Intercultural communication : A layered approach examines the effective and problematic aspect of intercultural communication through a layered and contextualized perspective. The layered approach or social ecological perspective, helps students understand how their own behavior (and that of others) occurs in the context of a variety of relationship, cultures, and historical factors. At the same time, this approach emphasizes how individuals can make a diference and address social problems. Like all human behavior, intercultural communication takes place in many interrelated context or layers. We tend to think that any given interaction even with people from a different cultural background than our ownm is just between two people.