The Iceberg Theory

Workshop # 3
Task 1. Read carefully the theory.
The Iceberg Model of culture:
Edward T. Hall’s Cultural Iceberg Model
In 1976, Hall developed the iceberg analogy of culture. If the culture ofa society was the iceberg, Hall reasoned, than there are some aspects visible, above the water, but there is a larger portion hidden beneath the surface.
What does that mean?
The external, orconscious, part of culture is what we can see and is the tip of the iceberg and includes behaviors and some beliefs. The internal, or subconscious, part of culture is below the surface of a society andincludes some beliefs and the values and thought patterns that underlie behavior.
There are major differences between the conscious and unconscious culture.
Internal versus External
Implicitly LearnedExplicitly Learned
Unconscious Conscious
Difficult to Change Easily Changed
Subjective Knowledge Objective Knowledge
What can we do?
Hall suggests that the only way to learn the internal cultureof others is to actively participate in their culture.
When one first enters a new culture, only the most overt behaviors are apparent. As one spends more time in that new culture, the underlyingbeliefs, values, and thought patterns that dictate that behavior will be uncovered.
What this model teaches us is that we cannot judge a new culture based only on what we see when we first enter it. Wemust take the time to get to know individuals from that culture and interact with them. Only by doing so can we uncover the values and beliefs that underlie the behavior of that society.
Task 2:Answer the questions based on the theory:
1. How can we study other cultures and include elements “below the surface”?

We can study other cultures by spending time with individuals from thatnew culture, by interacting with them, by getting to know them, by participating actively in it. Thus, we will learn their beliefs, values and thought patterns that dictate their behaviours and at the...