Culture Shock and

Intercultural Adaptation
 Dimensions of Adaptive
Difficulties
Formal Relations/Relationship
Management

Public Rituals

Initiating Contact
 10 Most Difficult Things One
Faces in the Process of
Intercultural Adaptation:
1. making friends our own age
2. dealing with somebody who is angry and
aggressive
3. approaching others or starting up a
friendship
 10 Most Difficult Things One
Faces in the Process of
Intercultural Adaptation:

4. appearing in front of an audience

5. getting to know host nationals in depth
6. understanding jokes, humour and sarcasm
7. dealing with host nationals who stare at us
 10 Most Difficult Things One
Faces in the Process of
Intercultural Adaptation:
8. keeping a conversation going
9. spending time with host nationals we
dont know very well
10. complaining in public or dealing with
unsatisfactory service in host culture
 Aspects of Culture Shock
a feeling of strain that comes from our
attempts at psychological adjustment
a feeling of loss regarding friends and
family, social status and possessions
a feeling of being rejected by or
rejecting the host nationals
 Aspects of Culture Shock
a feeling of confusion in beliefs, values and
role expectations

a generalized feeling of anxiety, disgust, or

surprise in the face of cultural differences

a feeling of impotence of being unable to

cope with aspects of the new environment
 Forms of Culture Shock
Language shock
Role shock
Culture fatigue
Education shock
Adjustment stress
 Symptoms of Culture Shock

(Thomas, 1985) symptoms of culture shock

include depression, helplessness, hostility to the
host country, feelings of anxiety,
overidentification with our home country, feelings
of withdrawl, homesickness, loneliness, paranoid
feelings, preoccupation with cleanliness,
irritability, confusion, disorientation, isolation,
tension, defensiveness, intolerance of ambiguity
and impatience.
 Symptoms of Culture Shock
Oberg (1960) (note date) describes extreme
manifestation of culture shock:
Excessive washing of the hands, excessive
concern over drinking water, food, dishes and
bedding; fear of physical contact with attendants;
an absent-minded faraway stare, a desire for
dependence on long-term residents of ones own
nationality, outright refusal to learn the language
of the host country, excessive fear of being
cheated, robbed or injured.
Symptoms of Culture Shock

Earlier writings on culture shock (such as

Oberg) viewed culture shock primarily as a
psychological concern. Over time however,
it came to be seen as a deficit in knowledge
about the new culture.
 Dimensions of Intercultural
Adaptation
Alienation

Marginality

Acculturation

Duality
 Developmental Stages of
Intercultural Adaptation
U-Curve Pattern:
Honeymoon period

Crisis period

Adjustment period

Biculturalism period
 Developmental Stages of
Intercultural Adaptation
W-curve Pattern:
If sojourners remain in the host nation, the
adaptation process usually ends at the U-
curve pattern. But if they return to their
home countries, they may face reverse
culture shock, represented by the W-curve.
 Developmental Stages of
Intercultural Adaptation
W-curve suggests that when visitors return home, U-
curve plays itself out again. Kohls (1984) suggests 5
steps to readjust:

1. Share the feelings about the experience abroad with

sympathetic friends.

2. Temporarily act like a foreigner by asking questions

about the home culture (since several years have
elapsed)
 Developmental Stages of
Intercultural Adaptation
3. Ask friends what went on while you were abroad (new
slang, new technological products, new music, new
social events).

4. Join different social groups to reacquaint with original

culture.

5. Locate people with international experiences to share

common experiences.