What is culture shock?

• Oberg popularized the term culture shock empashizing in

communication as the
“anxiety that results from losing all of our familiar signs
and symbols of social intercourse”
K. Oberg, Cultural shock: Adjustment to new cultural
environments, Practical Anthropology (1960), pp. 177–182.
• Weaver says culture shock has “three basic causal
explanations:
– (1) the loss of familiar cues,
– (2) the breakdown of interpersonal
communications, and
– (3) an identity crisis”
G.R. Weaver, Understanding and coping with cross
What is culture shock?
Later definitions emphasizes psychological explanation
• Adler writes that “culture shock is primarily a set of
emotional reactions to the loss of perceptual
reinforcements from one's own culture, to new
cultural stimuli which have little or no meaning,
and to the misunderstanding of new and diverse
experiences.
It may encompass feelings of helplessness, irritability,
and fears of being cheated, contaminated, injured or
disregarded.”
What is culture shock?
Culture shock is a normal but unpleasant and
negative experience.
But it has positive effects as a
– learning experience
– increase intercultural understanding
ethnocentrism -> ethnorelitavism
– enhancement of self-efficacy
THE PARTIES EXPERIENCIENG IT
• Tourists: brief visit to foreign culture
<6 months
• Sojourners: temporary stay in foreign
culture
>6 months – 5 years
• Immigrants: stay in foreign culture
forever
• Refugees: forced out of home culture
Culture shock
• Shortest and most
for Tourists
• superficial
• exposure
• • Variable effect
• • Can experience
• high levels of
• – physical stress,
• – psychological
• discomfort, and
• – cultural
• disconfirmation
Culture shock for Sojourners
What causes culture shock?
Four factors:
–cognitive
–behavioural
–phenomenological
–Socio-psychological
Cognitive Etiology
• Culture Shock comes from mis-interpretation of cultural values,
beliefs, behaviors, and norms of the new society.
• People ineffectively use their own cultures as the standard for
interpreting, judging, and behaving in the new culture. For example:
– collectivist societies (e.g., Mexico, Philippines) tend to place
greater value on behaviours promoting in-group interdependence and in-
group goals
– individualist societies (e.g., United States, Great Britain) are
likely to endorse behaviors related to independence from the in-group
and to individual goals
• People from collectivist societies may interpret independence from the
in-group, for example, as a sign of disrespect for the social group.
• In contrast, those from individualist societies may interpret
the same behavior as a sign of maturity.
 Behavioral Etiology
 Culture shock occurs because individuals do not
know the systems of rewards and punishment
associated with the verbal and nonverbal
behaviors in the host culture.
 Behaviors that were positively reinforced in the
home country would elicit negative stimuli in
the foreign country.
Phenomenological Etiology
 Culture shock is a transitional experience from a state
of low self and cultural awareness to a state of high
self- and cultural awareness
 Individuals experience culture shock because they can
not use their own cultural references to convey and
validate central aspects of their identity in the new
culture.
For example
– "politeness" as one of aspect of one's self-identity
– social rules for politeness vary cross-culturally, so a
person may not be able to convey and validate this aspect
of self concept in a different culture in the same way as in
their own culture.
Socio-psychological Etiology
culture shock relates to individuals' feelings of well-
being in the host culture, the social adjustment
component refers to individuals‘ capacity for effective
social interaction with host members.
psychological dimension of culture shock can be
understood in terms of cultural dissimilarities and of
feelings of loneliness in the host country.
social dimension of culture shock can be explained in
terms of
– (a) individuals lacking the appropriate cultural
knowledge about the host country
– (b) individuals having strong cultural identities that
would make them less likely to adapt to the host culture.
Four Common Stages of Cultural
Adjustment
STAGE 1: Honeymoon – Initial Euphoria/Excitement
Excitement with new sounds, sights, smells.
Superficial involvement in the host culture (like a
tourist).
Intrigue with both similarities and differences
between the new culture and your home culture.
Lots of interest in learning, very motivated and
cooperative.
You feel as if you will be able to handle anything – I am
not going to have any problems adjusting
STAGE 2: Culture Shock - Irritation/Hostility
The novelty of the new culture has worn off, and you now
focus primarily on the differences between the new culture
and your home culture.
Small differences feel like major catastrophes. You become
overly concerned with and stressed out by problems and
feel helpless and frustrated (the elevator in your dorm is
constantly broken; you do not have hot water in the
morning; you cannot access e-mail from your
apartment/dorm, registering for classes feels like an
unstructured nightmare, etc.).
STAGE 2: Culture Shock -
Irritation/Hostility
Stereotypes and prejudices surface: you feel as if the
host nationals are cold, unhelpful, snobbish.
You search out Indonesian friends.
You are homesick. You miss your friends and family in
your hometown and to make matters worse.
STAGE 3: Gradual Adjustment,
Humor, and Perspective
You are becoming more familiar with the new
culture and its logic and values. Cultural cues
become easier to read.
You feel more comfortable and less isolated, and
you even begin to prefer some aspects of the new
culture to your home culture.
You feel like ‘as long as I am here. I should make
the most of it.
You experience periodic personal highs and lows,
as adjustment gradually takes place.
Cont.
Your sense of humor returns. You are able to laugh at
certain ways of doing things that previously just
annoyed you and even to laugh at yourself from time to
time.
Since you are past the initial, emotional stages of
cultural adjustment, you can now enter a stage
approaches to your life abroad and to question some of
your assumptions about the world.
STAGE 4: Feeling at home
-Adaptation and Biculturalism
The ‘new’ culture is no longer new. Your new present
living you live in now feels like another home.
The aspects of the culture that are different from the
U.S. no longer affect you in a negative way. You are able
to live and work to your full potential.
Just like you do in the U.S., you appreciate certain
aspects of the foreign culture and are critical of others.
 How to Cure
Culture shock?
Curing
Takes time
culture shock
• Prepare yourself
for cultural
adaptation:
–knowledge
–skills
–abilities
–attitudes
Curing culture shock
Personal Supports: Ways of Thinking and Feeling
Understand the stages of cultural adjustment.
 Analyze your situations and reactions; be flexible;
tolerate ambiguity; expect things to be different.
Be patient: do not try to understand everything
immediately: identify what helps you manage stress.
Identify ways of thinking positively; foster your sense
of humor; don’t take things too seriously; give yourself
permission to fail.
Investigate facts.
Social Supports
Identify your sources of support (program staff, other
participants, friends and family at home, academic
advisers, etc.) and the types of support that each can
best offer.
Plan in advance how you will keep in contact with
family and friends in the U.S.
Don’t isolate yourself: Seek out friends and groups
that share your interests and can facilitate your
participation in social circles
Physical Supports
Eat in a healthy way and get plenty of rest.
Identify any problems (e.g. excessive consumption of
alcohol, binge eating) and make plans to manage
them.
Find safe and fun ways to exercise on a regular basis.
Bring a sufficient supply of necessary medications.
 HOT TOPICS
1. Age
2. Marital status
3. Politics, religion, economic, and social issues.
4. Weight
5. Salary
6. Someone’s family
7. Humor
8. Money, market or investment
Etiquette Notes for Overseas Stay
Don’t call people by their names until they let you do
Do make your needs known
If your program includes meal package, join them for
it
Do talk about the ‘rules’ within the first few days
Do bring a thoughtful gift for your host or company
Do respect of local customs and propriety
Do regular communicate with your organization that
place you there
Etiquette Notes for Overseas Stay
Don’t be a slob
Don’t be a diva
Don’t be a pushover
Don't be afraid of embarrassing yourself when it
comes to speaking their language.
Don't forget to make other friends.
Don't leave without expressing gratitude, and don't
lose touch
EFFICIIVE ENT AND EFFECTIVE
PROFESSIONAL SPEECH
Goals of Presentation/Talk
to inform
to describe
to explain
to instruct
to evaluate (and recommend)
to provoke debate
to persuade.
Stages of Presentation
1. Introduction: Greeting and Thanking (and Personal
introduction), Title of Your Talk, Purpose Statement,
and Signposting
2. Body of the talk
3. Conclusion
4. Question and Answers
Connecting Words
Reason Result Contrast Addition

Because ... ... so ... ....But.... ... and ...

Since ... Therefore, Although ... Also,

Because of ... Consequently, However, In addition/...

Hence...... Thus ... Nevertheless ... Moreover,…

That's why ... As a result ... Yet... Besides ...