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Ethnocentrism
Through socialization, people come to believe there is a "right" way to think, feel, and act (Cushner & Brislin, 1996). As humans internalize their own culture, they come to take subtle meanings for granted. For example, every culture has its own definition of appropriate physical territory. In a common story told to illustrate this, an Englishman and a Venezuelan meet at a party and begin to chat. The Englishman feels uncomfortable with how close to him the Venezuelan stands, and takes a step backwards. The Venezuelan then feels too distant and steps forward. They repeat this several times; to observers, it appears the Venezuelan is chasing his English acquaintance across the room. The distances differ for what each person considers "normal" when holding a conversation. Unless they realize this and discuss it, both will feel uncomfortable.To the extent that people remain unaware of the pervasiveness of ethnocentrism, they are likely to engage in it. It is useful to think of culture as a lens filtering individual perceptions and allowing people to function in the world. Because the cultural filter is always on, it is easy to forget about it and to assume a more direct relationship between perceptions and objective reality. Individual experience is always inherently limited to some degree, however, and one can therefore make false assumptions about others' behavior and ways. Such false assumptions can lead to misunderstandings and conflict. If a cross-cultural interaction leaves you feeling uncomfortable, it is likely that a cultural misunderstanding has occurred.
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