In Milton J. Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, the defense stage occurs when individuals realize cultural differences exist but preserve their own cultural views. People in this stage may denigrate another culture, uplift their own culture as superior, or, if living in a community outside their own, uplift that particular community as superior.

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Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity is organized as a single continuum divided into two aspects. The first aspect covers three stages of decreasing ethnocentrism: Denial, Defense, and Minimization. The second aspect covers three stages of increasing ethnorelativism: Acceptance, Adaptation, and Integration.

Two Aspects of Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity

- People who claim they are "color blind"
- People at this level minimize the differences and continue to interact within their own culture,
- Living with the assumption that their behaviors  are shared by others. 
- No awareness of their own cultures has occurred yet

The Third Stage of the Bennett's Model, Minimization

In Milton J. Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, the denial stage represents a lack of knowledge of cultural differences. Individuals in this stage behave according to their own worldviews, which they assume are the only worldviews that exist.

Denial Stage of Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity

In Milton J. Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, the adaptation stage reflects the behavioral changes that occur when individuals are able to act in an ethnorelative way. At this fifth stage, people can change their processing of reality, appropriately modify their behaviors, and think or act from another cultural perspective.

Adaptation Stage of Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity

Defense Stage of Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity

In Milton J. Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, the integration stage is the sixth and final stage, reached as individuals become a full part of a given cultural context. It has two subphases: Contextual Evaluation, in which people can evaluate a phenomenon from another cultural perspective or within its cultural context; and Constructive Marginality, in which people continuously see outside of themselves and stand outside of all cultural frameworks.

Integration Stage of Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity

In Milton J. Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, the acceptance stage is the fourth stage overall and the first stage of ethnorelativism, marking the critical shift away from ethnocentrism. Individuals recognize that other people hold different values and worldviews, and they begin to accept and respect differing behaviors and communication styles as valid alternatives to their own.

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