What is a Culture Shock

Culture shock can be defined as a condition which people experience when they are exposed to completely different set of people, whose values, ways of living, norms, acceptable behavior, etc are in contrast with what the said person has been brought up to believe are right. Thus, culture shock can be experienced by anybody who is traveling to some other country or has shifted from a town or village to a city. Let us try to understand a bit more about it.

Stages

Honeymoon Stage
This is a period marked by new discoveries. In this stage, the individual comes across the new habits of the people, new kinds of foods, a new pace of living, etc. In most instances, the person is amazed and excited to discover these new things.

Negotiation Stage
After the honeymoon phase of making new observations is over, the individual starts feeling left out, isolated and confused due to his inability to mingle with others. Not having a support system such as friends and family close by, further aggravates his feeling of inadequacy and isolation. The individual at this stage starts rejecting whatever the new culture has to offer. He may react angrily or become frustrated, which is considered very normal at this stage.

Adjustment Stage
In the adjustment stage, an individual starts finding his own place in the new culture. He starts adapting to some of the ways of the new culture and is now in a better position to deal with the situation. He starts to understand the culture a bit so his negative reactions seen in the previous stage, begin to diminish.

Mastery Stage
At this stage, the individual imbibes some of the values of the new culture and retains a few of the old one. The individual incorporates all those things from the new culture, which he feels will help him live comfortably at the new place.

Effect

An example of cultural shock in America is the Asian populations such as Indians and Chinese, who leave their own country and come to work here. These people, who have eastern values are initially not accustomed to the ways of living of the Americans and thus may go through all the above stages of cultural shock. They may experience all or any of the symptoms of culture shock such as homesickness, withdrawing from others, feeling bored, experiencing stress, feeling irritated, sleeping in excess, becoming an alcoholic, facing deterioration in health, feeling sad, a loss of identity, a loss of confidence, feeling vulnerable, etc.

How to Deal with It

An individual in a new place and circumstances, can do a number of things to adjust well in the new environment. The most important thing needed is patience. The individual needs to understand that migrating and adjustment takes time. The next thing an individual should do is to keep himself engaged by developing a hobby. An individual should eat, sleep and exercise well so that the body remains in shape to adjust to the new weather and changes. Meditating and yoga are important too, to keep oneself relaxed and calm.

The individual should try to learn as much as he can about the new culture, language and customs. Joining language classes to aid in inter cultural communication, joining a volunteer organization, staying in touch with other people from his home country who too have shifted residences like him, talking with one's family or friend's on a regular basis are some other things which will help an individual to deal with his situation.

Any discussion on culture shock would be incomplete without mentioning reverse culture shock. It is experienced when the people who have completely adopted the new culture, go to their home country and experience all the above-mentioned symptoms in their own home country. Thus, culture shock, with all its symptoms and stages, is experienced by people in any new circumstances, whether in a new country or one's own country or even in a new workplace. The key lies is taking the right steps in order to cope with it in the best possible manner.