Introduction to the training material
The training: goals and theoretical
background
According to the German proverb "Andere Länder, andere
Sitten", each country has its own customs and habits. This
statement provides the basis for the following training program.
It is assumed that cultures do not only differ in such obvious
areas as architecture, art clothing, food, and customs, but that
there are parallel differences in the way people think, feel and
act. The culture in which someone lives profoundly influences
how he perceives his surroundings, how he behaves towards
others and how he interprets the way people act. People of the
same culture share certain values, norms, rules and attitudes.
Consequently, the aims that are important to people, what they
expect of others, what they consider to be right, normal or just
acceptable, and what they experience as foreign, provoking,
abnormal or wrong are also dependent upon the culture in which
people live in.
These values, norms, rules, and attitudes which have an
extensive effect on the perception, thinking, judging and acting,
especially those within interpersonal relations, are called central
Culture Standards. Culture Standards are "the game rules" for
social interaction in a culture.
The training: goals and theoretical
background
According to the German proverb "Andere Länder, andere
Sitten", each country has its own customs and habits. This
statement provides the basis for the following training program.
It is assumed that cultures do not only differ in such obvious
areas as architecture, art clothing, food, and customs, but that
there are parallel differences in the way people think, feel and
act. The culture in which someone lives profoundly influences
how he perceives his surroundings, how he behaves towards
others and how he interprets the way people act. People of the
same culture share certain values, norms, rules and attitudes.
Consequently, the aims that are important to people, what they
expect of others, what they consider to be right, normal or just
acceptable, and what they experience as foreign, provoking,
abnormal or wrong are also dependent upon the culture in which
people live in.
These values, norms, rules, and attitudes which have an
extensive effect on the perception, thinking, judging and acting,
especially those within interpersonal relations, are called central
Culture Standards. Culture Standards are "the game rules" for
social interaction in a culture.
