Chinese people's bad manners in public: China Daily

ALL content used in this not-for-profit blog remain the property of their respective owners.
http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Relax/Story/A1Story20121118-384120.html

Bad manners in public are due to many factors, and not just individual personality. Experts say society, historical circumstances and the environment must all be taken into consideration.

"People are relatively tolerant and polite in their daily lives toward acquaintances and friends, but when placed in a crowd or in a strange place, such as when traveling abroad, chances are that people will be more prone to anger, to be rude, aggressive or even violent," says Han Xueqing, director of clinical psychology at the Beijing Tongren Hospital.

"Studies have shown that in a noisy place, people tend to become rude and angry," he says.

"That is because they feel insecure or threatened. It is human nature to switch into self-protection mode and look out for their own well-being."

In the past few decades, blind worship of material success has also affected moral values and complicated behavioural paradigms, experts say.

For one, people are more inclined to be rude if they feel their personal space is being violated.

For another, when social resources are limited, and there is no actual penalty mechanism for improper behaviour, it becomes a free-for-all.

Finally, identity plays an important role, Cheng adds.

"Travelers are more likely to behave badly than locals. They are in a strange place and they are in a hurry to get the most out of the limited stay, while locals have more time and opportunity, relatively, to do the same.

"The better educated, those with higher social status, are more likely to be polite and control themselves in public, because they have an identity and image to maintain. For this reason, too, you find that overseas Chinese cling to traditions more than those in China."

"It is all about the conflict between self-interest and limited resources, especially in a strange or crowded place," says Han Xueqing, the psychologist at Tongren Hospital.

"I believe such ugly behaviour is temporary," she says.

It has been a steep learning curve for Chinese tourists abroad, but experts say as they slowly get used to being affluent, and their vision broadens with more frequent travel abroad, they will feel less pressure to grab as much as they can in as short a time as possible, and they will learn to relax and behave better.

But this improvement has to take place against a background where the authorities encourage and instill order, provide lifelong moral education, and penalize bad behaviour in public.