Culture Shock
The Basics
First introduced in 1954, the term "culture shock" describes the anxiety and feelings of surprise, disorientation, and confusion felt when people have to operate within an entirely different cultural or social environment, such as a foreign country. Culture shock is an entirely normal and well-researched experience that affects every study abroad student to some degree. Culture shock grows out of the challenges students may face in adjusting to a new culture. The different stages of culture shock are outlined below with several coping strategies to try before and after departure. It's important to note that while culture shock is common among many students and international travelers, it is typically mild and lasts only for a brief time. Knowing more about culture shock and various ways to handle it can better prepare you to cope effectively if you should experience similar challenges while abroad.
From
Pre-Departure to Return: The Cycle
1. Before Take-Off:
The first stage of culture shock begins before you even leave the States. This includes your preparation for your journey, farewell activities, and research about the host culture. General feelings during this time include varying excitement and nervousness about your time abroad.
2. Honeymoon Phase
The honeymoon phase begins when you step off the plane into your new country and usually lasts for a few days up to a few weeks. In this stage, the excitement of experiencing a foreign culture is predominant. Maybe you run around the city with your camera in hand, call home to tell your parents how much you adore the country and its people, or regard a morning commute on the transportation system as a thrilling adventure. This phase is the high of culture shock and is sometimes described as euphoria.
3. Deepening Culture Shock/Irritability
This stage is what most people think of upon hearing the phrase culture shock. The initial excitement of the honeymoon phase has ended, and now you are settling down into your new city. Suddenly, you find yourself frustrated with everyday tasks and the differences between your home country and the host culture become glaring. You may feel disoriented, isolated, and hyper-irritable. Students experience this stage with varying degrees of severity. It may be a slight nagging feeling, or it could feel like a deep depression in the most extreme cases. Luckily, even if it may not seem like it, these feelings do fade.
4. Adjustment
During this stage, feelings of foreignness begin to lessen. Your host country begins to feel comfortable, and you may feel a part of it rather than an outside observer. The emotional ups and downs of the previous stages level out as you adapt to your new way of life. You are orientated and can recognize subtle cultural cues that may have been lost on you upon arrival. This stage typically lasts until the end of your time abroad.
5. Re-Entry
This stage of culture shock begins upon return to your home country, and, though it may seem like the end of the cycle, for many students, this is the most difficult and painful part of culture shock. A separate section on reverse-culture shock is included below for those who are facing re-entry.
Source:
http://www2.pacific.edu/sis/culture
General Patterns of Behavior
Aside from the chronological stages of culture shock, there are four behavior patterns that will characterize most study abroad students reaction to culture shock.
The Fugitive withdraws from contact with others and spends much time on their own, reading, surfing the internet, or sleeping. Though this student does blame the foreign culture, he or she is more ashamed to feel homesick after having dreamt of a great experience abroad.
The Chauvinist reacts to culture shock by spending much of his or her time talking about the superiority of his or her home country to anyone who will listen.
The Critic focuses less on the differences between their home country and host country and more on how everything is, to put it bluntly, terrible. This student criticizes the weather, the people, the academic program, and everything in between.
The
Native, opposite of the Chauvinist,
spends much of his or her time talking about the superiority of his or her host
country. This student wants to blend in with the natives and dreams of never
returning to the States.
Culture
Shock: How to Cope
· Research, Research, Research-One of the best ways to not be shocked upon arrival is to have a good understanding of the local customs, traditional cuisine, and architecture of your host country. Talk to people who have been to your host country, watch travel shows, and consult the internet before you go.
· Learn the Language-Even if you are not in a language immersion program or are traveling to an English-speaking country, learn about local sayings and proper greetings to make your transition a smooth one.
· Find a Mentor-Look for a local person who is willing to listen to your experiences of culture shock as you go through them. This could be a homestay parent, teacher, internship supervisor, or even a classmate or roommate.
· Keep a Journal-Not only will a journal be a great way to remember your experience, but it can also help you express yourself honestly. When looking back through your entries, you can see patterns in yourself that you may not notice day to day.
· Stay Flexible-Focus less on what changes you are experiencing and more on how you react to these changes. Keep a sense of humor and dont be too hard on yourself when things arent going your way. Adjusting to a foreign culture is much easier with a bit of patience and positivity!
Reverse Culture-Shock
Reverse Culture Shock is one of the less commonly talked about phases of culture shock that has a significant impact on many study abroad students upon completion of their programs. Reverse culture shock is the general feeling of anxiety and depression that one experiences after returning to his or her home country. After an initial period of excitement (similar to the euphoria of the beginning stages of culture shock), boredom and depression can set in. Though it is possible to experience reverse culture shock after a short vacation abroad, study abroad students are particularly affected due to the long span of time they spend living in a foreign country.
Psychological symptoms of reverse culture-shock include:
- Depression
- Disorientation
- Helplessness
- Increased irritability
- Longing to return to host culture
- Frustration with home culture and lack of interest in your experience
These symptoms may not be completely relieved, but here are some tips for readjusting to life at home as smoothly as possible.
- Keep in touch with friends from abroad. This will probably come naturally due to the increased ability to stay in touch via Facebook, but if it doesnt, reach out. It may seem like few people understand what you are going through, but you will find that these friends do.
- Find a multicultural organization, or bring your host culture back home. Engage yourself in the international community, help others plan their international trips, and keep your pictures and tangible memories in an easily accessible place.
- Embrace your feelings and give yourself time to adjust. Remind yourself that your mixed emotions are normal, and try to be honest with your family and friends about them. They may not understand these feelings completely, but this is the quickest way to work through them and integrate them into your overall experience abroad.
- Try to understand your friends and familys point of view. You have been away for months, living an entirely new lifestyle and probably changing your outlook on life in the process, but your friends and family have been going about their own lives back at home, too. The world didnt stop turning while you were away, and its never a bad idea to put the pictures away for a second to let them update you on their own experiences while you were gone.
Culture Abroad: Coping with Culture Shock
