Culture is like an Iceberg

Edward T. Hall likened the effects of culture to an iceberg. Some aspects of a culture are overt, in clear view above the waterline, so to speak. But most are hidden deep below the surface, forming the bulk of the iceberg: our concepts of time, friendship, fairness, and justice; styles of nonverbal communication, facial expressions, eye contact, and gestures; approaches to raising children, decision making, and problem solving; and attitudes toward different age groups, competition, authority, work, and death.

For most…