Cultural Shock and Adaptation.docx

Cultural Shock and Adaptation.docx

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CulturalShockandAdaptation

CulturalShockandAdaptation

Arizonastateuniversitydepartmentofanthology

Article:

CulturalShockandAdaptation

ByMichaelWinkelman

Abstract:

Multiculturaldomesticandinternationalrelationscreateculturalshockforbothimmigrantandresidentgroups.Thisarticleaddressesthenature,stages,andcausesofculturalshocktoprovidebroadguidelinesformanagingculturalshockexperiencesinavarietyofcircumstances.Culturalshockisdescribedfrompsychophysiologicalandsocioculturalperspectives.Thenatureofculturalshockexperiencessuggeststhatresolutionbeaddressedthroughcognitiveorientationandbehavioraladjustmentinvolvingrecognitionofculturalshockcharacteristicsandimplementationofstrategiesforits

resolution.Adaptivestrategiesforguidingconstructiveinterventionsaresummarizedfromanintegrationofliteratureonculturalshockadaptation,cross-culturaltrainingeffectiveness,andinterculturaleffectiveness.

Cultural（orculture）shockisamultifacetedexperienceresultingfromnumerousstressorsoccurringincontactwithadifferentculture.Culturalshockoccursforimmigrantgroups（e.g.,foreignstudentsandrefugees

[Dodge,1990];businessmenonoverseesassignments[Walton,1990]）aswellasforEuro-Americansintheirowncultureandsociety（e.g.,businessinstitutionsundergoingreorganization[Knobel,1988];populationsundergoingmassivetechnologicalandsocialchange[Toffler,1970];andstaff,clients,andpublicinschools,hospitals,andotherinstitutions）.ThemulticulturalnatureofsocietyintheUnitedStatescreatesdailycross-culturalconflictanimmersion,makingculturalshockanimportantsourceofinterpersonalstressandconflictformany.Culturalshockreactionsmayprovokepsychologicalcrisesorsocialdysfunctionswhenreactionstoculturaldifferencesimpedeperformance.Becauseoursocietyisbecomingincreasinglymulticultural（Schwartz&Exter,1989）,weallexperiencevaryingdegreesofculturalshockinunfamiliarculturalorsubculturalsettings（Merta,Stringham,&Ponterotto,1988）.“[W]eallmaybeinneedof

culturalshockcounselingasweattempttodealwiththesenewperspectivesonlifeinAmericansociety”（Rhinesmith,1985,p.133）.

Thecircumstancesprovokingculturalshockandtheindividualreactionsdependonavarietyoffactors,includingpreviousexperiencewithotherculturesandcross-culturaladaptation;thedegreeofdifferenceinone’sownandthehostculture;thedegreeofpreparation;socialsupportnetworks;andindividualpsychologicalcharacteristics（Furnham&Bochner,1986）.Themultivariatenatureofculturalshockrequiresthe

developmentof"programmesofpreparation,orientationandtheacquisitionofculturallyappropriatesocialskills"（Furnham&Bochner,1986,p.13）.MyexperiencewithprogramsforhelpingpeoplemanageculturalshockexperiencescomesprimarilyfrommyroleasdirectoroftheArizonaStateUniversityEthnographicFieldSchoolinEnsenada,BajaCalifornia,Mexico.Theseexperienceshaveshownmethathelpingstudentsmanagetheirculturalshockexperiencesisfundamentaltotheirsuccess.

Myapproachemphasizesthatculturalshockisnormalinaforeigncultureenvironment,althoughthoseexperiencingitmaynotrecognizeitorrespondeffectivelytotheproblems.Effectivelydealingwithculturalshockrequiresrecognitionofculturalshockoccurrencesandimplementingbehaviorstoovercomeculturalshockwithstableadaptations.Awarenessofthenatureofculturalshockandthetypicalreactionsfostersconstructiveinterventionbyprovidingthebasisforrecognizingone’sownongoingculturalshockexperiencesandforreframingthesituationswithadaptiveresponsesandproblem-solvingstrategies.Studentsinmyforeignprogramshavereportedthatinthemidstofculturalshockcrises,theysuddenlyrecalledthat“Dr.Winkelmansaiditwouldbelikethis!

”Frequently,thatawarenesswas

sufficientforthemtonormalizetheirexperience,toreappraisetheirsituation,andtorespondinamoreproductiveandlessstressedmanner.

Theeffectivenessofacombinedcognitiveandbehavioralapproachinmanagingculturalshockexperiencesissupportedbyanumberoffactors,includingthenatureoftheconditionsthatcauseculturalshock,thestrategiesthathavebeenshowntoimproveinterculturaladaptationandcommunication,andtheeffectivenessofcross-culturaltrainingprogramsthatarebasedonthesociallearningprinciplescombiningcognitiveandbehavioralapproaches（Black&Mendenhall,1990）.Thatis,becauseculturalshockiscauseinpartbycognitiveoverloadandbehavioralinadequacies,andbecauseinterculturaleffectivenessisbasedonunderstandingandbehavioraladaptation,culturalshockisbestresolvedbyasociallearningapproachinwhichnewattitudesandcognitiveinformationareint