KATHERINE~chapter 6 response~

     This chapter is about tolerance of the ambiguous and the unpredictable or in the author’s words “uncertainty avoidance” (p.189), meaning the extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations. By analyzing the countries measured in the IBM research, the writer found out that states ranks high in the “uncertainty avoidance index” (p.190) tend to more anxious as well as expressive while in weak uncertainty-avoidance countries, anxiety levels are relatively low. Moreover, these differences exist in family, schools, workplace, and politics and so on.

       I found two points in this chapter interesting. The first one is that one of the major reasons for human beings in develop technology, rules and religious is to avoid uncertainty. Indeed, we are all afraid of the things we don’t know. Sometimes even bad results are better than no results. The other impressive view made by the writer is that, in weak uncertainty avoidance countries aggression and emotions should not be shown while in strong uncertainty avoidance states they could be expressed. Japanese after work drinking is a very typical example, pressure need to be expressed. In my opinion, that’s one of the advantages for strong uncertainty avoidance cultures.