In the Mind of the Beholder

In this activity, you are being asked to consider the phenomenon of perception. We all believe that we observe reality, things as they are, but what actually happens is that the mind interprets what the eyes see and gives it meaning; it is only at this point, when meaning is assigned, that we can truly say we have seen something. In other words, what we see is as much in the mind as it is in reality. If you consider that the mind of a person from one culture is going to be different in many ways from the mind of a person from another culture, then you have the explanation for that most fundamental of all cross-cultural problems: the fact that two people look upon the same reality, the same example of behavior, and see two entirely different things.

Any behavior observed across the cultural divide, therefore, has to be interpreted in two ways:

• the meaning given to it by the person who does the action
• the meaning given to it by the person who observes the action

Only when these two meanings are the same do we have successful communication, successful in the sense that the meaning that was intended by the doer is the one that was understood by the observer.

Part One

In the first part of this exercise, read the description of the eight instances of behavior given below and write down your immediate response to or interpretation of that behavior in terms of your own cultural values, beliefs, or perception. The first one has been done for you.

A person comes to a meeting half an hour after the stated starting time.
This person is late and should at least apologize or give an explanation.

Someone kicks a dog.


At the end of a meal, people belch audibly.


Someone makes the OK gesture at you.


A woman carries a heavy pile of wood on her back while her husband walks in front of her carrying nothing.


A male guest helps a hostess carry dirty dishes into the kitchen.


A young man and young woman are kissing each other while seated on a park bench.


While taking an exam, a student copies from the paper of another student.