Culture shock:- is a term used to describe the anxiety and feelings (of surprise, disorientation, confusion, etc.) felt when people have to operate within an entirely different cultural or social environment, such as a foreign country. It grows out of the difficulties in assimilating the new culture, causing difficulty in knowing what is appropriate and what is not. This is often combined with strong disgust (moral or aesthetical) about certain aspects of the new or different culture. The term was introduced for the first time in 1954 by Kalvero Oberg. Culture shock is the feeling of anxiety when operating within a different society. ... Anxiety is a physiological state characterized by cognitive, somatic, emotional, and behavioral components[1]. These components combine to create the feelings that we typically recognize as anger and known as fear, apprehension, or worry. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The social environment is the direct influence of a group of individuals and their contributions to this environment, as both groups and individuals who are in frequent communication with each other within their cultural or socio-economical strata, which create role identity(-ies) and guide the individuals self (sociology... Not to be confused with Intermarriage. ... For other uses, see Culture (disambiguation). ... A woman showing disgust. ... Morality (from the Latin manner, character, proper behavior) has three principal meanings. ... Aesthetics is commonly known as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar). ... Kalervo Oberg 1901-1973 Kalervo Oberg was born in 1901 in the Canadian province of British Columbia. ...

Culture shock is a research area in intercultural communication. Recently, some researchers claim that culture shock does have many positive effects on intercultural sojourners, like increasing self-efficiency ^[1] and helping improve self-motivation ^[2]. Cross-cultural communication looks at how people, from differing cultural backgrounds, endeavor to communicate. ...

Phases of Culture Shock

shock (moving to a foreign country) often consists of distinct phases, though not everyone passes through these phases and not everyone is in the new culture long enough to pass through all three^[3]:

• The "Honeymoon Phase" - During this period the differences between the old and new culture are seen in a romantic light, wonderful and new. For example, in moving to a new country, an individual might love the new foods, the pace of the life, the people's habits, the buildings and so on.
• The "Negotiation Phase" - After a few days, weeks, or months, minor differences between the old and new culture are resolved. One may long for food the way it is prepared in one's native country, may find the pace of life too fast or slow, may find the people's habits annoying, etc.
• The "Everything is OK" phase - Again, after a few days, weeks, or months, one grows accustomed to the new culture's differences and develops routines. By this point, one no longer reacts to the new culture positively or negatively, because it no longer feels like a new culture. One becomes concerned with basic living again, as one was in their original culture.
• Reverse Culture Shock - Returning to one's home culture after growing accustomed to a new one can produce the same effects as described above.

In some cases, it may be impossible to deal with culture shock. Some people will give up on assimilating into the newer culture and return to their own culture, and some become so magnetized to the foreign culture that feel they must permanently move there to relieve the stress. Stress has different meanings in different fields: Look up stress in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Coping with culture shock

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Experienced travelers tend to cope much better with the difficulties of travel. Some common strategies used to make the transition easier are:^[4]:

• Reading about the country and its culture before departing. This way, the country and its people are more familiar upon arrival. They then become aware of differences in the new country and are thus better prepared to deal with them when possible (e.g., differences in hygiene), culture the water.
• Avoiding being offended, offending locals, or being engaged in any more general cultural misunderstanding; they familiarize themselves with local customs and language.
• Being open-minded about the culture they visit.
• Taking a 'time out' or rest apart from cultural exchange in order to reduce the 'shock' of adjustment.

Religions play the most important part in this case. The culture shock feeling, in many circumstances, grows because of the different religions. Hygiene refers to practices associated with ensuring good health and cleanliness. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

See also

• Future shock
• Student exchange program
• Intercultural competence

Future Shock is a controversial book written by the sociologist and futurologist Alvin Toffler in 1970. ... A student exchange program is a program in which a student, typically in secondary or higher education, chooses to live in a foreign country to learn, among other things, language and culture. ... Intercultural competence is the ability of successful communication with people of other cultures. ...

References

External links

• Stories about Cultural Acclamation and Culture shock compiled by The Glimpse Foundation