A Study Of Perception Differences In Intercultural Communication

This thesis aims at elaborating the existence of perception differences and their negative impact on intercultural communication (hereafter referred to as IC), as well as trying to offer a corresponding solution.Perception is a process by which we make what we sense into a meaningful experience by selecting, categorizing and interpreting internal and external stimuli to form our view of the world. In IC, individuals, because of their uniqueness, tend to have different perceptions of the outside world.According to the former research, there are a lot of factors causing perception differences, such as communicators'physical, psychological, cultural and language differences, etc. With an in-depth analysis of the cultural influence on the three stages of perception process respectively, the author proposes that people's perception differences are mainly caused by their cultural differences. Therefore, other factors which account for perception differences are not mentioned in this thesis.In order to make people more sensitive to the existence of perception differences, the author tries to illustrate it from the following aspects: perception differences in viewing the same physical object or event; perception differences in verbal behaviors; and perception differences in nonverbal behaviors. Additionally, the author proves with detailed analysis that 1) beliefs, values and attitudes; 2) worldviews; and 3) social organizations are the main cultural factors responsible for perception differences.Then the author employs an IC model to show clearly how perception differences cause misunderstandings. And with the movie Guasha Treatment, which positions readers in a real intercultural context, the author exemplifies that people's different perceptions will lead to misunderstandings, thus hindering successful IC.Lastly, based on Berger and Calabrese'Uncertainty Reduction Theory and Gudykunst's Anxiety/Uncertainty Management Theory, the author suggests taking empathy as a corresponding solution to eliminate or reduce the negative impact perception differences have on IC.