6.2 Define culture, and compare and contrast cultural contexts and cultural values.

Culture is a system of knowledge that is shared by a group of people. Because of the powerful role culture plays in influencing our values, culture and communication are clearly linked. Cultural values reflect how individuals regard stereotypically masculine perspectives

(such as achieving results and being productive) and stereotypically feminine perspectives (such as consideration for relationships), their tolerance of uncertainty or preference for certainty, their preference for centralized or decentralized power structures, the value they place on individual or collective accomplishment, and their longterm or short-term orientation to time.

Barriers to Bridging Differences and Adapting to Others