The 6 stages of the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) are Denial, Defense, Minimization, Acceptance, Adaptation, and Integration. This model outlines a framework for understanding how people experience, interpret, and respond to cultural difference, moving from a more ethnocentric (self-centered) to a more ethnorelative (culture-centered) perspective.
Exploring the Stages of Intercultural Sensitivity
Developed by Dr. Milton Bennett, the DMIS provides a path toward becoming more competent in interacting with people from different cultures. It describes how individuals typically develop their understanding and response to cultural diversity.
1. Denial
In the Denial stage, individuals are unaware of cultural differences. They may believe their own culture is the only real one, or they might avoid or ignore differences. They simply don't recognize that other cultures exist in a meaningful way that impacts perception and behavior.
- Characteristics:
- Ignorance of cultural variation.
- Belief that "everyone is the same" or should be.
- Avoiding or dismissing other cultures.
- Example: Someone traveling abroad only interacts with people from their own country and complains that locals "aren't normal."
2. Defense
The Defense stage involves recognizing cultural differences but viewing them negatively. One's own culture is seen as superior, and other cultures are often stereotyped, criticized, or threatened. People in this stage feel protective of their own cultural identity.
- Characteristics:
- Recognizing differences, but feeling threatened.
- Using stereotypes to demean other cultures.
- Elevating one's own culture as the best ("Us vs. Them").
- Example: Someone stating, "My country's way of doing things is clearly better than theirs," or expressing hostility towards immigrants.
3. Minimization
In the Minimization stage, individuals acknowledge superficial cultural differences (like food or customs) but emphasize human similarity across cultures. They tend to believe that under the surface, everyone is fundamentally the same, often overlooking significant differences in values, beliefs, and communication styles.
- Characteristics:
- Downplaying the importance of cultural differences.
- Focusing on universal human needs and values.
- Assuming that communication styles or values are shared globally.
- Example: Saying, "We're all just people, deep down," while being unaware of how cultural background shapes perspectives or problem-solving approaches.
4. Acceptance
The Acceptance stage marks a shift to an ethnorelative perspective. Individuals recognize and value cultural differences as legitimate and complex ways of organizing human existence. They understand that their own cultural worldview is just one of many valid perspectives.
- Characteristics:
- Recognizing and valuing cultural diversity.
- Curiosity and respect towards other cultures.
- Understanding that cultural differences are not good or bad, just different.
- Example: Actively seeking to learn about the history, values, and beliefs of another culture out of genuine interest.
5. Adaptation
In the Adaptation stage, individuals can see the world through different cultural lenses and modify their behavior to be more effective in intercultural situations. They develop skills to communicate and act appropriately in different cultural contexts, not by abandoning their own culture but by adding new perspectives and behaviors.
- Characteristics:
- Developing empathy and the ability to take multiple perspectives.
- Code-switching behavior based on cultural context.
- Building a repertoire of intercultural communication skills.
- Example: Adjusting one's communication style (e.g., directness, body language) when interacting with colleagues from a culture known for indirect communication.
6. Integration
The final stage, Integration, is reached when individuals move beyond simply adapting to other cultures and start to incorporate multiple cultural frames of reference into their own identity. They may feel they don't fully belong to any one culture but can navigate fluidly between several.
- Characteristics:
- Defining identity in relation to multiple cultures.
- Living on the margins of two or more cultures.
- Mediating between different cultural groups.
- Example: A person who has lived immersed in multiple cultures for extended periods and can naturally understand and bridge perspectives from each, sometimes feeling like an "intercultural person."
Understanding these stages provides valuable insight for individuals and organizations seeking to improve intercultural communication and relations. Movement through the stages is developmental, meaning one typically progresses sequentially, although experiences can cause movement back and forth between stages.
