Cultural closeness as a facet of cultural affinity: A contribution to the theory of psychic distance

Abstract

Deals with the relationship between cultural closeness and cultural affinity. The basis of the research is that a correlation exists between the level of affinity (or “liking”) executives feel for a foreign culture, and the extent to which they feel psychologically close to that culture. Findings indicate a moderate level of correlation between cultural closeness and cultural liking (r = 0.4048, p = 0.0000), which would suggest that cultural closeness is a contributory element to psychic closeness. Looks at the concept of psychic distance, examining the component elements. It then details the empirical research on which the conclusions are based, explaining how a sample of industry executives was identified, and how the research was carried out. Concludes with an overview of culture as an element of distance in international business, and makes some suggestions for pre‐departure executive training.

Citation

Swift, J.S. (1999), "Cultural closeness as a facet of cultural affinity: A contribution to the theory of psychic distance", International Marketing Review, Vol. 16 No. 3, pp. 182-201. https://doi.org/10.1108/02651339910274684