Each person has a "Vector of the Mind" whose direction and magnitude can be assessed by using the questionnaire appearing in the book.
For people with a western paradigm of mind who locate their self at the center, the "Vector of the Mind" is inwardly oriented. People with an eastern paradigm of mind, who are focused on the group, have an outward oriented "Vector of the Mind". The encounter with an individual whose "Vector of the Mind" is opposed to ours creates a cross-cultural gap that hinders communication.
"Babel - a Guide to the East-West Encounter" surveys the laws underlying each paradigm of the mind in such a way that the reader may be aware of his/her thought characteristics as well as those of the other and also of the laws that enable "translation" of his/her messages from one paradigm of mind to the other.
This book is based on fascinating stories of negotiations between Israel and America and the Arab world collected from a large number of major books in Hebrew, English and Arabic describing the negotiation process.
We all live under the illusion that a member of the other culture thinks like us. This is because each one of us knows only his/her way of thinking.
Is it possible to break through this vicious circle and to learn the other's way of thinking?
Is it possible to tone down the defensive and hypocritical rule of the "Politically Correct", to acknowledge our differences and perhaps even learn to love them?
"Babel" turns us all - sons of East and West - from strangers to close friends and provides a happy end to the Biblical story in which people could not cooperate because they spoke different languages.
About the Author :
r. Ofer Grosbard is a clinical psychologist with a further degree (Ph.D.) in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University [in the United States]. Dr. Grosbard is an expert in multi-cultural education and psychology, and a lecturer at Tel Aviv and Haifa universities, and at the Arab Academic College for Education in Haifa. He has published many academic articles, as well as ten award-winning books that have been translated into various languages. Visit my site: https: //ofer-grosbard.com/en/
Review :
This book contains many examples of negotiations between America and Israel and its Arab neighbors. It also includes a questionnaire so that a person can assess their own vector of the mind. Is it possible to get away from being Politically Correct and acknowledge our differences?
Here is a very interesting book. The many examples of Arab-Israeli contacts also make it pretty easy to understand. This will get the reader thinking.
Paul Lappen
This is an eye-opening book about the ways in which different cultures condition people's thinking, behaviors, and expectations differently. It explains how these differences lead to frustration and failed communication when people from different cultures assume that the others are "just like them". The book uses the Israeli-Arab conflict as a test case and shows, in a very convincing way, how cultural differences were a major cause for failure in negotiations, and how, in a few cases where the parties understood those issues, they managed to reach a mutually satisfactory solution.
This book is fun to read, and if you happen to interact with people from other cultures, it is also essential.
Raziel Haimi-Cohen
