CULTURAL

BORDERS

TGP Session 2: Part 2

 8Fs of Conscious Response:

*Unconscious bias & unconscious response

*The Developmental Model of Intercultural

Sensitivity (DMIS) & conscious response
You have now identified when you may feel different to the people around you because of your cultural
borders. This awareness will help you to understand when you need to use cultural effectiveness skills
and strategies to help you behave appropriately and effectively in less familiar situations.

Confused Frustrated Angry

It can also help to remember that confusion, frustration or anger may be the result of finding
ourselves beyond our cultural border, and not because of negative or ‘wrong’ aspects of the people
we find there.
 Conscious
By developing our consciousness we become aware Response
of our own responses and behaviours so that we can
manage them more effectively. This allows us to
respond to situations consciously which helps us to
avoid the confusion, conflict, frustration or anger
negatively affecting our intercultural interactions.
 3 Brains

2 Minds

1 Person
Kahneman – Thinking, Fast and Slow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ivtvPVkFkw

Please watch later: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=CjVQJdIrDJ0
UNCONSCIOUS
BIAS

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
selectatest.html
 8Fs

Our specific RESPONSES to stepping

outside our cultural comfort zone, may be
analysed and identified as 8fs…
4Fs: Unconscious response ethnocentric/ us v others

Flock

Fight

Flight

Freeze
Flock Feelings
Sometimes I:
◦ prefer to be in a group on campus with
people from my culture, or a similar culture
◦ prefer someone from my culture, or a similar
culture to speak on behalf of me or my
cultural group
◦ find people of my nationality to spend time
with, even during short breaks in the day.

◦ notice that all my friends are from the same

or similar culture to me.
Fight Feelings
Sometimes I feel:

◦ I or my culture are being criticized or attacked and I need to defend

myself or it.
◦ that my ideas aren’t being listened to and I feel irritated or angry.
◦ that my stomach is uncomfortable, and I don’t know why.
◦ irritable when I’m communicating with other people because they
don’t understand what I’m saying.
◦ that my body language is defensive.
◦ I don’t sleep well because I can’t stop thinking about things that
have happened that day.
◦ very critical of the host culture and I stereotype people.
◦ irritated and angry because there isn’t any food I like.
◦ that I can’t do something in the way asked/suggested.
Flight Feelings
Sometimes I:
◦ need to talk to my friends, even when I’m in class and even if I
have to phone them.
◦ feel that it is too difficult for me to talk in another language in
order to communicate
◦ only communicate when I have to.
◦ prefer to sleep rather than engage with people and activities.
◦ feel alone and lonely and missing the food and comforts of
home.
◦ feel more comfortable when I have earphones in when I’m
walking.
◦ refuse invitations which normally I would enjoy.
◦ worry that there is something wrong with me.
◦ make an excuse to go to the toilet during meetings or
encounters.
◦ leave meetings or conversations early using various excuses.
Freeze
I:
◦ notice that people don’t know my name.
◦ prefer not to use my hands a lot when I
communicate.
◦ feel that I don’t have very much to say or
can’t find the words I want to use.
◦ I remember afterwards all the things that I
wanted to say.
◦ sometimes feel I would like to be invisible.
◦ feel like I don’t belong here.
Intercultural Effectiveness
Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS)
Other cultures are viewed as alternative
lenses on the world

Ethnorelativism

Defence/
Denial Minimisation Acceptance Adaptation Integration
reversal

Ethnocentris
Other cultures are viewed purely
m
through the lens of and in
comparison to my own

(Bennett, 1986; 1993; 2004; 2013)

Intercultural Effectiveness

6%
Perceived orientation High
81%

13%
1% adaptation
7%
acceptance
0% 66%
minimisation
21% Developmental orientation
defence/reversal
0%
5%
denial
Intercultural Development Inventory®
Low “copyright ©, 1998-2020, IDI, LLC, used with permission”.
4Fs: Conscious response ethnorelative/ us as them

Focus
Fathom

Fit

Flex
Focus
I like to:
◦ talk about things I see going on around me.
◦ watch people and observe how they behave.
◦ be objective and try to not to make
assumptions about people.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Fathom
I like to:
◦ talk to people from other cultures and ask
them questions about the differences I have
noticed between their culture and mine.
◦ be given instructions and be told exactly what
to do so that I understand clearly what the
appropriate behaviour is.
Fit
I prefer to:
◦ dress in a similar way to my classmates
◦ talk about things I have seen on tv or heard
on the radio using the local language
I think:
◦ my body language and gestures ‘mirror’ the
body language and gestures of the people
from other cultures with whom I am talking
Flex
I am:
◦ friends with people from different cultural
backgrounds
◦ comfortable in different cultural situations
and feel that I can adapt my behaviours
appropriately
8Fs in developmental terms
Unconscious/ethnocentric/ us v them Conscious/ethnorelative/ us as them

◦ Flock ◦ Focus

◦ Fight ◦ Fathom

◦ Flight ◦ Fit

◦ Freeze ◦ Flex
8 Fs in Action
 The 8fs
◦ Fight ◦ My way is clearly the best, because it works in my culture. I will not make any attempt to change

◦ Flight ◦ I will be friendly in face to face situations , but will often try to avoid cultural difference

◦ Flock ◦ I usually only work and spend time with people from my culture or cultures which are similar to mine

◦ Freeze ◦ I don’t want anyone to notice me. I like to stay invisible until I can leave the situation

◦ Focus ◦ I watch people consciously to see how they behave and to observe any sign of confusion, frustration or anger

◦ I ask lots of questions about why things are different, what is important to understand how to communicate
◦ Fathom

◦ I show empathy and can adapt my behaviour and communication styles so that we can work together comfortably
◦ Flex

◦ I am conscious and comfortable in adapting my behaviour appropriately

◦ Fit
Intercultural Effectiveness
Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS)
Worldview is
divided into ‘us’
Other cultures are viewed as alternative
and ‘them’. Tolerance of lenses on the world
Possibly superficial cultural
threatened by diversity, because Ethnorelativism
Cultural other cultures, ‘we are all the
difference is possibly same really’, so my
only perceived preferring them world view is
as ‘foreign’ to my own universal/’right’

Defence/
Denial Minimisation Acceptance Adaptation Integration
reversal

Curiosity towards Culturally Ability to move

cultural difference, empathetic and able ‘in’ and ‘out’ of
and respect for the to act on different
right of the Other to intercultural worldviews
Ethnocentris have a different sensitivity through according to
Other cultures are viewed purely world view for what communication cultural context
m
through the lens of and in
ever reason competence/
comparison to my own
behavioural
modification

(based on Bennett, 1986; 1993; 2004;

2013)
The 8 Fs and the DMIS
Fit; Flex
Fathom; Fit; Flex
Flock; Fight; Focus; Fathom
Flock Flight; Freeze
Adaptation &
Minimsation Acceptance Integration
Defence
Denial Tolerance of Curiosity towards
Focus is divided At Adaptation: culturally
Cultural superficial cultural cultural difference, empathic and able to act
into ‘us’ and diversity, because and respect right of
difference is ‘them. Possibly with intercultural
‘we are all the same the Other to have a sensitivity through
only perceived threatened by different worldview
as foreign. really’, so the belief communication
other cultures or that our own for whatever reason competence and
Preference is to possibly worldview is shared behavioural modification.
stay in own preferring them by all and is the
cultural group. At Integration: the ability
to our own ‘correct’ worldview
to move in and out of
Avoids contact
with other different worldviews
cultural groups according to cultural
context
Choose which of the views you immediately identify
with…

Write the number(s) you choose in your journal

IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU

You will see 6 statements which express ways of viewing our relationship to people from other
cultures. You will have a few seconds to read each one…
1

“The key to getting along in any culture is to just be yourself,

after all it’s a small world and no matter what their culture,
people are pretty much motivated by the same things.”
2

“I feel happiest when I’m bridging differences between the

cultures I know.”

“Whatever the situation, I can usually look at it from a variety of

cultural points of view.”
3
“People from other countries are equally ‘foreign’ to me – I
don’t really need to think about their culture.”

“As long as everyone expects my right to be me then I

say live and let live.”

“The main concerns I have involve knowing how to get

around and ordering in restaurants.”
4
“I don’t understand why other cultures aren’t more like mine.
My culture would be a model for the rest of the world.”
Or
“I am embarrassed by people from my culture and usually
prefer other cultures.”
5
“I am really interested in learning about other cultures and
the differences between us, even if I don’t agree with the
values.”

“People in other cultures are different in ways which I

hadn’t thought of before.”
6
“ To solve a disagreement, I’m going to have to change my
approach.”

“I’m beginning to feel like a member of another culture.”

“I can maintain my values and also behave in culturally

appropriate ways.”