Confucianism guides social relationships: “To live in harmony with the universe and with your fellow man through proper behavior.” Confucianism considers balance and harmony in human relationships to be the basis of society. June Yum (1998) describes five effects that Confucianism has on interpersonal communication:
1. Particularism. There is no universal pattern of rules governing relationships: There are no rules governing interaction with someone whose status is unknown. Instead of applying the same rule to everyone, such factors as status, intimacy, and context create different communication rules for different people. In fact, there are several patterns guiding interaction with others whose status is known. In the Confucian country of Korea, it is quite common for strangers to find out each other’s age in the first few minutes of conversation and adjust their language to show respect.
2. Role of intermediaries. Rituals should be followed in establishing relationships.
3. Reciprocity. Complementary obligations are the base of relationships. Obligations in relationships is contrary to Western ideas of individuality.
4. Ingroup /outgroup distinction. There can be different language codes for ingroup members. Ingroup members engage in freer and deeper talk.
5. Overlap of personal and public relationships. Business and pleasure are mixed. Frequent contacts lead to common experiences. This contrasts to Western patterns of keeping public and private lives separate.