CULTURAL BELIEFS AS FACTORS INFLUENCING INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION AMONG THE EMPLOYEES OF EDO STATE PUBLIC LIBRARY IN BENIN CITY, NIGERIA

This study investigated the mediating influence of cultural beliefs on the communication behaviours of Librarians in the Edo State Public Library in Benin City. The data for the study were generated through a questionnaire administered to 36 staff in the Cataloguing Division of the public library. The results of data analysis indicate that: Edo and Igbo ethnic groups members have different cultural beliefs but common psychological communication response orientations; the response orientations negatively influence their communication behaviours; Edo and Igbo ethnic group members are ethnocentric and prejudiced, therefore, are stereotyped and dogmatic in their communication behaviours; these psychological dispositions influence Edo and Igbo ethnic groups members’ communication orientations; and they exhibit negative ( suspicious and defensiveness, closed-minded, alienation and hostility) communication response tendencies.