ABSTRACT
The topic of intercultural relations is one of increasing importance in intergroup relations. Social, political, economic, and technological changes in the late twentieth century have yielded greater face-to-face intercultural contact. Lack of information often leads to misunderstandings, resulting in uncertainty, ambiguity, difficulty, and failure in intercultural communication. The chapter explores the many cultural differences that can lead to problems in intercultural interactions. It examines cognitive and affective factors in perception and interpretation that can lead to intercultural interaction problems. The chapter also explores cross-cultural training programs designed to increase effective intercultural communication. Intercultural communication is problematic because cultures vary in the meanings and motives underlying actions. However, ethnocentrism can be quite dysfunctional in intercultural interactions. Ethnocentrism leads groups to see themselves as superior to other groups. Intergroup anxiety encompasses intercultural interactions, as well as some interactions with individuals from one’s own culture. A number of training programs have been successful in making intercultural interactions more successful.
