Intercultural interactions in traditional and positive perspectives

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to integrate the negative and positive perspective on intercultural interactions by implementing psychological theories, which can help to explain the inconclusive results of prior studies. Social identity theory, the similarity-attraction paradigm, and, yet to the lower degree, social dominance theory are theoretical underpinnings of the negative view of the relationships between culturally diverse individuals. The positives of intercultural interactions have been interpreted on the basis of information-processing theory and intergroup contact theory. Recently, the Positive Organizational Scholarship lens has been applied to cross-cultural research as well to foster the positive approach to cultural diversity. This chapter moves further, since it attempts to elucidate intercultural interactions at work by referring to the theories that have been rarely implemented in cross-cultural studies so far. Thus, Bandura’s social learning and social cognitive theory, thriving, the Job Demands-Resources model and the transactional theory of stress are shown as the theoretical framework for the discourse.