What is Culture Shock?

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What is Culture Shock? Stages of Culture Shock, Effects of Culture Shock, Outcomes of Culture Shock
What is Reverse Culture Shock?
Culture shock refers to the impact of moving from a familiar culture to one that is unfamiliar. Culture shock is the feeling of uncertainty, confusion, or anxiety that might be experienced when visiting or living in a new environment or country. It might include the shock of a new environment, meeting new people, eating new food, or adapting to a foreign language, as well as the shock of being separated from the important people in your life: such as family, friends, colleagues, and teachers.Culture shock doesn’t result from just one event, and it doesn’t strike suddenly, or with any cause. It builds slowly from a series of small events. It also comes from living and working in an ambiguous situation. Living abroad will make you question your values, which you may have taken as absolutes before. You won’t be able to identify culture shock while you’re struggling through it. But with patience, you’ll be able to overcome it and grow in the process.
Culture shock generally moves through four different phases: honeymoon, frustration, adjustment and acceptance. While individuals experience these stages differently and the impact and order of each stage varies widely, they do provide a guideline of how we adapt and cope with new cultures.
1. 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. At this stage, the trip or move seems like the greatest decision ever made, an exciting adventure to stay on forever.
On short trips, the honeymoon phase may take over the entire experience as the later effects of culture shock don’t have time to set in. On longer trips, the honeymoon stage will usually phase out eventually.
2. The Frustration Stage
Frustration may be the most difficult stage of culture shock and is probably familiar to anyone who has lived abroad or who travels frequently. At this stage, the fatigue of not understanding gestures, signs and the language sets in and miscommunications may be happening frequently. Small things - losing keys, missing the bus or not being able easily order food in a restaurant - may trigger frustration. And while frustration comes and goes, it’s a natural reaction for people spending extended time in new countries.
3. The adaption stage. At around the 6-9 month mark, the third phase of culture shock begins. This is when expats tend to start accepting their new life and enjoying it. The sense of loneliness or isolation starts to lift and you remember why you made the big leap of moving abroad.
In this phase, you have established routines, made new friends and acquaintances, and hopefully made strides in learning the local language. You start to ‘get’ the place you live and understand why things are the way they are. You no longer feel uncomfortable in new situations. You realise that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to do things, simply a different way.
4. The Acceptance Stage
During the acceptance or recovery stage, people are better able to experience and enjoy their new home. Typically, beliefs and attitudes to their new surroundings improve, leading to increased self-confidence and a return of their sense of humor.The obstacles and misunderstandings from the frustration stage have usually been resolved, allowing people to become more relaxed and happier. At this stage, most people experience growth and may change their old behaviors and adopt manners from their new culture. During this stage, the new culture, beliefs, and attitudes may not be completely understood. Still, the realization may set in that complete understanding isn’t necessary to function and thrive in the new surroundings.
Symptoms of Culture Shock
Extreme homesickness.
Feelings of helplessness/dependency.
Disorientation and isolation.
Depression and sadness.
Hyper-irritability, may include inappropriate anger and hostility.
Sleep and eating disturbances (too little or too much)
Excessive critical reactions to host culture/stereotyping.
Reverse Culture Shock is a term used to describe the feelings (of surprise, disorientation, confusion, etc.) experienced when people return to their
home country and find they do not fit in as they used to. This may be due to a change in perspective, a decrease in excitement, an appreciation for and of different customs, or because during the travels the home country was idealized.
People who have lived abroad often find the adjustment to returning home is more difficult than their adjustment to the foreign culture. This occurs due to a difference in expectations. We expect to have some difficulty when we go to a new place, but not when we are returning to a place we already know.
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