Culture shock, cultural misunderstanding, cultural awareness

Culture shock Culture shock is an experience a person may have when one moves to a cultural environment which is different from one's own; it is also the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration or a visit to a new country, a move between social environments, or simply transition to another type of life

One of the most common causes of culture shock involves individuals in a foreign environment. Culture shock can be described as consisting of at least one of four distinct phases: Honeymoon Negotiation Adjustment Adaptation.

Common problems Information overload, language barrier, generation gap, technology gap, skill interdependence, formulation dependency, homesickness (cultural), boredom (job dependency),

There are three basic outcomes of the Adjustment Phase Some people find it impossible to accept the foreign culture and to integrate. They isolate themselves from the host country's environment Some people integrate fully and take on all parts of the host culture while losing their original identity. This is called cultural assimilation. Some people manage to adapt to the aspects of the host culture they see as positive, while keeping some of their own and creating their unique blend.

Cultural Misunderstandings A cultural misunderstanding occurs when something- -a word, gesture, object, social context, almost anything you can think of--has different meanings in two cultures. Sometimes the misunderstandings get resolved, sometimes they lead nowhere, and sometimes they can escalate to anything from love to war

Cultural Misunderstandings: A British woman told me "I'll knock you up in the morning. A British woman told me "I'll knock you up in the morning. At a psychology conference in England years ago, a woman said to me "I'll knock you up in the morning." I was initially taken aback by her bizarre suggestion, but it did occur to me that I might not understand her intent. Eventually, it turned out that what she meant was "I'll knock on your door in the morning so that we can meet for breakfast to discuss the panel we're on."