The Differences Between Chinese And American Cultures: Culturogical Approach To The Study Of Ingroup And Outgroup

The study of group phenomena in interpersonal relationship is the hot issue that is paid special attention to by sociologists, linguists, psychologists, and other scholars in recent several decades of years. Their exploration in different perspectives and levels has given us a comprehensive recognition of this field. In this paper, the writer tries to analyze cultural differences in group concepts between China and the United States from intercultural perspectives in terms of ingroups and outgroups, seeking evidences from both Chinese and American social life, referring to Chinese and American classical works as the object of her study. The author of this thesis concludes that, generally speaking, Chinese culture is mainly characterized by an ingroup culture, while American culture is mainly characterized by an outgroup culture. The author of this thesis finds her conclusions from the following aspects:First, the writer illustrates systematically the connected theories about ingroups and outgroups and explores the group phenomena in human society, in terms of definition, universality, and psychological foundations, referring to academic achievements of both Chinese and foreign scholars.Second, the writer supports her point of view by enumerating examples in philosophy, religion and value systems. China is deeply influenced by Confucianism, the core of which is Ren(仁) and Li(礼),which, together with the Doctrine of the Mean(中庸之道.) , forms a harmonious interpersonal relationship; while the core of American culture is equality and independence, which we can find from some important documents in American history. Moreover, the author finds her evidences from religious differences: the main religion in China is Buddhism, while in the U.S. Christianity. All this amounts to the marked differences between Chinese and American group culture.Then, the writer continues to support her points of view by finding differences in group concepts as revealed in family life, love and marriage, friendship, and leadership.At the end of this thesis, the writer analyses advantages and disadvantages of both Chinese ingroup culture and American outgroup culture.