Third culture building (TCB) denotes a process by which two parties, through protracted interaction, consciously decide that they would like to share perspectives, negotiate values, test beliefs, or proceed in a direction that leaves both of them permanently changed. TCB therefore implicates relationships, business transactions, cultural exchanges and home stays, and intercultural or interracial communication in general. TCB's premises include that the interactants must be willing to change themselves during the interchange and that neither party should dominate from a position of greater power or lay out preconditions for participating in TCB. Actual interactions over an extended period are measured against these expectations. TCB moves from a unilateral process to a bilateral one, and from an intrapersonal to interpersonal to rhetorical to intercultural one. If it successfully proceeds, it leaves both parties with a new and enduring identity. This entry explores the process of TCB. One prospective interactant develops awareness ...