Culture shock

Culture shock is an experience a person may have when one moves t o a cult ural environment
which is different from one's own; it is also t he personal disorient at ion a person may feel when
experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due t o immigrat ion or a visit t o a new count ry, a move
bet ween social environment s, or simply t ransit ion t o anot her t ype of life.[1] One of t he most
common causes of cult ure shock involves individuals in a foreign environment . Cult ure shock can
be described as consist ing of at least one of four dist inct phases: honeymoon, negot iat ion,
adjust ment , and adapt at ion.

The encounter with the conquerors with steel and

horses shocked the Aztecs, so they confused the
Europeans with prophets from the east.
 Traveler from Australia visiting a small farm in Sierra
Leone.

Common problems include: informat ion overload, language barrier, generat ion gap, t echnology
gap, skill int erdependence, formulat ion dependency, homesickness (cult ural), boredom (job
dependency), et hnicit y, race, skin color, response abilit y (cult ural skill set ).[2] There is no t rue way
t o ent irely prevent cult ure shock, as individuals in any societ y are personally affect ed by cult ural
cont rast s different ly.[3]

Cult ure shock is experienced by st udent s who part icipat e in st udy abroad programs. Research
considering t he st udy abroad experiences st at es t hat in-count ry support for st udent s may
assist t hem in overcoming t he challenges and phases of cult ure shock. As st at ed in a st udy by
Young et al., t he dist ress experienced by cult ure shock has long-last ing effect s t herefore,
universit ies wit h well-rounded programs t hat support st udent s t hroughout t he st udy abroad
program, including preparat ion and post -program assist ance, can alleviat e challenges posed by
cult ure shock, allow for global development and assist wit h t he t ransit ion back int o t he home
cult ure.[4]
Oberg's four phases model

According to acculturation model, people will

initially have (1) a honeymoon period, followed by
(2) a transition period, that is, cultural shock. Over
time people will begin to (3) adapt (the dotted line
depicted some people hated by new cultures
instead), before in some cases (4) returning to
their own places and re-adapting to the old
culture.

Kalervo Oberg first proposed his model of cult ural adjust ment in a t alk t o t he Women's Club of
Rio de Janeiro in 1954.[5][6][7]

Honeymoon
During t his period, t he differences bet ween t he old and new cult ure are seen in a romant ic light .
For example, in moving t o a new count ry, an individual might love t he new food, t he pace of life,
and t he locals' habit s. During t he first few weeks, most people are fascinat ed by t he new
cult ure. They associat e wit h nat ionals who speak t heir language, and who are polit e t o t he
foreigners. Like most honeymoon periods, t his st age event ually ends.[8]
Negotiation
Aft er some t ime (usually around t hree mont hs, depending on t he individual), differences bet ween
t he old and new cult ure become apparent and may creat e anxiet y. Excit ement may event ually
give way t o unpleasant feelings of frust rat ion and anger as one cont inues t o experience
unfavorable event s t hat may be perceived as st range and offensive t o one's cult ural at t it ude.
Language barriers, st ark differences in public hygiene, t raffic safet y, food accessibilit y and
qualit y may height en t he sense of disconnect ion from t he surroundings.[9]

While being t ransferred int o a different environment put s special pressure on communicat ion
skills, t here are pract ical difficult ies t o overcome, such as circadian rhyt hm disrupt ion t hat oft en
leads t o insomnia and daylight drowsiness; adapt at ion of gut flora t o different bact eria levels and
concent rat ions in food and wat er; difficult y in seeking t reat ment for illness, as medicines may
have different names from t he nat ive count ry's and t he same act ive ingredient s might be hard t o
recognize.

St ill, t he most import ant change in t he period is communicat ion: People adjust ing t o a new
cult ure oft en feel lonely and homesick because t hey are not yet used t o t he new environment
and meet people wit h whom t hey are not familiar every day. The language barrier may become a
major obst acle in creat ing new relat ionships: special at t ent ion must be paid t o one's and ot hers'
cult ure-specific body language signs, linguist ic faux pas, conversat ion t one, linguist ic nuances
and cust oms, and false friends.

In t he case of st udent s st udying abroad, some develop addit ional sympt oms of loneliness t hat
ult imat ely affect t heir lifest yles as a whole. Due t o t he st rain of living in a different count ry
wit hout parent al support , int ernat ional st udent s oft en feel anxious and feel more pressure while
adjust ing t o new cult ures—even more so when t he cult ural dist ances are wide, as pat t erns of
logic and speech are different and a special emphasis is put on rhet oric.
Adjustment
Again, aft er some t ime (usually 6 t o 12 mont hs), one grows accust omed t o t he new cult ure and
develops rout ines. One knows what t o expect in most sit uat ions and t he host count ry no longer
feels all t hat new. One becomes concerned wit h basic living again, and t hings become more
"normal". One st art s t o develop problem-solving skills for dealing wit h t he cult ure and begins t o
accept t he cult ure's ways wit h a posit ive at t it ude. The cult ure begins t o make sense, and
negat ive react ions and responses t o t he cult ure are reduced.[10]

Adaptation
In t he mast ery st age individuals are able t o part icipat e fully and comfort ably in t he host cult ure.
Mast ery does not mean t ot al conversion; people oft en keep many t rait s from t heir earlier
cult ure, such as accent s and languages. It is oft en referred t o as t he bicult ural st age.

Development
Gary R. Weaver wrot e t hat cult ure shock has "t hree basic causal explanat ions": loss of familiar
cues, t he breakdown of int erpersonal communicat ions, and an ident it y crisis.[11] Pet er S. Adler
emphasized t he psychological causes.[12] Tema Milst ein wrot e t hat it can have posit ive
effect s.[13]
Reverse culture shock
Reverse culture shock (also known as "re-ent ry shock" or "own cult ure shock"[14]) may t ake
place—ret urning t o one's home cult ure aft er growing accust omed t o a new one can produce t he
same effect s as described above.[15][16] These are result s from t he psychosomat ic and
psychological consequences of t he readjust ment process t o t he primary cult ure.[17] The
affect ed person oft en finds t his more surprising and difficult t o deal wit h t han t he original cult ure
shock. This phenomenon, t he react ions t hat members of t he re-ent ered cult ure exhibit t oward
t he re-ent rant , and t he inevit abilit y of t he t wo are encapsulat ed in t he following saying, also t he
t it le of a book by Thomas Wolfe: You Can't Go Home Again.

Reverse cult ure shock is generally made up of t wo part s: idealizat ion and expect at ions. When an
ext ended period of t ime is spent abroad we focus on t he good from our past , cut out t he bad,
and creat e an idealized version of t he past . Secondly, once removed from our familiar set t ing and
placed in a foreign one we incorrect ly assume t hat our previous world has not changed. We
expect t hings t o remain exact ly t he same as when we left t hem. The realizat ion t hat life back
home is now different , t hat t he world has cont inued wit hout us, and t he process of readjust ing
t o t hese new condit ions as well as act ualizing our new percept ions about t he world wit h our old
way of living causes discomfort and psychological anguish.[18]

Outcomes
There are t hree basic out comes of t he adjust ment phase:[19]

Some people find it impossible to

accept the foreign culture and to
integrate. They isolate themselves from
the host country's environment, which
they come to perceive as hostile,
withdraw into an (often mental) "ghetto"
and see return to their own culture as
the only way out. This group is
sometimes known as "Rejectors" and
describes approximately 60% of
expatriates.[20] These "Rejectors" also
have the greatest problems re-
integrating back home after return.[21]
Some people integrate fully and take on
all parts of the host culture while losing
their original identity. This is called
cultural assimilation. They normally
remain in the host country forever. This
 group is sometimes known as
"Adopters" and describes approximately
10% of immigrants.[20]
Some people manage to adapt to the
aspects of the host culture they see as
positive, while keeping some of their
own and creating their unique blend.
They have no major problems returning
home or relocating elsewhere. This
group can be thought to be
cosmopolitan. Approximately 30% of
immigrants belong to this group.[20]
Cult ure shock has many different effect s, t ime spans, and degrees of severit y.[22] Many people
are hampered by it s presence and do not recognize why t hey are bot hered.[23]

There is evidence t o suggest t hat t he psychological influence of cult ure shock might also have
physiological implicat ions. For example, t he psycho-social st ress experienced during t hese
circumst ances is correlat ed wit h an early onset of pubert y.[24]
Transition shock

A local woman does a double-take at a foreigner

during the evening rush hour in Japan

Cult ure shock is a subcat egory of a more universal const ruct called t ransit ion shock. Transit ion
shock is a st at e of loss and disorient at ion predicat ed by a change in one's familiar environment
t hat requires adjust ment . There are many sympt oms of t ransit ion shock, including:[25]

Anger
Boredom
Compulsive eating/drinking/weight gain
Desire for home and old friends
Excessive concern over cleanliness
Excessive sleep
Feelings of helplessness and withdrawal
Getting "stuck" on one thing
Glazed stare
Homesickness
Hostility towards host nationals
Impulsivity
Irritability
Mood swings
Physiological stress reactions
Stereotyping host nationals
Suicidal or fatalistic thoughts
Withdrawal
See also

Cultural conflict Wikivoy

age has
Cultural cringe a travel
guide
Cultural intelligence
for
Cultural schema theory Culture
shock.
Expatriate
Fresh off the boat
Future Shock
Intercultural communication
Jetlag
Lost In Translation (film)
Neophobia
 Outsourced (film)

Paris syndrome
Student exchange program
Xenophobia

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