Culture shock

What is culture?

What is culture shock?• Being cut off from the cultural cues and known patterns

with which you are familiar• Living and working over an extended period of time in a

situation that is new, ambiguous, and complex• Being rejected by/and/or rejecting members of the new

culture• Feeling surprise, anxiety, even disgust and indignation

after becoming aware of cultural differences• Brings your own lifestyle, value, culture, and thoughts into

question• Being continually expected to function at maximum level,

skill, and speed where societal rules are unknown

Or put in a much simpler way culture shock is the difficulty people have

adjusting to a new culture that differs from their own.

How you may

feel…

Honeymoon stage(Arrival)

• VIP feeling

• Everything is new, interesting, untested, and exciting

• Feel energetic and enthusiastic• A large wish to see new places and things and

meet a large number of new people

Honeymoon!!!!

Culture shock/Feeling unhappy

• Reality sets in about timeframe, location• You become aware of cultural differences• Confusion, anxiety, homesickness, feeling overwhelmed,

and even angry• Find the behavior of people unusual and “weird”• Begin to criticize host culture, mock, or even show

animosity • Actually begin to dislike the host culture,

blame it for your problems

Recovery (adjusting)

• Feeling safety again• Developing routines and knowing how to

react in different circumstances• Making friends• One begins to accept the culture ways with a

positive attitude

Adaptation(Completion)

• Enthusiasm!• Enjoyment of daily life• Sometimes preference given to new culture over own

culture (i.e. food, dress, etc…)• Adopt certain behavioral traits and language phrases • The feeling of never wanting to leave• Forging strong relationships• Accept culture with positive attitude• Gain problem-solving skills

Symptoms of culture shock• Homesickness• Nostalgia• Frustration• Confusion• Loneliness• Insecurity• Depression• Hyper-irritability

• Sleep and eating disturbances• Stereotyping• Excessive drinking • Excessive fear of being robed,

deluded, injured• Extreme concerns over

sanitation• Loss of focus and ability to

complete tasks• Retreat from other

people

How to overcome culture shock?

• Keep busy and active• Establish strong friendships with people from the

host culture• Think about the positive things of the culture• Realize that everybody who goes abroad

experiences culture shock• Be an avid learner• Set short-term goals

• Find someone from your country that has been there longer. Use that person to gain perspective

• Avoid foreigners who spend their time complaining about the host culture.

• Avoid criticizing the host culture yourself• Work at maintaining a healthy sense of humor.

Laugh at yourself!• When talking about experiences, focus on your

feelings rather than the causes

How to overcome culture shock?(continuation)

If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think

about it.

In the critical period:•Choose to become an explorer in the new culture•Accept the challenge of self-reflection•Take responsibility for your own cultural adjustment