| A particular area in which assumptions and values
differ between cultures is that of friendship. Friendships among Americans tend
to be shorter and less intense than those among people from many other cultures.
At least many observers from abroad have this impression. Because Americans are
taught to be self-reliant, because they live in a very mobile society, and for
many other reasons as well, they tend to avoid deep involvement with other
people. Furthermore, Americans tend to" compartmentalize" their friendships,
having their" friends at work" , " friends at school", a" tennis friend", and so on. Americans often seem very friendly, even when you first meet them. This friendliness does not usually mean that the American is looking for a deeper relationship. The result of these attitudes and behaviors is sometimes viewed by foreigner as an "inability to be friends". Other times it is seen as a normal way to retain personal happiness in a mobile, ever-changing society. People normally have in their minds stereotypes about people who are different from themselves. Stereotypes are based on limited and incomplete experience and information, but they shape people's thoughts and expectations. Americans have many stereotypes about foreign students in general (for example, that they are very hard working, intelligent, and rich; that they do not speak English well) and about particular categories of foreign students (Chinese are polite Own stereotypes of Americans, for example, that they are arrogant, rude, and generous). There are two stereotypes that often effect male-female relationships involving U. S. and foreign students. The first is the idea, held by some foreign males, that American females are American females, is that male foreign students have no interest in American females other than having sex with them. The existence of these and other stereotypes can give rise to considerable misunderstanding and can block the development of a mutually satisfactory human mind seeks to categorize and classify information, so it is not realistic to suppose people can "forget their stereotypes". But they can be aware of their stereotypes, and be ready to find exceptions to them. |