226

INTERCULTURAL ENCOUNI 1.10

Communicating Across Cultures

Phase V. Adaptation
Stage

The
sojourner
starts the adjustment
process In this phase,
beginning to identify
with the new culture.
Factor. leading to
identification include the
development of new
reference groups, a
feeling of belonging,
perceptions
that
members of the host
culture are accepting
him or her, and a sense of
sharing the fate of the
host country.
Millions
of
American immigrants
went throup,h these
five phases as they
became acculturated and
eventually
were
assimilated into the
American way of life
after
leaving
home
cultures.
Many
thousands more are
going
through
the
experience daily in the
United States following
their immigration from
some other nation. So,
the process is not a
twentieth-century
phenome or a rare sort
of occurrence. Those
persons who intend to
study, work, or live in
another culture can
prepare themselves for
the
experience,

227

however, and reduce

the effects of culture
shock.

Phase VI. Re-entry

Stage

For the millions of

foreigners who became
or
are
becoming
American citizens, the
fifth phase ends the
acculturation process.
For those persons who
do not remain in the
host country, who went
to study or work for a
short period, phase six
occurs. It consists of
=culture
shock
in
reverse. Returning to the
homeland, the sojourner
has to readjust to it, and
the readjusting proceeds
through the five stages
once again, although the
adaptation
may
be
quicker and a bit less
frustrating.
What happens is
that the sojourner is
excited about coming
back home and is eager
to share his or her
experiences
abroad.
Unfortunately, his or her
old friends and family
Are not as eager to listen.
One traveler said that his
relatives sat through the
slides and looked at the

photos. All the while

they talked about the
local events and the
weather, acting little
interested in his trip.
The sojourner realizes
that he or she has
changed but cannot
explain how and why.
Further, the friends and
relatives sense a change
in the sojourner and
are likely to attribute it
to the need for rest
after the long journey.
The sojourner feels
disoriented
and
frustrated upon return
and once again suffers
culture shock (Lewis
and /unman, 1986).

Varying Responses
People respond to
cultural shock in varying
degrees. For some, it is a
severely
traumatic
sensation, lasting from a
few weeks to several
months. To others, the
experience is mild and is
over in a few days.
The:700d'news is that
'culture shock-tends ,to-,bea
temporarystate "and'
will
eventually.' pass'. The
process can be speeded
up, however, by careful
preparation
before
leaving.
In
the
description
of
the
acculturation
process
which
follows,
we
suggest
ways
of
preparing in order to
speed up the adjustment
to the new culture.
-

Acculturation
Beyond
culture
shock lies the process of
acculturation. As Dodd
(1982)
defines
it,
acculturation is the act of
learning and adjusting to
amew setof cultural
behaviors
that
are
different from the set
first
!earned.
Dodd
broadly
applies
the
acculturation process to
include not only new
immigrants to a country,
but also persons who
move to new locations
within a country, persons
who change jobs, and
students who leave home
for
college.
These
individuals could suffer
from culture shock and
they,
too,
have
adjustments to make to
their new surroundings.

Role of
Communication
Underlying
acculturation, Gudykunst
and Kim (1984) believe,
is
the-communication
process:

Acculturation

occurs through identifying and internalizing

the significant symbols
of new culture. Just as
children
acquire
the
behavior appropriate to
their culture, so, too,
must the newcomer
learn
the
proper
cultural patterns of the

new
culture.
Communication is the
means for acquiring the
new patterns. Through
prolonged and varied
experiences
in
communication,
the
newcomer
gradually
gains the communicative
ability to cope with the
new culture. With the
communicative
tools

necessary to function
ably in the host culture,
the newcomer can begin
to satisfy personal needs,
including the needs for
affection, inclusion, and
control that can be
satisfied only in the
company of others. An
American teacher of
English at a Tokyo
university says