Have you ever had to find yourself in a situation where you were unable to question the way, or did not know how, say, to use a pay phone on the street? Or maybe difficulties arose in the process of refueling your car or when trying to purchase products in a store? The situation was aggravated by the fact that it was necessary to find a way out, i.e. urgently get through to someone, refuel a car, buy food? It happened? So, we can say with confidence that you have already experienced the same cultural shock.
Who is experiencing it in the first place? As a rule, these are immigrants, students studying abroad, tourists or businessmen who first came to the borders of their country.
In this article, I would like to dwell on this concept in more detail, talk about the possible causes of its occurrence, as well as how to facilitate entry into a new human environment.
1. Cultural shock. Definition of a concept
Cultural shock is called a kind of physical or (in most cases) emotional discomfort that occurs as a result of getting into a completely different, unfamiliar cultural environment.
Is it possible to get used to such an environment? Can! However, such a cultural adaptation will in most cases be exciting, stressful or, oddly enough, funny. In addition, one should be prepared for the fact that what he sees may not at all live up to expectations or be confused.
By the way, sometimes this concept is used to indicate a general situation, once in which a person is simply forced to adapt to a new way of life and order, realizing that neither previously acquired cultural values nor behavior patterns work anymore.
2. Cultural shock and possible causes of its occurrence
As a rule, a person experiences this condition when he comes to a new country for himself, whose traditions are radically different from those customs that surrounded him in his former, native and familiar place.
Although if you take, for example, such a huge country as Russia, you can easily experience a cultural shock by moving, say, to live in the capital, or, conversely, to the outback from a noisy city with a busy rhythm of life. It’s just that the social environment can change so much that only the most daring and purposeful can cope with the situation adequately.
The thing is that at such moments inside each person there is a struggle of 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 a cultural shock in completely different ways. What does it depend on? As a rule, from several basic factors, namely, from individual characteristics, the level of similarity and degree of difference of 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 scope of education, language.
3. Acute cultural shock. Examples and various forms
How to understand that you are experiencing a real cultural shock? Is it possible to predict when this painful and painful condition will approximately end?
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 of his new surroundings are perceived joyfully and enthusiastically. For example, often visiting new places for us, for the first time we begin to admire unusual food, breathtaking architecture, and entertaining habits of Aboriginal people.
- "Reconciliation," usually occurring after a few days, weeks, and in some cases months. We begin to search for our familiar circle of friends, ring up friends, acquaintances and relatives, prepare our favorite dishes from childhood.
- "Adaptation". At this stage, a person ceases to emotionally react to what is happening around. Life becomes as close as possible to the usual daily routine in the homeland.
- "Reverse cultural shock." In the event that you did not leave your homeland forever, you are likely to come back, which means that you should be prepared in advance for a new emotional shock.