Reactive Cultures

Linear/multi-active scale

1. Germans, Swiss

2. Americans (WASPs)*

3. Scandinavians, Austrians

4. British, Canadians, New Zealanders

5. Australians, South Africans

6. Japanese

7. Dutch, Belgians

8. American subcultures (e.g., Jewish, Italian, Polish)

9. French, Belgians (Walloons)

10. Czechs, Slovenians, Croats, Hungarians

11. Northern Italians (Milan, Turin, Genoa)

12. Chileans

13. Russians, other Slavs

14. Portuguese

15. Polynesians

16. Spanish, Southern Italians, Mediterranean peoples

17. Indians, Pakistanis, etc.

18. Latin Americans, Arabs, Africans

*White Anglo-Saxon Protestants

Figure 1.2 lists the most common traits of linear-active, multi-active and reac­tive cultures.

Japan belongs to the group of reactive, or listening cultures, the members of which rarely initiate action or discussion, preferring to listen to and establish the other's position first, then react to it and formulate their own.

Reactive cultures are also found in China, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea, Turkey and Finland. Several other East Asian countries, although occasionally multi­active and excitable, have certain reactive characteristics. In Europe, only Finns are strongly reactive, but Britons, Turks and Swedes fall easily into "listening mode" on occasion.

Reactive cultures listen before they leap. Reactive cultures are the world's best listeners in as much as they concentrate on what the speaker is saying, do not let their minds wander (difficult for Latinos) and rarely, if ever, interrupt a speaker while the discourse or presentation is on-going. When it is finished, they do not reply immediately. A decent period of silence after the speaker has stopped shows respect for the weight of the remarks, which must be considered unhur­riedly and with due deference.

Even when representatives of a reactive culture begin their reply, they are unlikely to voice any strong opinion immediately. A more probable tactic is to ask further questions on what has been said in order to clarify the speaker's intent and aspirations. Japanese, particularly, go over each point many times in detail to make sure there are no misunderstandings. Finns, although blunt and direct in the end, shy away from confrontation as long as they can, trying to for­mulate an approach that suits the other party. The Chinese take their time to assemble a variety of strategies that will avoid discord with the initial proposal.

Reactives are introverted; they distrust words and consequently are adept at nonverbal communication. This is achieved by subtle body lan­guage, worlds apart from the excitable gestures of Latinos and Africans. Linear-active people find reactive tactics hard to fathom because they do not slot into the linear system (question/reply, cause/effect). Multi-active people, used to extroverted behavior, find them inscrutable—giving little or no feedback. The Finns are the best example of this behavior, reacting even less than the Japanese, who at least pretend to be pleased.

In reactive cultures the preferred mode of communication is monologue— pause—reflection—monologue. If possible, one lets the other side deliver its monologue first. In linear-active and multi-active cultures, the communication mode is a dialogue. One interrupts the other's monologue with frequent com­ments, even questions, which signify polite interest in what is being said. As soon as one person stops speaking, the other takes up his or her turn immediately, since the Westerner has an extremely weak tolerance for silence.

People belonging to reactive cultures not only tolerate silences well but regard them as a very meaningful, almost refined, part of discourse. The opin­ions of the other party are not to be taken lightly or dismissed with a snappy or flippant retort. Clever, well-formulated arguments require—deserve—lengthy silent consideration.

The reactive "reply-monologue" will accordingly be context centered and will presume a considerable amount of knowledge on the part of the listener (who, after all, probably spoke first). Because the listener is presumed to be knowl­edgeable, Japanese, Chinese and Finns will often be satisfied with expressing their thoughts in half-utterances, indicating that the listener can fill in the rest. It is a kind of compliment one pays one's interlocutor. At such times multi-active, dialogue-oriented people are more receptive than linear-oriented people, who thrive on clearly expressed linear argument.

As reactive cultures tend to use names less frequently than Westerners, the impersonal, vague nature of the discussion is further accentuated. Lack of eye contact, so typical of the East, does not help the situation. The Japanese, evading the Spaniard's earnest stare, makes the latter feel that they are being boring or saying something distasteful. Asian inscrutability (often appearing on a Finn's face as a sullen expression) adds to the feeling that the discussion is leading nowhere. Finns and Japanese, embarrassed by another's stare, seek eye contact only at the beginning of the discussion or when they wish their opponent to take their "turn" in the conversation.

The Westerner should always bear in mind that the actual content of the response delivered by a person from a reactive culture represents only a small part of the significance surrounding the event. Context-centered utterances inevitably attach more importance not to what is said, but how it is said, who said it and what is behind what is said. Also, what is not said may be the main point of the reply.

Finally, reactive cultures excel in subtle, nonverbal communication, which compensates for the absence of frequent interjections. Finns, Japanese and Chi­nese alike are noted for their sighs, almost inaudible groans and agreeable grunts. A sudden intake of breath in Finland indicates agreement, not shock, as it would in the case of a Latin.

Reactive people have large reserves of energy. They are economical in move­ment and effort and do not waste time reinventing the wheel. Although they always give the impression of having power in reserve, they are seldom aggres­sive and rarely aspire to leadership. France, Britain, and the USA, on the other hand, have not hesitated to seize world leadership in periods of economic or military dominance.

Figure 1.3 Ranking of Countries on the Reactive Scale

1. Japan	Strongly Reactive
2. China
3. Taiwan
4. Singapore, Hong Kong*
5. Finland*
6. Korea
7. Turkey**
8. Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos**
9. Malaysia, Indonesia**
10. Pacific Islands (Fiji, Tonga, etc.) **
Sweden* Britain*	Occasionally Reactive
*Linear-active tendencies when reacting **Multi-active tendencies when reacting

In relationships between people, reason and emotion both play a role. Which of these dominates will depend upon whether we are affective, that is we show our emotions, in which case we probably get an emotional response in return, or whether we are emotionally neutral in our approach.

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