There are resources online, and there will be more available at your chosen university or educational institution to help you adjust to your new country and area, and get through the stages of culture shock. Culture shock is a term used to describe what people experience when they are overwhelmed by unfamiliar surroundings and conditions, resulting in a sense of isolation. They have spent the last several years working toward this goal and it is finally happening. The 4 stages of culture shock global perspectives medium. Culture shock and homesickness culture shock is the physical and emotional discomfort experienced when living in a culture with different values, perceptions, cultural norms and beliefs that threaten a persons understanding of what he or she thought to be right. Culture shock symptoms are the ultimate travel headache. Oct 06, 20 culture shock is the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration or a visit to a new country, or to a move between social environments, also a simple travel to another type of life. Coming to another country, no matter how much you think you know about the culture already, many things will most likely shock you.
Culture shock can affect people to different degrees, but there is a predictable sequence of stages that people undergo. When your student first arrives at college they may experience the honeymoon phase. I have visited china six times where i lecture at a university in beijing. Culture shock due to contact with unfamiliar cultures. Everyone living in a foreign culture for a period of time experiences culture shock, but how long it lasts depends on ones ability to adjust. At this stage, the trip or move seems like the greatest decision ever made, an exciting adventure to stay on forever. Frustration equates to culture shock what is culture shock.
After we have settled down into our new life, working or studying, buying groceries, doing laundry, or living with a homestay family, we can become very tired and begin to miss our homeland and our family, girlfriendboyfriend, pets. The 5 stages of culture shock francisco destinations when we visit or move to another country, most of us feel excited and bewitched with by new taste, sound, and smell sensations. This article provides an account of the impact that culture shock has on individual identity and invites reflection on the social implications of culturally diverse encounters. Stages of culture shock michigan technological university. Culture shock is a feeling of disorientation and unease in a new and unfamiliar cultural environment as a result of relocation. A sudden change in ones surroundings can result in culture shock. This concept has both an affective, or psychological, component, relating to. Center for international programs page 4 be realistic about yourself and your abilities. There are two main methods to be considered in this period. Culture shock in italy culture shock is a very real thing, regardless what we have access to through the internet, movies, etc. Many would argue that the most rewarding exchanges come only when there is a pronounced experience of culture shock.
Culture shock is an affliction thats seen to progress in the same way as a disease, or a trauma such as grief, with a series of distinct stages. It is quite common for these stages to repeat themselves as students become more and more successfully immersed in the host culture. Expatriate culture shock executive search headhunter. Most people believe that there are stages to cultural adjustment, but no one is sure if the stages are the same for refugees. Contact oip for volunteer opportunities that will allow you to. You may feel angry, frustrated and even feel hostile to those around you. Culture shock is caus ed by an anxiety when experiencing new unfamiliar surroundings. Pdf on dec 1, 2014, marek kocak and others published management of culture shock find, read and. Abstractculture shock involves a powerful, transformative process that takes place at both the individual and societal levels as important cultural forces are clashing. Using the critical incident methodology, pedersen analyzes students responses to nearly. There are several reasons why reentry shock can sometimes be so much more intense than culture shock. The honeymoon stage you are very positive, curious, and anticipate new exciting experiences. Culture shock frank fitzpatrick intercultural fluency advisor, british council, london, uk what is it. An expat in the early days of their time abroad is likely to find everything about their new environment to be charming and exciting.
Download pdf file conclusion the term culture shock is used to denote the anxiety that results from losing all our familiar signs and symbols. Culture shock and the problem of adjustment to new cultural environments kalervo oberg, cultural anthropologist1 i would like today to make a few remarks about culture shock, a malady which i am sure has afflicted most of us in varying degree. The host culture is confusing or the systems are frustrating. He stated that adaptation to the local culture is through understanding and. Sociologists, anthropologists and psychologists have divided the culture shock or fatigue phenomenon into four stages.
The culture shock stages are exemplified in a situation i experienced as a visiting professor in china. Ppt culture and culture shock powerpoint presentation. During this stage, you may begin to dislike the culture, the language, the food. Stages of culture shock as an exchange student, you may experience some or all of the following stages of culture shock. You may reject it as inferior and may even develop some prejudices towards the new culture. We discuss the psychological processes that take place during and after meetings between individuals and groups who differ in their cultural backgrounds. Develop an attitude of patience and tolerance towards yourself as well as others. Stages and symptoms of culture shock international.
The honeymoon when your student first arrives at college they may experience the honeymoon phase. Heres our best breakdown of the culture shock stages, and how to deal with each. Give each group a cut up version of worksheet b and tell them to distribute the cards. Culture shock might occur after you have been onsite for a sufficiently long enough period to see some of the elements of the regioncountrys culture, and begin to feel the difference between this new culture and your home culture. The stages of culture shock culture shock is actually part of a completely natural process of cultural adaptation. The honeymoon stage the first stage of culture shock is often overwhelmingly positive during which travelers become infatuated with the language, people and food in their new surroundings. Crosscultural adaptation stress, intercultural adjustment disorientation, displacement anxiety, or culture shock, the anxiety that results from losing all our familiar signs and symbols of social inter course is a real part of almost everyones sojourn abroad. It is a normal human response as our bodies, minds and spirits adjust to the rhythms of another part of the world. Welcome to esl printables, the website where english language teachers exchange resources. Get the five stages of culture the five stages of culture shock. Culture shock activity blog dissection facilitator guide.
International students cultural and social experiences in. The merriamwebster dictionary defines culture shock as a sense of confusion and uncertainty sometimes with feelings of anxiety that may affect people exposed to an alien culture or environment without adequate preparation. You embrace the new culture and see everything in a new, yet realistic light. Alternatively, culture shock may lead a more visceral flight or fight response, whereby individuals feel the need, above all, to protect themselves.
Disengagement while you are still abroad, you begin to start thinking about moving back to the u. First of all, know that you will experience culture shock and that it will pass eventually. It is usually at this stage when the success of an expatriate is decided. What makes reentry shock more difficult than culture shock. Understanding and overcoming culture shock culture shock is a physical and psychological reaction that comes from changes to your everyday routine.
Almost everyone that moves to another country will experience some culture shock. Four stages of culture shock faced by immigrants essay. Reentry shock, or own culture shock returning to ones home culture after growing accustomed to a new one more surprising and difficult to deal with than the original culture shock may experience reactions that members of your reentered culture exhibit toward you. It is clear that experiences such as war, risking your family and grieving the loss of loved ones will complicate the stages described below. Oberg 1954 described the process of adaptation to a new cultural environment as a ushape continuum where the following stages are usually present. Speak with students who are considering studying abroad. At phase four you are able adapt to the new culture. It is a natural process and nothing to be ashamed of. Not all the subjects spend enough time in the target culture to complete this stage where the subject would become an adoptive cultural native. The goal of the project was to study the effects of culture shock and reverse culture. Research has shown that reentry is at least as frequent as the initial culture shock. Culture shock is the expression generally associated with the frustrations that occur when persons have difficulty functioning in a different culture or when persons are exposed to individuals from another culture.
Stages of culture shock office of study abroad and. There might be times when you still discover something new in this culture and find yourself. Culture shock samuel jones this essay is part of a joint demos and case culture and sport evidence programme fellowship examining the evidence currently available in relation to public participation in culture and sport. This study was designed to explore culture shock experiences faced by indonesian university students in doing teaching practice and community service in southern. It can continue to happen throughout your stay in the host country. You feel comfortable, confident, able to make decisions based on your own preferences. Here are some ways to deal with culture shock when it hits, and some thoughts about how culture shock can help to improve us in the long run. The five stages of culture shock examines an international shipboard educational program and seeks to identify specific insights resulting from informal extracurricular contact between students and host nationals in the context of culture shock experiences. Toward the end of the adaptation period, culture shock begins to subside, and most likely you will acclimate to the surroundings. Culture shock the four stages international career studies.
You accept both cultures and follow the values of the home culture outside of your work place. Culture shock experience doesnt stop at a certain time or certain stage. List of books and articles about culture shock online. Culture shock is the feelings of confusion and uncertainty that you experience when you come into contact with a culture that is vastly different from your own. It will feel like homesickness to many and we experience various stages and levels of adjustment in order to process these changes. It is characterized by a roller coaster of emotions and behaviors as individuals seek to adapt to a new environment, culture, and set of social cues and expectations. Cultural adaptations, culture shock and the curves of. Factors that can contribute to culture shock include language differences, new expectations around manners and customs, different values, morals, dress codes, beliefs and ideals. Culture shock due to contact with unfamiliar cultures abstract the topic of this chapter is the social psychology of crosscultural interaction. Culture shock usually involves at least four stages.
A collection of downloadable worksheets, exercises and activities to teach culture shock, shared by english language teachers. People who have the ability t o relax and ride with events tend to be more effective and enjoy themselves overseas. Irritability and hostility you start to feel that what is different is actually inferior. Culture shock it is common for even the most flexible of people to endure a period of stress on their first expatriate posting in an unfamiliar country. Analysis of impact of culture shock on individual psychology. The main reason is probably because its not expected.
Culture shock is a phenomenon that is experienced throughout all populations across the world. It is therefore an inevitable part of your study abroad experience. Culture shock is a normal reaction and most people experience it in one way or another upon their arrival in australia. Many studies have shown that new culturally based demands and stressors provoke psychological effects or social dysfunctions arredondodowd, 1981. Lets take a look at the definition of culture shock to understand why it happens and how to deal with its symptoms. Information agency when a person goes abroad and enters a new environment, cultural cues that have been taken for granted as simply part of the fabric of life no longer are assessed accurately. Stages and symptoms of culture shock international student. The culture shock adaptation inventory csai kristin a, juffer, ph. The different cultural cues like gestures, customs, idioms, language, beliefs etc. There are also several coping mechanisms you can utilize to help you move from the low part of the u curve, back up again.
Gullahorn and gullahorn 1963 expanded the ucurve, proposing the w in which they conceptualized the model as having two connected uperiods or a w shape that linked the phenomenon of initial entry culture shock wi th reverse culture shock. Culture shock australia culture shock in australia. Culture shock typically occurs in a 4 stage process that can unfold over varying lengths of. View enhanced pdf access article on wiley online library html view.
You are not the first newcomer and you are not alone. Document resume ed 398 616 cs 509 317 author schnell, jim. Culture shock refers to the anxiety and surprise a person feels when he or she is discontented with an unfamiliar setting. Cultural shock and adaptation winkelman 1994 journal. Culture shock is the common name of the psychological affliction that results when people become anxious and confused in a strange environment with different customs and beliefs than their own. We might almost call culture shock an occupational disease of people who have been suddenly transplanted. There will be times when you feel like you are at home or getting used to the host countrys culture. The majority of practices or customs are different from what. Coping with reverse culture shock one way to ease back into life here is to spend some time with people who have also had experiences abroad, or those who are just beginning to plan their own overseas journey.
994 163 230 568 223 1324 742 1095 201 281 883 1147 326 964 660 1616 1386 1414 1551 117 1210 1027 1405 536 11 1037 30 214 482 723 498 1516 405 256 813 403 1584 1283 1431 648 649 1465 1323 1462 1401