The first post as a board master

laurence

Stages of Culture Shock

Adler (1975), Pedersen (1995), and others have described culture shock as a five-stage process.

The first stage of initial contact, sometimes called the ‘honey moon stage’ or initial euphoria, is where everything is new and exciting. The person is basically a tourist with her or his basic identity rooted in the home culture.

The second stage involves disintegration of familiar cues and irritation and hostility with the differences experienced in the new culture. For example, an international student in a US grocery may be asked, “paper or plastic?” The student knows what paper is and what plastics is, but doesn’t understand the question. The student can experience feeling of inadequacy and can withdraw or become isolate.

The third stage involves a reintegration of new cues and increased ability to function in the new culture. Perhaps surprisingly, though, the emotions experience at this stage are typically anger and resentment toward the new culture for ‘being different.’

In the fourth stage, gradual adjustment continues towards gradual autonomy and seeing “good” and “bad” elements in both the home and new cultures. The individual becomes more comfortable in the new culture as more things are predictable. There are fewer feelings of isolation and people feel more in control and more comfortable.

The final, fifth stage is described as reciprocal interdependence where the person has achieved biculturalism by becoming able to cope comfortable in both the home and new cultures. Full adjustment can take years.

However, if a person has adjusted exceptionally well to the host culture, reverse culture shock may occur upon return to the home country. This type of culture shock may cause great distress and confusion than the original has. In reverse culture shock, the home culture is compared adversely to the admired aspects of the new culture.

laurence

This short article is copied from a text book  called "An introduction to intercultural communication" which is used in my course.
Please share your opinion and experience about culture shock with us.

laurence

BTW, I don't understand the queston "paper or plastic?". Is he refering to the package?

soarguo

good topic. really want to know how long would  I take to complete these five stages. but I do think the personality of a person matters, as people are really different from others. And the way they treat themselves & the culture also very important.

soarguo

yes, should be the package bag.

FCH

J was an expartiate executive sent to HK by her company headquatered in the U.S. She lived there for about 3 or 4 years. From her experience, I know she adapted to the new culture very well, she made many local friends including me, she went to concert performed by local artist (she met Jacky Cheung and Andy Lau, etc...and she was a super fan of Andy Lau, Andy Lau knows her very well because she was one of the few foreign fans! ), and she knew more gossips about super stars even more than many locals....After she went back to the US, she told me that she had to spend a quite long time to cope with so called "reverse culture shock", (she did not understand some new terms created during her absence, and of course the stories behind the terms)

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Post by laurence

BTW, I don't understand the queston "paper or plastic?". Is he refering to the package?

Paper or Plastic:
It's the perennial decision for today's grocery shopper.

             

Making a good choice for the environment is no longer as simple as knowing whether or not a product can be recycled. Recycling is just one of three very important factors to consider. See how plastic bags stack up in each of these areas.

• Reduce
  

or

Cash or Credit Card

Monamis

Post by laurence
Stages of Culture Shock

Adler (1975), Pedersen (1995), and others have described culture shock as a five-stage process.

The first stage of initial contact, sometimes called the ‘honey moon stage’ or initial euphoria, is where everything is new and exciting. The person is basically a tourist with her or his basic identity rooted in the home culture.

The second stage involves disintegration of familiar cues and irritation and hostility with the differences experienced in the new ...

The song of my life, is  a song that we know.

very nice expression. hugs.

this is a very good medifor of what actually take place in ones life, when coming to a new country, surrounded by the unknown.
learning the basics as a tourist, learning more of your enviroment, building a comfort zone.
The difference between plastic and paper is in this medifor, not ecological, but monitary, the paper being cash , the plastic being credit cards.. cash always being the better and the least expensive in the long run.

Adjusting to a new culture is often intimidating, and can't be done overnight and you must have a great deal of patience , be willing to forgive the ignorance of those who doen't understand, or are not aware that you are new to the country.

i think then you have to forgive yourself, it takes much time, and patience, and dedication to learn english and become fully involved in a new culture, it is if i were to learn manderin or cantanese, or another language not being familiar with that language   before moving to China, it would be most intimidating and challenging, it would take a great deal of time.

Please be patient with your new home and people and don't ever give up, trying, and learning more of your new society, home, country.

As you learn you will become more comfortable and knowledgable , you will understand better our laws and politics, our expresions and that our Engish isn't  so perfect.

Please enjoy the ride it is a bit of a rollercoaster, lots of fast turns , ups and downs and curves, but what a beautiful ride it is..

Doug(Monamis)ooops

兔子

I feel I am in first stage and sometimes in second and third stages. It depandes in different parts here.

Monamis

Post by 兔子
I feel I am in first stage and sometimes in second and third stages. It depandes in different parts here.

you have a very beautiful child

Congrats