

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American attitudes toward

• Directness
• Americans are generally direct in their
  communication style (factual, concise, using
  words efficiently, open)
• Students may (sometimes) need to modify their
  communication style to be understood by faculty
  and staff.

• Friendliness
• Americans are generally friendly and outgoing
  when meeting new people.
• This sometimes leads international students to
  think they have found a new best friend and then
  to be disappointed if this is not the case.

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American attitudes toward

• Concept Time is Money
• Why? Americans want to spend their time
  productively. If you are late meeting with them,
  they have lost time to do other important things.

• Informality
• Americans tend to be informal in terms of
  titles. If you are unsure, ask them how they
  prefer to be addressed.
• Promptness
• Be on time or 5 minutes early (no earlier)
• Do NOT be late

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American attitudes toward

• Personal Hygiene
• Many Americans bathe or shower at least once a
  day, more often if they're involved in sports or
  fitness activities. The American bath or shower
  involves immersing the body in water and covering
  it completely with soap lather, often from a
  deodorant soap. Many Americans use talcum powder
  after their bath or shower, but virtually all
  well-groomed Americans use an underarm deodorant
  before they get dressed. Nearly 2 billion in
  deodorant is sold every year. Many Americans also
  wear newly cleaned clothes every day, including
  underwear, shirts and tops.

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American Attitudes TowardDating

• Both men and women initiate dates (men more
  often)
• It is expected by many Americans that the man
  will at least offer to pay, but the host (asker)
  usually pays, or the bill is split (this is
  called dutch treat)
• Is it a date? If youre not sure, its okay to
  ask.
• I think of you as a friend is often a polite
  way of saying I dont want to date you.
• Despite what you may have seen from American
  television or movies, most Americans do not
  sleep around.
• If someone says No or Stop or indicates they
  are not interested, YOU MUST BACK OFF AND LEAVE
  THEM ALONE. Not understanding that can lead to a
  serious offense like sexual harassment or
  assault.

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American attitudes toward

• Public Behavior
• Being Orderly
• First come first served first in line goes first
• Get in line, wait your turn
• Walk/Drive on the right side, pass on the left
• Respecting Others
• Dont block traffic
• Dont block view
• No smoking in most public buildings
• Ask before you light up

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American attitudes towardReligion
America is a highly religious country, and has
been since its earliest days. Nearly every
religion in the world has organized institutions
in the United States. American religious
institutions are large, powerful and influential
in social and political life.
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American attitudes toward

• Cell Phone Etiquette
• Do not allow cell phones to ring in class or when
  you are meeting with faculty or staff at
  Pfeiffer.
• Also, do not let them ring while at movies,
  theatres and other performances.
• If the phone rings, turn it off. Do not talk to
  the caller.
• Inappropriate cell phone use is considered rude
  behavior.

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Adjustment to a new culture often occurs in four
distinct phases

• Honeymoon Stage
  (Euphoria)
• Hostility Stage
  (Culture Shock)
• Humor Stage
  (Gradual Adjustment)
• Home Stage
  (Adaptation)
• For more information on these phases look in the
  International Student Handbooks discussion of
  Adjusting to Life and Customs in the U.S.

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Symptoms of Hostility Phase

• homesickness
• withdrawal spending time only with people from
  home country
• need for excessive amounts of sleep
• compulsive eating or drinking
• irritability
• stereotyping or hostility toward locals
• physical ailments (psychosomatic illnesses)
• loss of concentration

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Suggestions to help you to adapt to your new
culture

• Try to get more rest and eat well.
• Ask questions. If you are not sure what someone
  means, do not hesitate to ask them.
• Speak English as often as possible.

• Accept as normal, a certain amount of confusion.
• Dont expect too much of yourself.
• Talk with an American classmate or ask a faculty
  member to explain certain aspects of American
  culture.

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More Suggestions for Adapting

• Keep a journal about your experiences and
  emotions
• Set aside time each day to do something special
  and DO IT.
• Stay physically active (Intramural teams,
  running, biking)
• Speak with a trained counselor in Pfeiffers
  Counseling Center (ext. 3422).
• Speak with someone in Health Services (ext.
  3425) if you develop physical symptoms.
• Speak with an advisor in the International
  Center (ext. 3368).

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Slang Terms Phrases Defined

• all that - superior to others
• around the bend or corner nearby
• awesome - great neat
• bad - good
• baloney - not true
• beat it go away
• bite the bullet do what is necessary no matter
  how difficult
• blow your top to become excited or angry
• bogus - useless incorrect
• bookworm - someone who reads a lot
• blow your stack - to become very angry

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Slang Terms (continued)

• brown noser someone who tries to find find
  favor with someone powerful
• bull to discuss at length false
• carried away - over-react
• chick - female (often regarded as offensive)
• chick flick a movie that females might enjoy
• chill/chill out - to relax
• choked up too upset to speak
• cool - awesome neat
• cramp my style to interfere with what one is
  doing
• crash - to rest or sleep
• dog to spurn or treat someone badly a friend
• diss - put down/ gossip

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Slang Terms (continued)

• don't go there/don't start - stop talking about
  that
• down the road - some distance away
• driving me crazy - aggravated/annoyed
• dude - a person (usually male)
• duh - of course
• fine cute
• fixing to about to do something
• freak out become hysterical
• funky not good
• get off my back - leave me alone
• getting on my nerves becoming aggravated or
  frustrated
• get right on it - start immediately
• grub - food
• hit the road - leave

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Slang Terms (continued)

• hold down the fort take charge
• hold it - stop wait
• hold up to delay wait to rob
• hop skip and a jump not far away
• hottie - an attractive person
• homey a good friend or someone from your home
  town
• just picking - just kidding
• ill upset
• in one ear and out the other not listening or
  taking advice
• keep in touch write, call, visit
• kick up your heels to celebrate
• kill two birds with one stone - accomplish two
  things at once
• killing time - idly passing time away
• kiss off dismiss

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Slang Terms (continued)

• knock out attractive person punch
• like - no real meaning just a filler
• my bad - my fault or mistake
• neck of the woods - general location
• nip it in the bud - take care of a situation
  before it gets out of control
• not over my dead body - refuse disagree
• off the top of my head - without much thought
• out like a light most often used when
  referring to someone sleeping
• over my head do not understand
• over the hill - older adult
• over the moon excited, enthusiastic
• pick your brain- get as much information from you
  as possible
• pill - a disagreeable person
• pissed off angry
• pulling my leg or chain - kidding or joking

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Slang Terms (continued)

• rag to tease or disparage
• royal shaft poor treatment
• see you around - farewell remark
• shoot the breeze - have a conversation
• started to was going to do something but did
  not
• sweet - great
• sucks - bad terrible
• talk my ear off the person you are talking to
  has a lot to say
• tight - have a close relationship with
• tough difficult too bad food thats difficult
  to chew
• trip/trip out/trippin - a strange thing to
  overreact to act surprised
• unglued hysterical
• uptight serious conservative
• Whats up? - greeting hi

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Thank you for your kind attention

• Good luck to you getting settled and enjoy your
  classes this semester.
• Please visit us in the International Center if we
  can assist you in any way.