American Cultural Patterns: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

A fully revised edition of the seminal classic

This classic study was originally written by Edward Stewart in 1972 and has become a seminal work in the field of intercultural relations. In this edition, Stewart and Milton J. Bennett have greatly expanded the analysis of American cultural patterns by introducing new cross-cultural comparisons and drawing on recent reseach on value systems, perception psychology, cultural anthropology, and intercultural communication.

Beginning with a discussion of the issues relative to contact between people of different cultures, the authors examine the nature of cultural assumptions and values as a framework for cross-cultural analysis. They then analyze the human perceptual process, consider the influence of language on culture, and discuss nonverbal behavior.

Central to the book is an analysis of American culture constructed along four dimentions: form of activity, form of social relations, perceptions of the world, and perception of the self. American cultural traits are isolated out, analyzed, and compared with parallel characteristics of other cultures. Finally, the cultural dimentions of communication and their implications for cross-cultural interaction are examined.

Edward C. Stewart comes from a bicultural family, earned his doctorate in psychology at the University of Texas, and has taught at numerous institutions in the US and abroad.

Milton J. Bennett served in the Peace Corps in Micronesia, received his doctorate in communication from the University of Minnesota and has taught communication at Portland State University. He is co-director of The Intercultural Communication Institute in Portland, Oregon.