Culture Shock

CULTURE SHOCK Team number 3

• What Is Culture ?

• What Are The Types Of Culture

• Any Example For Culture ?

• What Is Culture Shock ?

• Symptoms

• Phases Of Culture Shock

• What Is Reverse Culture Shock ?

Content

WHAT IS CULTURE ?

Culture in the broadest is cultivated behaviour; that is the totality of a person’s learned, accumulated experience which is socially transmitted, or more briefly behaviour through social learning.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF CULTURE ? There are many different types of culture but this paper will generally there are three types:

• Pluralism • Dualism • Salad bowl

EXAMPLE FOR CULTURE ?You may not think about being exposed to these different examples of culture every day, but you intuitively know that there are certain attitudes, feelings and ideas that exist when you go to a certain place. You can also instinctually tell the difference between different cultures. Going to a stuffy and formal law firm is always going to have a different feeling than going to a casual tech start-up. Going to a progressive place like Amsterdam is always going to feel different than going to a very conservative country such as a Muslim country in the Middle East These attitudes, feelings, ideas and things that you perceive as you go about your day are all examples of culture.

WHAT IS CULTURE SHOCK ? 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.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CULTURE SHOCK ?

There are mainly five symptoms of culture shock. They are:

• Isolation and frustration

• Sleeping a lot

• Nervousness

• Home sickness

• Crying

WHAT ARE THE PHASES OF CULTURE SHOCK ?Culture shock can be described as consisting of at least one of four distinct phases :

• Honeymoon

• Negotiation,

• Adjustment

• Mastery

“ HONEYMOON ” PHASE

During this period, the differences between the old and new culture are seen in a romantic light. For example, in moving to a new country, an individual might love the new food, the pace of life, and the locals' habits. During the first few weeks, most people are fascinated by the new culture. They associate with nationals who speak their language, and who are polite to the foreigners. This period is full of observations and new discoveries. Like most honeymoon periods, this stage eventually ends.

“NEGOTIATION ” PHASE

“After some time (usually around three months, depending on the individual), differences between the old and new culture become apparent and may create anxiety. Excitement may eventually give way to unpleasant feelings of frustration and anger as one continues to experience unfavorable events that may be perceived as strange and offensive to one's cultural attitude.

Language barriers, stark differences in public hygiene, traffic safety, food accessibility and quality may heighten the sense of disconnection from the surroundings. In the case of students studying abroad, some develop additional symptoms of loneliness that ultimately affect their lifestyles as a whole. Due to the strain of living in a different country without parental support, international students often feel anxious and feel more pressure while adjusting to new cultures—even more so when the cultural distances are wide, as patterns of logic and speech are different and a special emphasis is put on rhetoric.

“ADJUSTMENT” PHASE

Again, after some time (usually 6 to 12 months), one grows accustomed to the new culture and develops routines. One knows what to expect in most situations and the host country no longer feels all that new. One becomes concerned with basic living again, and things become more "normal". One starts to develop problem-solving skills for dealing with the culture and begins to accept the culture's ways with a positive attitude. The culture begins to make sense, and negative reactions and responses to the culture are reduced.

“MASTERY” PHASE

In the mastery stage assignees are able to participate fully and comfortably in the host culture. Mastery does not mean total conversion; people often keep many traits from their earlier culture, such as accents and languages. It is often referred to as the biculturalism stage

May take place returning to one's home culture

REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK After growing accustomed to a new one can produce the same effects as described above. This results from the psychosomatic and psychological consequences of the readjustment process to the primary culture. The affected person often finds this more surprising and difficult to deal with than the original culture shock. This phenomenon, the reactions that members of the re-entered culture exhibit toward the re-entrant, and the inevitability of the two are encapsulated in the saying "you can't go home again," first coined by Thomas Wolfe in his book of that title.

WHAT ORGANIZATION SHOULD DO TO OVERCOME CULTURE SHOCK?

There are some ways by which organizations can prevent their employees against culture shock. Some of these ways are :

• Training

• Organizational development

• Performance feedback and counseling

• System development and research

• Organizational context

CONCLUSIONCulture Shock is the concept which does not affect only common man. It is also applicable to expert , professionals and organizations. There is a strong need to find some technical and scientific approach to reduce the effect of culture shock on psychological and physiological aspect of human to balance two different cultures

Reference:

Oberg, Dr. Lalervo. "Culture Shock and the problem of Adjustment to the new cultural environments". World Wide Classroom Consortium for International Education & Multicultural studies. 29 Sept 2009.

Mavrides, Gregory PhD “Culture Shock and Clinical Depression.” Foreign Teachers Guide to Living and Working in China. Middle Kingdom Life, 2009. Web. 29 Sept. 2009.

Barna, LaRay M. "HOW CULTURE SHOCK AFFECTS COMMUNICATION." Communication