A Comparison of Chinese and Western Privacy Concep

AbstractKnowingthedifferentviewsonprivacybetweenChineseandWesternculturesisimportanttoimprovetheabilitytocommunicateincross-culturalenvironment.ThispaperistomakeacomparisonoftheviewsonprivacybetweenChineseandWesternsandanalyzethereasonsofthedifferences.Keywords:privacyviewsinChinaandWest;comparison;reasons1.IntroductionSocialbeingisthenatureofhumanbeingbutthecloseconnectionbetweenhumanbeingsandtheirpersonalaffairsisalsotheinherentnatureofhumanbeings.Thepsychologytoprotectprivacyevolvedwiththedevelopmentofpeople’swisdom.TheoriginisthesenseofshamerecordedinBible.InGenesisofBible,thefirstthingthatAdamandEvedidaftereatingfruitofwisdomwasthattheyknewshameandpickedfigleavestocovertheirbodies.Thescholar,ZHANGXing-baothinksthatthesenseofknowingshameandcoveringbodyistheproofofthebeginningthatpeoplebecameawareofprivacy(WANGXiu-zhe,2005:137).1.1BackgroundoftheResearchInthecurrentsocialenvironment,peopleareplacingmoreemphasisonprivacy,andgoingtogreaterlengthstohavetheirprivacyprotectedandrespected.Incross-culturalcommunication,weclingtoourrespectiveculturalbackgrounds,sorealizingdifferencesonbothsidesisthepremiseofsuccessfulcommunication.Privacy,asapsychologicalconcept,itisveryeasytobemisunderstood.DuetothedifferencesbetweenChineseandwesternculturalbackground,anddifferentconceptofvalues,themeaningandcategoryofprivacyaredifferent;theprivacyofconsciousnessisalsodifferentininternationalintercourseunavoidably.Buttheconceptofprivacyisnotconstant,anditwillchangewithdifferenttimesandplaces.Privacyisakindofcommonphenomenon;itexistsineveryculture,justdifferentinhowit’sexpressed.TheconventionalviewisthatChinesecultureisabsolutelycollectivism,thereisnoprivacyintheChinesecollectiveinterior,meanwhile,sensitiveissuessuchasprivacyincross-culturalcommunicationisabsolutelyconflict.Thisviewisnotappropriate,andisamisunderstandingofChineseprivacyculture.Especiallynow,thedevelopmentofeconomicglobalizationpromotesstepsofworld’sculturalcommunicationandalsotheunderstandingsindifferentcivilizations.Inthisprocess,theideasofpeoplearealsochangingalot.Theso-calledtaboothatinpeople’sdailylifeorworkthereisalimitofself-discipline,differentethnicculturehasdifferenttaboo.Inourdailyinteractions,especiallyincross-culturalcommunication,wehavetodealwiththisissueseriously.1.1.1DefinitionandhistoryofprivacyTheconceptofprivacybeganintheWest.Itisanindividualorgroupscontroloftheregulatorymechanismofinteractionwithothers,andisahumansurvivalcharacteristic.Implicit,whichmeanshidden,donotwanttoshareinconvenientthings;private,whichmeansprivateaffairs,ispresentintheaffairsofprivatelivingspace.Privatelivingspacethatexistsinsecretaffairs,activitiesandrelatedinformationisprivacy.Itrelatedtothepubliclivingspace,thefieldofpubliclife,publicaffairs,activitiesandinformationisthecorresponding.Mr.WangLimingsummarizedPrivacyasakindofnonpublicinterest,andnonindependentofgroupinterests,someonedoesnotwanttointerfereinthepersonalaffairsandfieldsofothers”Specifically,privacyreferstopersonalinformation,privateactivities,andprivatesector.Inrecentyears,domesticculturalstudiesofprivacyproblemexistintwotendencies:AtendencyistoWesterners(English-speakingpeople)theconceptofprivacyastheonlycriteriaforjudgingthevaluewhichChinesedonottreatitasprivacy.Theotherisatendencytothinkthatwesternersaretoofocusedonprivacy.ReferencetoWesternconceptsaboutprivacy:1.Westernacademicdiscussiononprivacyissues,fromtheAmericanscholarWarrenandBrandeisdefinedprivacy.In1890,thesetwowritersdefinedthePrivacyinTheRighttoPrivacyasaright.Black'sLawDictionarysaysthatprivacyistherighttoprivatelifewithoutinterference,oraprivatematterrightshallnotbedisclosedwithoutpermission.2.CiHaiDictionary”willbedefinedassomeonedosenotwanttotelltheprivacyofpeople,alsoreferstosomeshadythings.Inourcurrentlaw,thereisnoexpressreferencetoprivacyprovisionsoftheword.3.Privacynotonlyhasobjectivedefinition,butalsocoupledwiththesubjectiveunderstandingofindividualdifferencesbecauseofdifferentsocialandculturalbackgrounds.WesternscholarsAlan.F.Westindefinesfourtypesofprivacy:solitude,intimacy,andanonymity,self-reserve.Altmanalsothinksprivacyisnotmorethanonesort.Hedefinedprivacyasselforgroupforothers'contactdoselectivecontrol.AltmanMingpointsprivacyintoindividualprivacyandgroupprivacy.FromtheformulationofChineseandwesternconceptofprivacy,wefirstspecificallyistheprivacyinChineseandinEnglishisdifferent.Chineseprivacyreferstospecificbehavior;herewedon'tdiscussthesebehaviorslegalorillegalandmoraloramoral.Thesebehaviorsarenotrights,whichprotectedbylawonthelevelofthewest.Andwithout,obviouslyreferstotherightsofprivatelifewithoutinterference,orpersonalthingswithoutpermissioninpublicrights.Privacyisapsychologicalconcept;itisanobjectiveenvironmentfortheattitudes,beliefs,andhowtounderstandintheenvironmentview.Privacyrevealsapsychologicalenvironment.ConventionalwisdomisthatEasterncultures(e.g.China)arenotstressedindividualprivacy,andindividualrightsthanobligations.WebsterDictionaryistheinterpretationofprivacy:1.Private,fromthestateofpublicattentionorcompanionshi