英语毕业论文-On Differences between Chinese and American Family Values in Cross-Cultural Communication.doc

学号：6105006058泰山医学院毕业设计（论文） on differences between chinese and american family values in cross-cultural communication院（部）系外国语学院所 学 专 业英语本科（英双专业第二学位）年级、班级2007级2班完成人姓名指导教师姓名专业技术职务 2010年5月10日on differences between chinese and american family values in cross-cultural communicationby mou yansupervisor: lan xiaoxiao submitted to the school of foreign languagesin partial fulfillment of requirements forthe degree of bachelor of artstaishan medical universitytaian, chinamay, 2010论文原创性保证书我保证所提交的论文都是自己独立完成，如有抄袭、剽窃、雷同等现象，愿承担相应后果，接受学校的处理。专业： 英语本科（英双专业第二学位）班级： 2007级2班 签名： 2010年5月10日泰山医学院本科毕业设计（论文）abstractfamily is the basic miniature of the social economic activity, and it is the basic unit that constitutes the society. family value is the core in the research of cultural values, and it has decisive influence on the behavior of the members in the family. the values of family members have direct effect on peoples behaviour and thingking. that is to say, the values of the society rely on peoples family values in a large degree. however, due to the difference of geographical and historical background, religion and belief, different nations have their own family values. a clear and direct contrast between chinese and american family values can bridge over their communication gap. as a result, people start to acknowledge the existence of the two different family values, gradually get familiar with them, admit them and then finally melt.the paper analyzes family values from the following aspects including filial piety, marriage and family education. chapter one is the introduction which studies the background of the research on family values including present studies at home and abroad, main contents and objectives of this paper. chapter two manifests the definitions of family, values, and chinese and american family values. the paper elaborates different attitudes towards filial piety, marriage and family education in chapter three. chapter four analyzes the reasons for the differences from three aspects including geography, history and belief. then conclusion in chapter four, which tells the contents briefly, puts forward how to erect correct concepts about family values. this article aims at showing some differences between chinese and american family values, benefiting peoples understanding under the context of globalization , thus in case of mistakes in cross-cultural communication, it is of great significance.key words: family values; filial piety; marriage; family education; reason摘要家庭是社会经济活动的缩影，是社会组成的最基本的单位。家庭价值观是文化价值研究体系的核心，它对家庭成员的行为起着决定性的作用。家庭成员的价值观念直接影响着他们在社会中的言语和行为，也就是说整个社会的价值观很大程度上取决于家庭价值观，但是，由于地理、历史背景、宗教信仰的不同，不同的民族有不同的家庭价值观。本论文通过比较性探讨，在两种截然不同的家庭价值观之间架起了一座沟通的桥梁，使人们了解存在的两种不同的家庭价值观，逐渐熟悉、接受，最后慢慢交融贯通。文章从家庭价值观所涉及的范畴，孝道、婚姻、家庭教育等方面作了如下分析，第一章是绪论，主要研究家庭价值观的背景，其中包括国内外的研究现状、本文主要内容及意义。第二章简述了家庭，价值观以及中美家庭价值观的定义。第三章介绍中美对孝道，婚姻，家庭教育的不同理解和观点。第四章从地理、历史、信仰三个角度分析造成中美家庭价值观差异的原因。最后一章结论，简述研究的内容，提出如何树立正确的家庭价值观。对中美家庭价值观的差异进行比较分析，目的是帮助人们在跨文化环境下对其进一步了解，避免在交际过程中产生失误，其意义深远重大。关键词：家庭价值观；孝道；教育；婚姻；成因contentschapter 1 introduction1chapter 2 definitions of family, values and family values32.1 definition of family3 2.2 definition of values32.3 definition of family values32.3.1 the decisive family value of china: collectivism42.3.2 the definitive family value of america: individualism5chapter 3 differences between chinese and american family values63.1 concept of filial piety63.1.1 chinese concept of filial piety63.1.2 american concept of filial piety73.2 concept of marriage83.2.1 chinese concept of marriage83.2.2 american concept of marriage93.3 concept of family education113.3.1 chinese concept of family education113.3.2 american concept of family education12chapter 4 reasons for the differences between chinese and american family values144.1 geography144.2 history144.3 belief15chapter 5 conclusion17notes19bibliography20acknowledgements21chapter 1 introductiomchapter 1 introductionchapter 1 introductionthere is a consensus that family, the basic unit of a society, reflects the civilization and prosperity of a nation. from the macro angle, individual values stem from the society, while from micro angle, they originate more from the family. family values are the core of cultural values, as well as the deepest level of concepts in cultural value system. therefore, an interpretation of family values is of great significance in cross-cultural environment. it can help people from different countries with different cultures to understand each others culture; therefore, to facilitate their communication.in recent years, many researchers devote themselves to the research of cross-cultural communication. it is hot because there are indeed invisible barriers between chinese and american cultures which obstruct smooth communication. various theories and practices concerning family values appear in china, such as family education in china and america, comparative study between chinese and american marital status, but only a few are to conduct a comprehensive comparison of family values, and an analysis of the reasons for the differences. in american values- a chinese scholars study, written by zhu yong tao, through the contrast between chinese and american family values, the differences between their behaviors and thoughts are analyzed comprehensively. lawrence stone, anglo-american historian, has done a comprehensive analysis and study of family values from a historical point of view. sociological research scholar wei zhang lings comparison of family values in china and in america focuses on the similarities and differences of chinese and american family values as well as their social and cultural roots. with the development of the society, the process of information revolution and the trend of global economic integration, the worlds largest economic entity-america and the worlds largest developing country-china have been gong on close cross-cultural communication. china is a typical representative of oriental culture, while america is a fusion of western culture, so the two different cultural entities are sure to embody two different cultural values. chinese consider collectivism as the core; and they believe individual interest should be subordinated to collective interests. however, americans emphasize individualism, stressing that personal interest is above everything else. chinese and american families are in different cultural environments; therefore, they are subject to different cultural values, and as a result there are different family values. a comparative study of cross-cultural values of different regions will undoubtedly speed up the economic and cultural process. this paper tries to make a contrastive study between family values in china and in america, including filial piety, marriage, and family education, as well as an analysis of the reasons for the differences. it is beneficial to improve capabilities in cross-cultural communication. with the current development of economic and cultural globalization, the research can undoubtedly help peoples further understanding of other countrys family values; therefore, avoid communication errors generated in the process. all in all, the study has profound significance in cross-cultural communication.21chapter 2 definitions of family, values and family values chapter 2 definitions of family, values and family values2.1 definition of family traditionally speaking, family should be defined as a group of people related by blood, marriage or adoption, living together, to form economic ties, to fertilize and to bring up children. according to this idea, families form the continuation through child-rearing. “family is the basic unit of a society; it is very much like a mirror, reflecting the societys cultural characteristics, moral beliefs, economic and political relations and other social problems.” 1different cultures create different families, which at the same time cause different concepts of families. consequently, the different concepts of family between china and america are ascribed to different cultural contexts in the two countries. cultural traditions and family values vary from country to country; therefore, to understand the historical development of chinese and american families, the basic model, and the relationship among the family members will, undoubtedly, help those who are involved in cross-cultural communication.2.2 definition of values values, unlike morals which are individual from person to person, are the beliefs of a group of people shared as a whole. they are an integral part of every culture which shares a common core set of values. they create expectations and predictability without which a culture would disintegrate and their members would lose their personal identity and sense of worth. values tell people what is good, beneficial, important, useful, beautiful, desirable and appropriate. they answer the questions of what people do and why they do so; they help people solve common human problems for survival. gradually, they become the roots of traditions and groups of people find importance in their daily lives. on one hand, values can be positive or negative; on the other hand, they can be destructive. therefore in order to understand people and their culture, we must come to understand the values and beliefs that motivate their behaviors.2.3 definition of family values generally speaking, family values, as the core of the value system, not only refer to the family members norm of behaviors but also a standard of measuring the norm of conducts. as family values penetrate every familys daily life, they refer to values that both parents and children in a family should comply with. “we know that the most basic relationship in a family is marital relationship, kinship, affinity, and it also includes the affectional and economic relationship generated from those basic relationships, so education, religion, faith and family financial burden-sharing are all included in the family values.” 2in addition, family values are political and social beliefs that hold the nuclear family to be the essential ethical and moral unit of a society, and they are considered as an important part of a countrys traditional cultural values “every human group needs not only to adjust to the natural world but also decide and order relationships among members of the group,” 3 (davis, 2001:187). because of the influence of cultural context, the relationships among members of the group and the family values in china and america are completely different. that is, chinese people advocate collectivism while americans propagate individualism.2.3.1 the decisive family value of china: collectivismcollectivism is the foundation of the existence of individuals. that means public interests are the interests of the individual; public values are the values of the individual; and public wills are the wills of the individual.chinese people tend to be more aware of the connections they have as members of their social groups, that is, they put a great emphasis on collectivism and are likely to pay much attention to the consequences of their actions on other members of their groups and even the whole group. they think if they do something wrong, it is probable for them to have a harmful influence on other members and the whole group, while if they win an honor, they will possibly attribute it to other members and the whole group as well. in other words, it can be clearly summarized that collectivism has some main characteristics as follows. firstly, people put an emphasis on the views, needs, and goals of the whole group rather than themselves. secondly, people stress that every individual is emotionally dependent on organizations and institutions. whats more, the authority of the leader is likely to be more central in decision-making. lastly, individuals attach importance to the groups decisions and try their best to obey them. in most chinese organizations and institutions and families, this phenomenon is very common. all members in the group share property, food and other material possession take on the responsibility to work hard for the success and prosperity of the whole group, deal with all troubles and difficulties shoulder to shoulder, and even live under the same roof. in addition, once one member has achieved success, he or she will express that the achievement has been got mainly because of his or her group rather than himself or herself. 2.3.2 the definitive family value of america: individualism“broadly speaking, individualism refers to the doctrine, spelled out in detail by the seventeenth century english philosopher john locke, and each individual is unique, special, completely different from all other individuals, and it is the basic unit of nature.” 4 (samovar, 2000: 62).american people tend to lay stress on their independence and individualism, and it is now the cornerstone of american values and permeates every aspect of their society. americans believe that they have control over their destiny; and they are more likely to concern about their own freedom of activism than their relationships with other members of the group. as for american people, individualism displays itself in the following aspects, namely, individual initiative, independence, individual expression and privacy. in detail, americans value of individualism has the following distinguished features in detail. to begin with, peoples personal aims take priority over their loyalty to groups. in the second place, people believe that they belong to many different groups, not just one group. their consciousness of loyalty to a given group is very weak. furthermore, each person has the right to his or her private property, thoughts and opinions, and every individual has his own separate identity, which they think should get recognized and reinforced. hence, they lay stress on their own achievement, go in for self-actualization, and attach importance to independence and self-development. in a word, american culture fosters peoples value of individualism effectively, encourages people to pursue achievement by themselves, and helps people understand that they must be what they are.chapter 3 differences between chinese and american family valueschapter 3 differences between chinese and american family valuesin a family, the basic relationship is filial piety, marriage and family education. any kind of life philosophy, if not pay attention to this fundamental relationship, can not be considered as an appropriate philosophy. american family members pay great attention to the concepts of individual equality, independence, individual right and family relationship, among which the most prominent concepts are independence and equality. chinese families focus more on seniority relation, family interdependence, filial piety, and the family happiness of having many children and grandchildren. cultural differences between china and america lead to their differences in family values, as well as other family-related problems. as a result, it is of great significance to analyze different family values in china and america.3.1 concept of filial pietyoriginally “the filial piety” is a kind of objective individual or family behavior, having nothing with the culture, but once this behavior integrates into a national idea system, including the idea, the criterion, and the connotation of filial piety. it turns into a specific culture. traditionally, the filial piety culture refers to the affection of children to their parents, and the younger generation to the elder. as to how to follow the norms of filial piety, there are some ethical principles.” 53.1.1 chinese concept of filial piety“xiao”, the chinese word for filial piety, is the most prominent characteristic of traditional chinese culture. it has been extolled as the highest virtue in china for centuries and must be shown towards both the living and the dead. the term “filial” denotes the respect and obedience that a child should show to his parents, especially to his father. in chinese history, “filial piety” is the earliest ethical moral that influences our family concepts. it is the theme of chinese culture and affects all aspects of chinese peoples lives and chinese society is built upon the doctrine of it. firstly, “filial piety” is the ethical morals that regulate the family parent-child relationship. it mainly refers to moral obligation of children to their parents. in traditional chinese culture, “filial piety” requires people not only to do something for their parents but also do everything with affection; that is to say, parents have the safeguard on material, and at the same time, enjoy mental happiness. it is one of the “right relationships” for which confucius advocates. the definition includes the responsibility of each person to be good to ones parents; to take care of ones parents; to engage in good conduct not just towards parents but also outside the home so as to bring a good name to ones parents and ancestors; to perform the duties of ones job well so as to obtain the material means to support parents as well as carry out sacrifices to the ancestors; not to be rebellious; to show love, respect and support; to display courtesy; to ensure male heirs, uphold fraternity among brothers; to display sorrow for their sickness and death; and to carry out sacrifices after their death.secondly, according to the five relationships, the five bonds are: