In high context cultures, relationships develop slowly over time, communication is implicit, and one's identity is tied to their social groups. Relationships in these cultures are very stable once formed. By contrast, relationships form more quickly in low context cultures but can also end quickly, communication is explicit, and individual identity and independence are valued. Age, status and in-group membership play a larger role in high context cultures' relationships than in low context cultures.

1. High and Low Context Cultures
Krystal Kelly
Anthropology 100
And relationships in each.

2. The Question
• How do relationships differ between high and
low context cultures?
• How do relationships in each start?
• What are the overall differences between high
and low context dealing with the concept of
relationships?

3. What does High and Low context
Culture mean?
• Saying a culture is High Context or low Context
is a way to describe the communication
patterns within the culture.

4. What is High Context Culture?
• Many things are left
unsaid within the
communication, the
meaning of the message
is only understood
through the filter of the
speakers culture.
• Relational, collectivist,
intuitive, and
contemplative.
• Word choice, tone and
facial expressions have
great impact on the
meaning of the message.
• A few words can
communicate a very
complex message
effectively, but may only
be understood by people
within the speakers own
culture.

5. Examples of High context Cultures
• African
• Arab
• Brazilian
• Chinese
• Filipinos
• French Canadian
• French
• Greek
• Hawaiian
• Hungarian
• Indian
• Indonesian
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Latin Americans
• Persian
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Southern United States
• Spanish
• Thai
• Turkish
• Vietnamese

6. What is Low Context Culture?
• Communication is explicit
and straight forward.
• Less importance is placed
on word choice.
• Individualism and
independence are valued.
Examples–
• Australian
• English Canadian
• English
• Finnish
• German
• Irish
• New Zealand
• Scandinavia
• Switzerland
• United States (excluding the
Southern United States)

7. Main Cultural Differences
High Context
• How things get done depends
on relationships with people
and attention to group
process.
• One's identity is rooted in the
groups they are in i.e. family,
work, culture.
• Social structure and authority
are centralized; responsibility
is at the top. Person at top
works for the good of the
group
• Space is communal; people
stand close to each other,
share the same space.
Low Context
• Things get done by following
procedures and paying
attention to the goal.
• One's identity is rooted in
oneself and one's
accomplishments.
• Social structure is
decentralized; responsibility
goes further down (is not
concentrated at the top).
• Space is compartmentalized
and privately owned; privacy is
important, so people are
farther apart.

8. Relationships
High Context
• Relationships depend on trust,
build up slowly, and are stable.
• One distinguishes between
people inside and people
outside one's circle.
• Small, close-knit groups, and
reliance on that group.
• Groups are heavily relied on
for support, it may be difficult
to get support outside of your
group.
• Professional and personal lives
often intertwine
Low Context
• Interpersonal relationships can
be intense but short term.
• Relationships begin and end
quickly.
• Many people can be inside
one's circle. The circles
boundary is often not clear.
• A lower context culture
demands more independence.
• Expects many relationships,
but fewer intimate ones.

9. •In high context culture the coming
together stage takes quite a long time to
happen.
•Once a relationship reaches the bonding
stage it will often stay in relational
maintenance for a very long time.
•Relationships do not often reach the
coming apart.
•In low context culture the coming
together stage can happen very
quickly and can reach the bonding
stage shortly after meeting.
•A relationship can go through the
whole cycle of coming together,
bonding, and coming apart in a
short amount of time.

10. First Impressions
Korea – High Context
• When meeting someone for
the first time one
immediately asks the other
person their age and marital
status.
• This information tells you
how to proceed with you
interactions.
United States – Low Context
• When you first meet
someone it is common to
introduce yourself casually.
• A simple introduction may
only consist of your name
depending on the situation.
• Immediate inquiries about
age and marital status may
seem too forward and
perhaps rude.

11. Age Differences in Relationships
Korea – High Context
• If someone is older than
you by even one year you
must refer to them with the
proper honorific.
• This shows the power and
authority the other person
has over you.
• Even if you become close
with this person and
become able to use a more
casual honorific it is still
always there.
United States – Low Context
• Age differences are not as
important.
• People often interact and
build friendships with
people who are both older
and younger than them.
• There are no honorifics to
signify age difference.
• One may not find out
another's age till later in
their friendship if they don’t
explicitly ask or care.

12. Korean Honorifics

13. “First name basis”
High Context Culture - Japan
• In Japanese culture it is almost
taboo to use names. Since it is
very intimate, something only
close friends, lovers, and family
members use.
• Omitting a title is either very
friendly or very insulting,
depending on the situation.
• Generally people address each
other by last name. With the
proper honorific.
• It is perfectly polite and common
in Japanese to address a
complete stranger as 'old lady' or
'grandfather' or 'elder sister' or
'Mr. Policeman' or 'miss' or 'boy'.
Low Context Culture -
• In low context culture it is
common to refer to people
mostly by their first name, you
may be close friends or have
just met, in both situations it is
completely appropriate.
• It is not uncommon to address
those older than you by first
name.
• People of authority such as
bosses and teachers may ask
you to refer to them by their
first name, the “Mr.” or “Mrs.”
might make them feel
uncomfortable due to the
superiority the pre-fixes imply.

14. The Japanese and Names
• The Japanese have a name taboo; they avoid
using names when possible. Using a name is
rather intimate. Close friends, such as
schoolmates, lovers, and family members, would
use names. The Japanese usually use the family
name when they use names. Again, children are
usually less formal, but the older the people
involved, and the more formal the situation, the
more polite the language becomes. It's also
acceptable to refer to one's boss as Kacho (課
長 Kachō, 'boss', literally 'supervisor') without his
name.

15. Japanese Honorifics
• san (さん) = A person may be
addressed with the "-san" suffix if the
speaker does not know the subject
well, but the speaker does not wish
to be rude to the subject. Gender
Nuetral
• -kun (君): Used for male children or
an older man to a younger man, or
among friends and equals.
• -chan (ちゃん): An informal version
of "san" used to address children and
female family members, can be a
term of endearment in adulthood.
• -senpai (先輩): Used for
upperclassmen. Elder students have a
leadership role with junior students
and 'senpai' recognizes that.
• -kohai (後輩 kōhai): The reverse of
senpai. Kohai is used to address
juniors.
• As mentioned in the beginning
there is much left unsaid within
the communication which can
be expressed through just the
particular honorific you chose
to address someone with.
• You may express a development
within a friendship by switching
from “-san” to “-kun” or
perhaps refer to a male friend
as “-chan” to tease him and be
endearing.

16. Conclusion
• The dynamics of relationships within High and Low context
cultures are very different.
• In Low Context Culture it is normal to be self reliant and yet
have many relationships. Relationships are easy to build,
can start very quickly but end just as soon. People have
many acquaintances they have fewer close friends. The feel
of these relationships and the communication with in them
tends to be very casual.
• In High Context Culture general interactions with people
until they become close is very formal. People have more of
a collective mindset and rely on their groups of friends
heavily. They have fewer relationships than individuals from
Low context culture but High Context relationships take
longer to solidify and are much more stable and long
lasting.