INTENTIONAL MATRIX (WORLDVIEW)

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INTENTIONAL MATRIX (WORLDVIEW)

A/B: VALUES (beliefs and/or affects and/or wants) and CULTURAL DIMENSIONS

In these two sections I have tried to gather the most important values of Jamaican people and consequently I have analysed these values according to cultural dimensionS OF by Hofstede, Beamer Trompenaars and Hall.

1. Jamaican society is founded on the concept of the extended family. It is the most important group for Jamaicans. Differently from the Western view of “family”, the extended family includes not only parents, sisters and brothers, but also aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. Besides, the concept of extended family can also include close friends. [THIS WAS TRUE IN ITALY, IN THE PROVINCES ESPECIALLY, UP TO WORLD WAR I AND, IN THE SOUTH, WORLD WAR II.] The family is the group with whom a Jamaican spends most of own time developing and maintaining intimate social relations.

2. Jamaicans trust their family and their strict close friends and even their neighbours. They distrust institutions. For example, if they must ask for a loan they don’t apply to a bank, but they prefer ask for money to their “extended family”. Besides, as in Italy, the recommendation is a common practice used in Jamaica.

Collective: Jamaicans value the group, for example: family, tribe, close friends, etc.

Individualistic---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------Collectivist USA Holland Switzerland Britain France Italy Sweden Rasta-Jamaica

Horizontal/egalitarian: Jamaica has fewer ladders. There is more social equality.

Horizontal/egalitarian---------------------------------------------------------------------Hierarchical Jamaica USA Spain Germany Britain Italy India

Degree of gender: in Jamaica there is differentiation and discrimination between genders but it is less marked than in stereotypically “macho” societies.

Male society-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Female society Spain Italy Jamaica Holland Denmark Finland

Rules bending: Jamaica is a country that doesn’t like the rules, it is less rule-oriented, it is more ready to accept change.

“Rules Observant” --------------------------------------------------------------------------“Rules Bending”
Switzerland Germany Britain USA Greece Italy Brazil Egypt Rasta-Jamaica

3. Jamaican people talk with you immediately, they don’t stand on ceremony. Jamaicans are direct and say what they mean, they speak quickly and openly. They appreciate brevity and don’t like details. The lack of etiquette [AS AN INTERCULTURALIST YOU SHOULD NOT SAY “LACK OF ETIQUETTE. THERE IS SIMPLY A DIFFERENT ETIQUETTE. INFORMALITY IS A “RULE” THAT SAYS TO “BE SPONTANEOUS” AND TO “AVOID FOLLOWING UPPER CLASS PRACTICES”. THUS INFORMALITY HAS ITS RULES OF ETIQUETTE, TOO.] is also comparable in table manners that are relatively informal.

Direct Communication: Jamaican people are more direct and openly.

Direct Communication ----------------------------------------------------------Indirect Communication Jamaica USA Spain Germany Italy Britain India

Moderate Freedom of Opinion: Jamaica is a country where one’s opinion can be expressed with a certain freedom.

Moderate Freedom of Opinion ------------------------------------------Limited Freedom of Opinion USA Spain Italy France UK Germany Africa India

Form distrusted: a stereotypical Jamaican distrusts forms and etiquettes, especially the bourgeois forms that British “civilization” imposes: judges wigs do not mean that the law is equal for everyone. Even if the Rastas have a lot a rituals it is also true that a good Rasta doesn’t have to wear dreadlocks.

“Form Trusted” --------------------------------------------------------------------------“Form Distrusted”
Japan China Britain Germany USA Spain Italy Mexico Rasta-Jamaica

4. Physical contact is very important. A Jamaican wants a first contact that isn’t verbal but physical. For Jamaican people the common greeting is the handshake with eye direct contact and a warm smile. In an initial approach a Jamaican doesn’t ask for your first name or surname, he asks for it when the friendship is established. Once a friendship has been established, women may hug and kiss on each cheek, starting with the right. Men often pat each other's shoulder or arm during the greeting process or while conversing. They always move their bodies especially when they listen to the reggae music.

More Physical Contact: Jamaicans give more importance to physical contact to each other.

More Physical Contact---------------------------------------------------------------Less Physical Contact Jamaica USA Brazil Italy UK Sweden China

Particularism: for Jamaicans relationships are more important than rules.

Universalism-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Particularism China Japan Sweden UK USA Brazil Jamaica

High Context: this polarity includes different factors in an high culture country as Jamaica, value of family, no-verbal communication, importance of relationships. This cultural dimension can be used for a lot of values.

High Context--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Low Context Jamaica USA UK Spain Italy India

Low Territoriality: Jamaican people share their territory, they don’t care about space, the relationship is more important than other “fool” things.

Low Territoriality-----------------------------------------------------------------------High Territoriality Jamaica USA Italy UK Japan China

5. Jamaican society is multi-faith. Christian Religion is the most diffused. There is a strong heterogeneity of Christian denominations (Methodists, Anglicans, Baptists, Roman Catholics, etc). Religion is very important for Jamaicans. Religious metaphors are frequently used in everyday speech (e.g. “That movie is a Word”).

6. In Jamaica it is also diffused the Rastafarianism. It takes its name from Ras Tafai, the emperor of Ethiopia. The Rastafarianism born as nationalist movement and it assumes over the time a religious dimension of Hebraic-Christian origin. This movement spread abroad by Bob Marley and reggae music in Jamaica and around the world. For Jamaicans, Rastafarianism is a strong way to emphasize a sense of belonging to Africa and their origin.

More Religious Country: Jamaica is a country where Religion has a fundamental role in Jamaican life, it can be considered a religious country.

More Religious Country-----------------------------------------------------------Less Religious Country Indonesia Philippines Iran Jamaica Italy France UK Holland

High Integration concerns the peaceful cohabitation of different “religions”.

High Integration------------------------------------------------------------------------------Low integration USA Jamaica UK Spain Italy Germany China

Self in Control: Jamaicans have the control of events, but for the strong presence of Religion it seems that the Will of God is important for their life.

Self in control----------------------------------------------------------------------------Other in Control USA Spain Jamaica France Germany Italy India UK

7. One’s people is very important for a Jamaican. The collective value is the essential requisite for encouraging people not to yield to oppression (as Marley sang) and everybody has the same rights and same importance. Social Justice in Jamaica has a particular sense: not as the application of rules, but as fight for one’s people rights.

8. Jamaicans want to emancipate themselves from mental slavery; so they think no one but only themselves can free their mind.

High Integration concerns the level of integration of immigrants even if Jamaica hasn’t a real “melting pot”, because it has a large percentage of black people, a little percentage of mixed and white people.

High Integration-------------------------------------------------------------------------Low Integration USA Jamaica UK Spain Italy Germany China

Learn from experience: Jamaica has had a difficult past, they were slaves, and now they want to be free from every kind of “slavery”. Experiences must teach always something

Learn from experience---------------------------------------------------------------Learn from authority Jamaica Germany USA UK

9. Jamaicans face problems with optimism through smoking. Marijuana (usually known as Ganja) makes their life better, because they don’t think about bad things and they let their imagination wander. Ganja is used by Rastafarians to meditate and to reach wisdom. In spite of, smoking ganja is illegal in Jamaica.

Uncertainty Averse: the uncertainty is tolerated because everything is taken with quiet, Jamaican don’t have the tendency to organize their life.

Uncertainty Tolerant--------------------------------------------------------------------Uncertainty Averse Jamaica UK USA Spain Italy Germany

Emotional: Jamaicans trough smoking they feel free to express their emotions.

Neutral-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Emotional China Sweden UK Italy Spain Jamaica

Self Independent: for Jamaicans relationships have a fundamental role to enrich themselves and from that derives more happiness.

Self Independent-------------------------------------------------------------------------Self Interdependent

USA UK Germany France Spain Italy Jamaica India

Rules bending: Jamaica uses Marijuana even if is illegal, so it doesn’t respect the rules

“Rules Observant” --------------------------------------------------------------------------“Rules Bending”
Switzerland Germany Britain USA Greece Italy Brazil Egypt Rasta-Jamaica

10. Jamaican women are considered as sexual objectS and are subordinated to men’s power, although women are always occupied in their house and at work. For women IT is not advised to go to pubs alone, but usually they are accompanied by men.

Masculinity: it shows that women isARE however subordinated to men.

Masculinity------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Femininity Spain Italy Jamaica Holland Denmark Finland

Synchronic: women are a real work force, they makeDO A thousand things at the same time.

Sequential--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Synchronic Finland Italy Jamaica Aboriginal Native Americans

11. For Jamaicans homosexuality is a taboo, and it is illegal.

Close Mindedness: this polarity expresses how much Jamaicans are adverse to homosexuality, they don’t even speak about it!

Open Mindedness--------------------------------------------------------------------------Close Mindedness USA Spain UK Germany Italy Jamaica

12. The hierarchy is respected at working environment. Decision makers are people who have more authority. Consequently the status is very important even if not always apparent.

Hierarchical Relations: in the business meeting the rules are apparently important, for this values can be added other polarities already explained above (direct communication, rules-bending, form distrusted) can be added.

Hierarchical Relations----------------------------------------------------------------Horizontal Relations India Italy UK Germany Spain Jamaica USA

13. Time rules and set schedules are relative in Jamaica. Jamaicans are not very punctual. It is common to wait for a long time people and means of transport.

Flexible View of Time: time concept is very relative, Jamaicans expect punctuality but often they don’t arrive on time, so two minutes may be twenty minutes, two hours or two days... so don’t worry!

Flexible View of Time---------------------------------------------------------------------Strict view of time Jamaica Italy UK Germany Switzerland

Polichronic action: for one’s concept of time, maybe JamaicanS are always distracted BY from other thingS, they do many things at once or spend much time for relationships and the time passES...

Polichronic action-----------------------------------------------------------------------Monochronic action Jamaica Italy Spain USA UK Switzerland

C. RESULTING MAXIMS

“All together we can do everything”.

“Out of many, one people”. (Even if it is platonic, I like it. It is Jamaica’s motto that describes the mixing of people of various backgrounds and cultures over centuries becoming just “Jamaicans”.)

“You are not alone, we are a big family”.

“Take it easy, in the end justice will come.”

“Smoke marijuana and free your mind”.

“Don't worry about a thing, it's gonna be all right".

“I'm no longer a slave, I'm free”.

“There aren’t rules to follow, you don’t stand on ceremony and make yourself at home”.

“We are all friends”.

“You can say what you mean!”

“It is better trust my friends and my family than the institutions”.

“Wait, be patient!”

“Ehi, we don’t talk about queers!”

Useful links to understand Jamaican mentality: