Culture shock

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Culture shock is a term used to describe the anxiety and feelings (of surprise, disorientation, confusion, etc.) felt when people have to operate within an entirely different culture or social environment, such as a different country or a different state than where they live (e.g. suburban southern California vs. rural North Carolina).

The term was introduced for the first time in 1954 by Kalvero Oberg. Other researchers who have subsequently worked on culture shock include Michael Winkelman.

1 Phases of Culture Shock
2 Coping with culture shock
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Phases of Culture Shock

Severe culture shock (moving to a foreign country) often consists of distinct phases. Not everyone moves through the phases and not everyone is in the new culture long enough to pass through all three:

The Honeymoon Phase - During this period the differences between the old and new culture are seen in a romantic light, wonderful and new. For example, in moving to a new country, an individual might love the new foods, the pace of the life, the people's habits, the buildings and so on.
The "Everything is awful" phase - After a few days, a few weeks, or a few months, minor differences between the old and new culture begin to add up to become tiresome and annoying. One may long for food the way it is prepared "back home," may find the pace of life too fast or slow, may find the people's habits annoying, etc.
The "Everything is OK" phase - Again, after a few days, weeks or months, one grows accustomed to the new culture's differences and develops routines. At this point, an individual no longer reacts to the new culture positively or negatively, because it no longer feels like a new culture. An individual becomes concerned with basic living again, as they were in their original culture.
Reverse Culture Shock - Returning to one's home culture after growing accustomed to a new one can produce the same effects as described above.

[edit] Coping with culture shock

Experienced travelers tend to cope much better with the difficulties of travel. To ensure that they may have a more enjoyable trip they can:

Read up about the country and its culture before they leave. This way the country and its people seem more familiar when they arrive. They will be aware of any differences in this new country and they will be prepared to deal with them whenever possible (e.g. differences in hygiene).
Avoid being offended themselves, offending locals or any more general cultural misunderstanding, they can familiarise themselves with the local customs and language.
Be open-minded about the culture they visit.
Take 'time out' or rest apart from cultural exchange in order to reduce the 'shock' of adjustment.