Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you couldn't ask for directions, or didn't know how to, say, use a pay phone on the street? Or maybe difficulties arose while refueling your car or when trying to buy groceries in a store? The situation was further aggravated by the fact that it was necessary to find a way out, i.e. urgently call someone, refuel a car, buy food? Has it happened? This means that we can say with confidence that you have already experienced that same culture shock.
Who experiences it first? As a rule, students studying abroad, tourists or businessmen traveling outside their country for the first time.
In this article, I would like to dwell on this concept in more detail, talk about the possible reasons for its occurrence, as well as how you can make it easier to enter a new environment for a person.
1. Culture shock. Definition of the concept
Culture shock is usually called a kind of physical or (in most cases) emotional discomfort that arises as a result of entering a completely different, unfamiliar cultural environment.
Is it possible to get used to such an environment? Can! However, such cultural adaptation will in most cases be exciting, stressful or, oddly enough, fun. In addition, you should be prepared for the fact that what you see may not live up to expectations or may be confusing.
By the way, sometimes this concept is used to designate a general situation in which a person is simply forced to adapt to a new way of life and order, realizing that neither previously learned nor behavioral models work anymore.
2. Culture shock and possible reasons its occurrence
As a rule, a person experiences this state when he arrives in a new country, the traditions of which are radically different from the customs that surrounded him in his previous, native and familiar place.
Although if you take, for example, such a huge country as Russia, you can easily experience a culture shock when you move, say, to live in the capital, or, conversely, to the outback from a noisy city with a busy rhythm of life. It can simply change so much that only the most courageous and purposeful will be able to cope with the situation adequately.
The thing is that at such moments there is a struggle within each person between new and old cultural orientations and norms. A kind of conflict at the level of one’s own consciousness.
Otherwise, realizing the severity of the impact, each person can experience culture shock in completely different ways. What does this depend on? As a rule, from several main factors, namely, from individual characteristics, the level of similarity and degree of difference between cultures, as well as a number of additional elements, which I would include food, climate, material well-being, customs, clothing, religion, family structure, level and field of education, language.
3. Acute culture shock. Examples and various shapes
How do you know if you are experiencing real culture shock? Is it possible to predict when approximately this painful and painful condition?
Modern psychologists distinguish several phases of this period, which, as a rule, is caused by moving to another country:
- « Honeymoon" At this time, a person begins to see what is happening through the so-called “ pink glasses" All his new surroundings are perceived joyfully and with enthusiasm. For example, when we often visit places that are new to us, at first we begin to admire the unusual food, the breathtaking architecture, and the interesting habits of the aborigines.
- “Reconciliation” usually occurs after several days, weeks, and in some cases months. We begin to look for our usual social circle, call friends, acquaintances and relatives, and prepare our favorite dishes from childhood.
- "Adaptation". At this stage, a person stops reacting emotionally to what is happening around him. Life becomes as close as possible to the usual daily routine at home.
- "Reverse culture shock." If you did not leave your homeland forever, you will most likely have to return, which means you should be prepared in advance for a new emotional shock.
Often contact with another culture leads to various problems and conflicts associated with a misunderstanding of a foreign cultural environment.
The concept of “culture shock” and its symptoms. Sometimes similar concepts are used - “transition shock”, “cultural fatigue”. To one degree or another, stress or culture shock is experienced by almost all immigrants who find themselves in a foreign cultural environment.
The term “culture shock” was introduced into scientific circulation by the American researcher K. Oberg in 1960. He noted that a person’s entry into a foreign culture is accompanied by unpleasant sensations. Nowadays, it is believed that the reasons for this lie, on the one hand, in the unexpectedness of encountering the experience of a foreign culture, and on the other hand, in the possibility of a (also unexpected) negative assessment own culture.
There are usually six forms of culture shock:
Tension due to the efforts made to achieve psychological adaptation;
Feeling of loss of old friends, position in society, profession, property;
Feeling of loneliness (rejection) in new environment, which can transform into a denial of a foreign culture;
Violation of role expectations and sense of self-identity;
Anxiety turning into indignation and disgust after realization cultural differences;
Feelings of inferiority due to inability to cope with a situation.
main reason Culture shock is a cultural difference. When a person finds himself in a new cultural environment, the usual system of orientation becomes inadequate, since it is based on other ideas about the world, other norms and values, stereotypes of behavior and perception. This hidden, outwardly invisible part of the native culture makes itself felt against the background of a foreign cultural environment.
American culturologist R. Weaver likens this situation to the meeting of two icebergs. He argues that when two “cultural icebergs” collide, the underwater part of cultural perception, which was previously unconscious, comes to the surface, to the conscious level, and the person becomes aware of the presence of this hidden system of norms and values that control our behavior. The result of this is psychological and often physical discomfort - culture shock.
Each person perceives his ability to communicate with others as something self-evident and, finding himself in a situation of misunderstanding, as a rule, experiences heartache and disappointment, however, without realizing that the reason for this was his own inability to adequately communicate. It's about not only and not so much about ignorance of a foreign language, but about the ability to decipher cultural information from a different cultural environment, about psychological compatibility with speakers of a different culture, about the ability to understand and accept their values.
The range of symptoms of culture shock is very wide - from mild emotional disorders to severe stress, psychosis, alcoholism and suicide. Outwardly, it is often expressed in exaggerated concern for the cleanliness of dishes, linen, the quality of water and food, psychosomatic disorders, general anxiety, insomnia, and fear. This or that type of culture shock can last from several months to several years, depending on the individual characteristics of the individual.
Culture shock brings with it not only negative consequences. Today it is viewed as a normal reaction, as part of the process of adaptation to new conditions. Moreover, during this process the individual not only acquires knowledge about new culture and norms of behavior in it, but also expands his horizons, although he experiences stress. Therefore, since the beginning of the 1990s. experts prefer to talk not about culture shock, but about acculturation stress.
The mechanism of development of culture shock was first described in detail by K. Oberg, who argued that people gradually achieve a satisfactory level of adaptation, passing through certain stages of experience. Today, to describe them, a so-called adaptation curve (U-shaped curve) has been proposed, in which five steps are distinguished.
First stage called the “honeymoon”: most migrants, once abroad, are full of enthusiasm and hope for new life. In addition, as a rule, they are expected, preparations are made for their arrival, and at first they receive assistance and can enjoy some privileges. But this period is fleeting.
On second stage All higher value acquire psychological factors caused by a lack of understanding of the local environment. The result can be disappointment, frustration and even depression. In other words, all the symptoms of culture shock are observed. Therefore, migrants try to escape from reality by communicating mainly with their fellow countrymen and complaining to them about life.
Third stage– critical, since culture shock reaches its maximum. This can lead to somatic and mental illness. Some migrants give up and return to their homeland. But most of them find the strength to overcome cultural differences, learn the language, get acquainted with the local culture, make local friends, from whom they receive the necessary support.
On fourth stage optimism is born, a person gains self-confidence and satisfaction with his position in a new society and culture. Adaptation and integration into the life of the new society are progressing very successfully.
On fifth stage full adaptation to the new culture is achieved. Individual and environment from now on they correspond to each other.
Depending on the factors mentioned above, the adaptation process can last from several months to 4-5 years.
Thus, the U-shaped development curve of culture shock goes through the stages: good, worse, bad, better, good.
It is interesting that when a person who has successfully adapted to a foreign culture returns to his homeland, he is faced with the need to undergo reverse adaptation (readaptation) to his own culture. At the same time, he experiences “return shock.” To describe it, a model of a W-shaped readaptation curve has been proposed, which peculiarly repeats the U-shaped curve: at first a person is happy to meet with his native places and friends, but then he begins to notice that some features of his native culture seem strange and unusual to him, and only he gradually adapts to life at home again.
These models, of course, are not universal. For example, tourists, due to the short duration of their stay in a foreign country, do not experience cultural shock and do not undergo adaptation.
Factors influencing culture shock: the degree of its severity and the duration of intercultural adaptation. All these factors can be divided into two groups – internal (individual) and external (group).
In the first group internal (individual) factors the most important are individual characteristics person – gender, age, character traits.
Age considered a critical element of adaptation to another community. Thus, young children adapt quickly and successfully, but schoolchildren already experience some difficulties, and older people are practically incapable of adaptation and acculturation.
Floor also affects the adaptation process and the duration of culture shock. Previously it was believed that women have a more difficult time adapting to a new environment than men. But this primarily applies to women from traditional societies, whose lot in a new place is to do housework and, therefore, have limited communication with new people. Women from developed countries show no differences with men in their acculturation abilities. Yes, even American women better than men adapt to new circumstances. Therefore, today they believe that the more important factor here is education– the higher the education, the more successful the adaptation. Education, even without taking into account cultural content, expands a person’s internal capabilities. The more complex a person’s picture of the world, the easier and faster he perceives innovations.
In this regard, modern experts have tried to identify a universal set personal characteristics, which a person preparing for life in a foreign country should have. Among them - professional competence, high self-esteem, sociability, extroversion, openness to different views, interest in other people, a tendency to cooperate, tolerance of uncertainty, internal self-control, courage and perseverance, empathy. True, real life practice shows that the presence of these qualities does not always guarantee success. If the values of a foreign culture differ too much from the personality traits, i.e. the cultural distance is too great, adaptation will be very difficult.
TO internal factors circumstances also apply life experience person. The most important thing here is - motives for adaptation. The strongest motivation distinguishes emigrants who strive to quickly become full members of the new culture. High motivation is also present among students who receive education abroad. The situation is much worse for migrants and refugees who were forced to leave their homeland and do not want to get used to new living conditions. The motivation of migrants determines how fully they become acquainted with the language, history and culture of the country where they are going. Having this knowledge certainly makes adaptation easier.
The experience of living in a foreign cultural environment makes adaptation easier.
Adaptation is also helped by having friends among local residents and contacts with former compatriots who found themselves in this country. These factors provide support (social, emotional, sometimes even financial), but there is a danger of becoming isolated in a narrow circle of friends, which will only increase the feeling of alienation and can even cause ethnic prejudice. Therefore, emigration services are trying to limit the residence of new migrants in homogeneous national groups.
Adaptation and culture shock are also affected external factors. These include cultural distance- the degree of differences between the native culture and the one to which a person adapts. It is important to note that adaptation is influenced not even by the cultural distance itself, but primarily by the personal feeling of cultural distance, which depends on many factors: for example, the presence or absence of wars or conflicts both in the present and in the past, knowledge of a foreign language and culture. In addition, subjectively, cultural distance may be perceived as longer or shorter than it actually is. In both cases, the culture shock will last and adaptation will be difficult.
Features of culture, to which migrants belong is another external factor. Thus, it is more difficult for representatives of cultures to adapt where the concept of “face” is very important and where they are afraid of losing it. Such people are sensitive to the mistakes and ignorance that are inevitable in the adaptation process. Representatives of the “great powers” have difficulty adapting, because they usually believe that it is not they who should adapt, but others.
Another external factor is conditions of the host country. Of course, it is much easier to adapt to a pluralistic society than to a totalitarian or orthodox one, as well as in countries where the policy of cultural pluralism is proclaimed at the state level, for example, in Canada or Sweden. It is impossible not to mention such factors as the economic and political stability of the host country, the level of crime, the opportunity to communicate with representatives of another culture (which is real if there is general work, hobbies or other joint activities), the friendliness of local residents towards visitors, their willingness to help them, the position of the media, which can influence the general emotional mood and public opinion.
Of course, culture shock is a complex and painful condition for a person. But it testifies to the breaking down of a person’s existing stereotypes, which requires him to expend physical and psychological resources. As a result, it is formed new picture world, based on the acceptance and understanding of cultural diversity, the dichotomy “us - them” is removed, resistance to new challenges, tolerance for the new and unusual appears. The main result is the ability to live in a constantly changing world, where borders between countries are becoming less and less important and direct contacts between people are becoming increasingly important.
The term “culture shock” was introduced by the American anthropologist K. Oberg, who proceeded from the idea that entering a new culture is accompanied by unpleasant feelings - loss of friends and status, rejection, surprise and discomfort when realizing the differences between cultures, as well as confusion in value orientations, social and personal identity.
Symptoms of culture shock are very diverse: constant worry about the quality of food, drinking water, cleanliness of dishes, bed linen, fear of physical contact with other people, general anxiety, irritability, lack of self-confidence, insomnia, feeling of exhaustion, alcohol and drug abuse, psychosomatic disorders, depression, suicide attempts. The feeling of loss of control over the situation, one’s own incompetence and failure to fulfill expectations can be expressed in attacks of anger, aggressiveness and hostility towards representatives of the host country, which is not at all conducive to harmonious interpersonal relationships.
The creators of the culture shock theory, A. Furnham and S. Bochner (Furnham, Bochner, 1986), give the following definition: culture shock - this is a shock from the new; a state experienced by a person upon contact with a foreign culture.
The experience of a new culture is unpleasant or shocking because it can lead to a negative evaluation of one's own culture, and also because it is unexpected. IN Lately many Russians had to experience the impact of this shock. These are “shuttle” businessmen; students/scientists, athletes, businessmen, tourists. It is felt especially strongly by those traveling abroad for permanent place residence. As a rule, Russians living abroad note that they live incomparably better financially than in Russia. In developed countries, a person occupying a low social status, lives better financially than outstanding man in Russia. However, in moral terms, Russians living abroad experience a feeling of nostalgia, melancholy, and inferiority. Many note that at home, in Russia, they would have achieved more. After all, a high material level is general, and against this background migrants are always second-class.
Oberg (Furnham and Bochner, 1986) identified six aspects of culture shock:
1. Voltage to which the efforts required to achieve the necessary psychological adaptation lead.
2. Feelings of loss or deprivation(friends, status, profession and property).
3. Feeling rejected representatives of a new culture or their rejection.
4. Crash in roles, role expectations, values, feelings and self-identity.
5. Unexpected anxiety, even disgust and resentment resulting from awareness of cultural differences.
6. Feelings of inferiority from the inability to cope with the new environment.
Every culture has many symbols of the social environment, both verbal and non-verbal (gestures, facial expressions) ways of communication with which we navigate and act in situations of everyday life. Our mental world depends on these signals, many of which we are not even aware of. When this entire invisible system of free orientation in the world becomes inadequate in the conditions of a new culture, a person experiences a deep nervous shock.
Symptoms of culture shock: excessive frequent washing hands, excessive care about drinking water, food, dishes and bed; fear of physical contact with representatives of a new culture, a senselessly “distant” look (sometimes called “tropical”), a feeling of helplessness and a desire to be under the protection of a representative of one’s own nationality who has lived for a long time in a given culture, fear of being deceived or insulted. This is a defense reaction new information, the influx of which is so enormous that a person feels powerless to cope with it for some time. At the same time, sometimes culture shock can be useful for self-development and personal growth.
Modern researchers consider culture shock as a normal reaction, as part of the normal process of adaptation to new conditions. Moreover, during this process, the individual not only acquires knowledge about the new culture and the norms of behavior in it, but also becomes more culturally developed, although he experiences stress at the same time. Therefore, since the early 1990s, experts prefer to talk not about culture shock, but about acculturation stress .
Many scientists have studied the connection between migration and mental health. N-M. Lebedeva (1996) provides evidence that migration is often associated with manic-depressive psychosis and psychosomatic diseases. Among the migrants, people with unstable psyches predominate. It has been established that there are more mental illnesses among migrants than among native residents. Specific connections have also been established between migrant groups and the nature of mental disorders. For example, the British suffer from alcoholism in Australia, and the Indians in England suffer from schizophrenia. A. Fumham, S. Bochner (Furnham, Bochner, 1986) present seven theories explaining the connection between migration and mental health:
1. Theory of suffering in the psychoanalytic tradition explains migration through the loss of social connections, loved ones, position, property.
2. Locus of Control Theory: internals adapt faster.
3. Selective migration theory neo-Darwinian direction. Mostly accentuated individuals are involved in the migration process. R. Cograine distinguishes two groups of migrants: stable, economically interested people who go to a new place for work-related reasons; and unstable people who have potential problems and resettle in illusory hope.
4. Theory "expectation values" is that low expectations lead to better adjustment.
5. Negative theory life events postulates that experience big changes in living conditions leads to mental and physical illnesses;
6. Value Difference Theory explains culture shock by collision different systems values. The degree of differences in values between the country of departure and the country of settlement of migrants is directly proportional to the number of difficulties experienced by a person in the process of adaptation,
7. Social support theory. Support from other people prevents mental disorders and provides psychological comfort to the individual. When migrating, a person loses significant social connections that supported him in the past, and this has a destructive effect on his health. There are three types of support: informational, instrumental, emotional. Information support consists of transferring accumulated experience (on receiving material benefits or work), useful information from a representative of an ethnic group who arrived a long time ago to a newcomer. Instrumental support is to provide funds to solve problems: cars, used furniture and clothes. Emotional support- it is empathy, the opportunity to speak up and be listened to.
Research shows that if an individual is isolated in a new cultural environment, then mental disorders can grow tragically and irreversibly in him. It has been suggested that migrants may initially be better off living in large groups compatriots, and after a certain period of time they or their children can be encouraged to more intensively social, political and cultural integration with the indigenous people. However, many services dealing with immigrants try to prevent them from living in homogeneous national groups, as they are convinced that this interferes with adaptation and assimilation and can cause ethnic prejudice.
According to N.M-Lebedeva, culture shock occurs not only and not so much because the environment suddenly becomes unpredictable and a danger to life arises due to inappropriate behavior. Such acute situations are rare. The point is that a person suddenly feels that it is possible to live without the usual knowledge and understanding of the world, that it is not universal, that the people around live (and quite successfully) according to their own laws and ideas, not caring in the least about how he at the same time understands and appreciates. That for many years people lived without its knowledge and will continue to live without it. He understands that everything he knew and believed in does not make sense here and he must rethink his entire experience or withdraw into himself, which is often accompanied by a sharp drop in self-esteem (Lebedeva, 1996).
S. Bochner (Furnham, Bochner, 1986) proposed approaching the problem of psychological adaptation of migrants based on the cultural learning model. Thus, living in the United States, the Japanese learned to look into the eyes of their interlocutor more often than is customary in their own culture. English gentlemen learned to navigate the Tokyo subway in Japan, but returned to the practice of orderly queuing when they returned to England.
A. Fumham, S. Bochner (Fumham, Bochner, 1986) introduced the concept of “cultural distance”. The magnitude of culture shock depends on cultural differences. The CDI (Cultural Distance Index) includes recording differences between cultures on the following topics: climate, clothing, food, language, religion, level of education, material comfort, family structure, courtship (matchmaking) customs.
Most often, culture shock has negative consequences, but attention should also be paid to its positive side, at least for those individuals for whom initial discomfort leads to the adoption of new values and behavior patterns and, ultimately, is important for self-development and personal growth. Based on this, the Canadian psychologist J. Berry even suggested using the concept instead of the term “culture shock” "acculturation stress: The word “shock” is associated only with negative experiences, and as a result of intercultural contact it is possible positive experience- assessing problems and overcoming them (see Bern, 1997). As a rule, the problem of culture shock is considered in the context of the so-called process curve adaptation. In accordance with this curve, G. Triandis identifies five stages in the process of adaptation of visitors (see. Triandiss 1994).
First stage, called the “honeymoon”, characterized by enthusiasm, high spirits and high hopes. Indeed, most visitors are eager to study or work abroad. In addition, they are welcome in the new place: the people responsible for the reception try to make them feel “at home” and even provide them with some privileges.
But this stage passes quickly, and at the second stage of adaptation, the unusual environment begins to have its negative impact. For example, foreigners coming to our country are faced with situations that are uncomfortable from the point of view of Europeans or Americans. living conditions, crowded public transport, complex criminal situation and many other problems. In addition to such external circumstances, in any new culture a person is also influenced by psychological factors: feelings of mutual misunderstanding with the local residents and rejection by them. All this leads to disappointment, confusion, frustration and depression. During this period, the “stranger” tries to escape from reality, communicating mainly with fellow countrymen and exchanging impressions with us about the “terrible natives.”
At the third stage, symptoms of culture shock can reach critical point, which manifests itself in serious illness and a feeling of complete helplessness. Unable to successfully adapt to the new environment, unsuccessful visitors “leave it” - returning home ahead of schedule.
However, much more often, visitors receive social support from the environment and overcome intercultural differences - learn the language, get acquainted with the local culture. At the fourth stage, depression is slowly replaced by optimism, a feeling of confidence and satisfaction. A person feels more adjusted and integrated into the life of society.
The fifth stage is characterized by complete - or long-term, in Berry's terminology - adaptation, which implies relatively stable changes in the individual in response to environmental demands. Ideally, the adaptation process leads to a mutual correspondence between the environment and the individual, and we can talk about its completion; In case of successful adaptation, its level is comparable to the level of adaptation of the individual at home. However, adaptation to a new cultural environment should not be equated with simple adaptation to it, which will be discussed in more detail.
True, for visitors this may be due to the anticipation of returning to their homeland.
So, the five stages of adaptation form U-shaped curve: good, worse, bad, better, good. But even tests. successfully adapted visitors do not always end up returning to their homeland, since they have to go through a period readaptation, experience "return shock". At first, they are in high spirits, happy to meet relatives and friends, and to be able to communicate on native language etc., but then they notice with surprise that the features of their native culture are perceived by them as unusual or even strange. Thus, some German students who studied in our country in Soviet period, upon returning to their homeland, it was very annoying that the Germans scrupulously observe “order”, for example, they cross the street only when the light is green. And only gradually did they, like other visitors, fully adapt to life in home country. According to some researchers, the stages of readaptation follow a U-shaped curve, so the concept of W-curve adaptation.
Numerous empirical studies conducted in last years, question the universality of U- and W-curves. Indeed, when people find themselves in a new cultural environment, they do not necessarily go through all the stages of adaptation and readaptation. Firstly, not all visitors experience culture shock, if only because some of them - tourists - usually return home before the end of the first stage. Secondly, staying in a foreign country does not necessarily begin with a “honeymoon,” especially if your own and foreign cultures are very different from each other. Third , Many visitors do not complete the adaptation process because they leave as soon as they begin to feel the symptoms of culture shock. Fourthly, returning home is not always traumatic.
The process of adaptation of immigrants is significantly different from that described above, because they need to fully integrate into the culture - to achieve high level cultural competence, fully integrate into society, and even transform social identity.
Psychology has accumulated evidence of significant differences in the process of intercultural adaptation and; its duration ranges from several months to 4-5 years, depending on the characteristics of visitors and settlers and the characteristics of their own and foreign cultures.
The severity of culture shock and the duration of intercultural adaptation depend on many factors. They can be combined into two groups: internal (individual) and external (group).
In the first group of factors, the most important are the individual characteristics of a person: gender, age, character traits.
Age is believed to be a critical element in adapting to another community. The older people are, the more difficult it is for them to adapt to a new cultural system, the harder and longer they experience culture shock, and the slower they perceive the models of the new culture. Thus, young children adapt quickly and successfully, but schoolchildren already experience great difficulties in this process. Older people are practically incapable of adaptation and acculturation.
Gender also influences the adaptation process and the duration of culture shock. It is believed that women are more difficult to adapt to a new environment than men. But this applies to women from traditional societies, whose lot in a new place is to do housework and have limited communication with new people. As for women from developed countries, they do not find differences in their acculturation abilities compared to men. There is even data on American women that shows that they adapt to new circumstances better than men. Therefore, recently, researchers believe that the education factor turns out to be more important for adaptation. The higher it is, the more successful adaptation is. Education, even without taking into account cultural content, expands a person’s internal capabilities. The more complex a person’s picture of the world, the easier and faster he embraces innovation.
In connection with these studies, scientists have made attempts to identify a certain universal set of personal characteristics that a person who is preparing for life in a foreign country with a foreign culture should have. Usually called the following features personalities: professional competence, high self-esteem, sociability, extroversion, openness to different views, interest in other people, a tendency to cooperate, tolerance of uncertainty, internal self-control, courage and perseverance, empathy. True, real life practice shows that the presence of these qualities does not always guarantee success. If the values of a foreign culture differ too much from the named personality traits, that is, the cultural distance is too great, adaptation will not proceed easier.
The internal factors of adaptation and overcoming culture shock also include the circumstances of a person’s life experience. The most important thing here is the motives for adaptation. The strongest motivation is usually among emigrants who want to move permanently to another country and want to quickly become full members of a new culture. Students who receive education abroad also have great motivation and also strive to adapt faster and more fully in order to achieve their goal. The situation is much worse with internally displaced persons and refugees who did not want to leave their homeland and do not want to get used to new living conditions. The motivation of migrants determines how well they are familiar with the language, history and culture of the country where they are going. The presence of this knowledge certainly facilitates adaptation.
If a person already has experience in a foreign cultural environment, then this experience contributes to faster adaptation. Adaptation also helps if you have friends among local residents, with whose help you can quickly master the information necessary for life. Contacts with former compatriots also living in this country, on the one hand, provide support (social, emotional, sometimes even financial), but, on the other hand, there is a danger of becoming isolated in a narrow circle of friends, which will only increase the feeling of alienation. Therefore, many services dealing with emigrants try to limit their residence in homogeneous national groups, since they are convinced that this interferes with rapid adaptation and may even give rise to ethnic prejudices. Among the external factors influencing adaptation and cultural shock, first of all, it is necessary to name cultural distance, that is, the degree of difference between the native culture and the one to which adaptation is taking place. In this case, it is important to note that adaptation is influenced not even by the cultural distance itself, but by a person’s idea of it, his sense of cultural distance, which depends on many factors: the presence or absence of wars or conflicts, both in the present and in the past, knowledge foreign language and culture, etc. Subjectively, cultural distance can be perceived as either longer or shorter than it actually is. In both cases it is cultural; the shock will last and adaptation will be difficult.
The adaptation process is also influenced by the characteristics of the culture to which migrants belong. Thus, representatives of cultures in which the concept of “face” is very important and where they are afraid of losing it adapt less well. It is very important for them to behave correctly, so they are very sensitive to the inevitable mistakes and ignorance in this process. Representatives of the so-called great powers also adapt poorly, who usually believe that it is not they who should adapt, but others.
The conditions of the host country are very important for normal adaptation: how friendly local residents to visitors, are you ready to help them, communicate with them. Economic and political stability in the host country plays an important role.
Sometimes the concept of “culture shock” is used to refer to a general situation when a person is forced to adapt to a new order in which previously acquired cultural values and behavior patterns do not work.
Possible reasons
Basically, a person receives culture shock when he enters another country that is different from the country where he lives, although he may encounter similar sensations in his own country with a sudden change in the social environment.
A person experiences a conflict between old and new cultural norms and orientations; old ones to which he is accustomed, and new ones that characterize a new society for him. This is a conflict between two cultures at the level of one’s own consciousness. Culture shock occurs when the familiar psychological factors that helped a person adapt to society disappear, and instead, unknown and incomprehensible ones appear, coming from a different cultural environment.
This experience of a new culture is unpleasant. Within the framework of one’s own culture, a persistent illusion of one’s own vision of the world, way of life, mentality, etc. is created as the only possible and, most importantly, the only acceptable one. The overwhelming majority of people do not recognize themselves as a product of a separate culture, even in those rare cases when they understand that the behavior of representatives of other cultures is actually determined by their culture. Only by going beyond the boundaries of your culture, that is, by meeting with a different worldview, attitude, etc., can you understand the specifics of your public consciousness, see the difference between cultures.
People experience culture shock differently and perceive the severity of its impact differently. It depends on their individual characteristics, the degree of similarity or dissimilarity of cultures. This can be attributed to a number of factors, including climate, clothing, food, language, religion, level of education, material wealth, family structure, customs, etc.
Different phases of culture shock
Acute culture shock (mainly caused by moving to another country) usually consists of several phases. However, it must be recognized that not everyone goes through these phases, just as not everyone spends enough time in a foreign environment to go through certain phases.
- "Honeymoon". During such a period, a person perceives the differences between the “old” and “new” culture “through rose-colored glasses” - everything seems wonderful and beautiful. For example, in such a state a person may become interested in food that is new to him, a new place of residence, new habits of people, new architecture etc.
- "Reconciliation". After a few days, weeks, or months, a person stops focusing on minor differences between cultures. However, he again strives for the food he was used to at home, the rhythm of life in the new place of residence may seem too fast or too slow, people’s habits may be annoying, etc.
- "Adaptation". Again, after several days, weeks or months, a person gets used to his new environment. At this stage, the person no longer reacts negatively or positively because he is adapting to the new culture. He's leading again daily life, as before in their homeland.
- "Reverse culture shock." Returning to the native culture after adapting to a new one can again cause a person to experience the above-described phases, which may not last very long or as long as the first culture shock in a foreign land.
Notes
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culture shock See what “Culture shock” is in other dictionaries: - A state of social isolation, anxiety and depression that develops with a sudden change in the environment (finding oneself in an alien culture or returning to one’s own after a long break) or the forced need to adapt to... ...
Great psychological encyclopedia English cultural shock; German Kulturschock. The shock experienced by representatives of a certain culture when they come into contact with another culture. Antinazi. Encyclopedia of Sociology, 2009 ...
Encyclopedia of Sociology- (culture shock) destruction of normal social prospects (society, subculture, groups) as a result of a collision with an alien or foreign culture. Although culture shock can be psychologically upsetting and also inconvenient... ... Large explanatory sociological dictionary
Culture shock (CS)- (culture shock) 1. term, presumably by K. Oberg, denotes anxiety, emotional distress in people unprepared to accept the values of another culture, for a long time living in a society different in many ways from their own. Emerging... ...
culture shock Ethnopsychological Dictionary
Encyclopedia of Sociology- a concept adopted in Western cultural studies and ethnopsychology to designate: a) the conflict of old and new cultures, norms and orientations inherent in the individual as a representative of the society he left, and new ones, i.e. representing that society... ... encyclopedic Dictionary in psychology and pedagogy
Encyclopedia of Sociology- An emotional breakdown often experienced by people when they live for a long time in a society that is different from their own. Typical manifestations are confusion and a feeling of alienation, which can last for quite a long time in... ... Dictionary in psychology
Encyclopedia of Sociology- English cultural shock; German Kulturschock. The shock experienced by representatives of a certain culture when they come into contact with another culture... Explanatory Dictionary of Sociology
Encyclopedia of Sociology- the initial reaction of an individual, group or mass consciousness to a meeting with a different cultural reality, the starting point of a dialogue of cultures. K.Sh. arises as a reflection of the fundamental inconsistency of different cultural patterns, conflict... ... Sociology: Encyclopedia
Culture shock- a concept adopted abroad. culturologists and ethnopsychologists to designate the state of maladjustment of a person who has found himself in another culture. Term K. sh. introduced by Amer. anthropologist F. Boas and described in detail by K. Oberg in 1960. K. sh. characterized by the following... ... Psychology of communication. encyclopedic Dictionary
Books
- Culture shock and socio-pedagogical support for teenagers abroad. The monograph reflects the content of the project, developed and implemented jointly by specialists from the German non-governmental organization Wellenbrecher (Dortmund), employees...
- "Culture shock" and socio-pedagogical support for teenagers abroad. Theory and practice, Rachetina S., Suess V. (eds.). The monograph reflects the content of the project, developed and implemented jointly by specialists from the German non-governmental organization “Wellenbrecher” (Dortmund), employees…
The concept of culture shock and its symptoms. The mechanism of development of culture shock. Determining factors of culture shock
Quite a large number of scientific studies are devoted to the problems of acculturation and adaptation both in our country and abroad. The most important place Among them are studies of the problems of psychological acculturation of migrants. When contacting a foreign culture, one becomes acquainted with new artistic values, social and material creations, and the actions of people that depend on the picture of the world, dogmas, value ideas, norms and conventions, forms of thinking characteristic of another culture. Of course, such meetings enrich people. But often contact with another culture also leads to various problems and conflicts associated with misunderstanding of this culture.
2.1 The concept of culture shock and its symptoms
Experts call the stressful impact of a new culture on a person culture shock. Sometimes similar concepts are used - transition shock, cultural fatigue. Almost all immigrants who find themselves in a foreign culture experience it to one degree or another. It causes mental health problems, more or less pronounced mental shock.
The term “culture shock” was introduced into scientific use by the American researcher K. Oberg in 1960, when he noted that entering a new culture is accompanied by a number of unpleasant sensations. Today it is believed that the experience of a new culture is unpleasant or shocking, on the one hand, because it is unexpected, and on the other hand, because it can lead to a negative assessment of one’s own culture.
Typically, there are six forms of culture shock:
Tension due to the efforts made to achieve psychological adaptation;
Feeling of loss due to deprivation of friends, position, profession, property;
A feeling of loneliness (rejection) in a new culture, which can turn into denial of this culture;
Violation of role expectations and sense of self-identity;
Anxiety that turns to resentment and disgust after recognizing cultural differences;
Feelings of inferiority due to inability to cope with a situation.
The main cause of culture shock is cultural differences. Every culture has many symbols and images, as well as behavioral stereotypes, with the help of which we can automatically act in different situations. When we find ourselves in a new culture, the usual system of orientation turns out to be inadequate, since it is based on completely different ideas about the world, different norms and values, stereotypes of behavior and perception. Usually, being in the conditions of his culture, a person is not aware that there is this hidden part of the “cultural iceberg” in it. We realize the presence of this hidden system of norms and values that control our behavior only when we find ourselves in a situation of contact with another culture. The result of this is psychological and often physical discomfort - culture shock.
Symptoms of culture shock can be very different: from exaggerated concern for the cleanliness of dishes, linen, and the quality of water and food to psychosomatic disorders, general anxiety, insomnia, and fear. They can result in depression, alcoholism or drug addiction, and even lead to suicide.
Of course, culture shock does not only have negative consequences. Modern researchers consider it as a normal reaction, as part of the normal process of adaptation to new conditions. Moreover, during this process, the individual not only acquires knowledge about the new culture and the norms of behavior in it, but also becomes more culturally developed, although he experiences stress. Therefore, since the early 1990s, experts have preferred to talk not about culture shock, but about acculturation stress.
