Written by Planning to move to a new country, integrate into a new culture?
Will you remember that you can’t jaywalk in Switzerland? That it’s taboo for women to drive in Saudi Arabia? That European nudity mores are far less strict than those in the U.S. or many other places?
Attempting to adjust to cultural norms might be surprising at first. In fact, you might get full-on culture shock.
What is culture shock?
The SHOCK
Culture shock is a disorientating feeling of unfamiliarity that travelers or those integrating into another culture often experience. It comes in waves, and while it will dissipate after years of living in a foreign land, it may never leave entirely. You’re bound to continue discovering things about a new culture long after you’ve spent time there.
But there are stages of shock that lead to some semblance of Acceptance.
Stage 1: The Honeymoon Period
When you first arrive somewhere, you will probably experience a “honeymoon period.” You’ll be in love with most things and curious, because everything is new. You won’t know the harsher sides of the culture or the faux pas you may soon commit or the criticisms you may face.
Global Perspectives describes this period as follows: “The first stage of culture shock is often overwhelmingly positive during which travelers become infatuated with the language, people and food in their new surroundings.”
Sounds beautiful. But…
Stage 2: The Pressure Cooker
After a time, the frustrations slip in. Just like with any relationship, you start noticing the culture’s flaws. Things about the culture may upset you.
They don’t queue up properly, they don’t arrive to meetings on time, no one speaks YOUR language.
Remember, you’re viewing this culture through your own cultural lens, not theirs. So, all of these cultural differences build up in the pressure cooker and start to shock you.
Stage 3: The Conformation
While you can always increase the pressure by butting heads with your new culture, you could also try embracing it. Conforming – at least somewhat – to a new culture is essential to cross-cultural integration.
Start learning the language and become familiar with the world around you. This will often lead to…
Stage 4: Acceptance
Acceptance is not the final stage in cross-cultural integration. But it’s one of the most essential stages in overcoming culture shock. Once you start to accept the culture you’re living in as it is, you’ll no longer feel quite so much pressure or frustration as when the shock first electrocuted you.
But how and what social norms and values to conform to and accept? We’ll talk more about that next week.
Success Across Cultures 