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How to cope with culture shock as the world
The problem of cultural shock
Culture Shock: an Inevitable Experience
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Culture in ancient times was defined as “the sum total of the equipment of the human individual, which enables him to be attuned to his immediate environment on the historical past on the other”. It reflects in effect what humans have added to Nature. It comprises the spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of a society and includes, in addition to the arts and letters, the value systems, traditions, modes of life and beliefs of the society. It also absorbs from other cultures and undergoes changes with time, sometimes beneficial, sometimes regressive. (Barlas, 15). Culture shock is a severe psychological reaction that results from adjusting to the realities of a society radically different from one’s own. The actual degree of culture shock may vary depending on the differences and similarities between the society studied and the persons’ own society. The symptoms may range from mild irritation to surprise or disgust. (Scupin, 124). Usually after the person experiencing culture shock learns the norms, beliefs, and practices of the community, the psychological disorientation of culture shock begins to diminish. This paper will be based upon culture shock and international business. There are three areas where culture shock could affect you: 1. Emotions-you have to cope with the stress of international work and keeping an emotional balance in order to perform in a business. 2. Thinking style- you have to understand how your counterparts think and be able to develop culturally effective solutions. 3. Social skills and social identity- you need effective social skills to establish new business relationships. (Marx, 25). This differs from manager to manager, some managers seem to adapt in an almost chameleon –like way to different countries, whereas others cling desperately to their habits and their national approaches. Working in a new culture can produce a variety of reactions, such as; · Confusion about what to do · Anxiety · Frustration · Exhilaration · Inappropriate social behavior · Inability to get close to your business partner and clinch the deal · Feeling isolated · Becoming depressed All of the above are possible reactions to culture shock, the shock we experience when we are confronted with the unknown the “foreign”. The term culture shock was coined by the anthropologists Oberg, who explained both the symptoms and the process o...
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...location. It is as likely to occur in a country near your home base as in posting further afield. · As soon as you arrive in your new location, identify all the opportunities for building support networks with other international managers and local people. · As with any stressful situation, fight it, don’t give in to it. So don’t resort to escapist strategies such as drinking or eating too much and don’t deny your symptoms. · Ask other international managers for guidance on the issues and problems to look out for. Learn from their experience · Give yourself time to adapt and don’t rush into too many work-related projects as the start of the assignment. Make sure that the organization gives you this time too. · Don’t hesitate to seek professional help of symptoms persist despite your coping effort. Help may be available within your company or externally through counselors or the medical profession. · Expect the same symptoms to reoccur when you come home. Reverse culture shock is normal. · Think about the positive aspects of culture shock-people who experience it adapt better to their new environment than those who do not. · Retain a sense of humor! (Marx, 18).
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Justin Matos Reasoning and Analysis Paper When you come from a different country do you have trouble communicating with others? Is it hard to adapt to the new culture or stay within your own culture? Around the world, many people are rewarded for been direct and independent. Been able to take care of yourself and work well with others who are not in your culture can help you achieve great things.
Traditions are passed on generation to generation in every culture. The U.S-Mexico border consists of numerous customs that have lived for hundreds of years. This essay examines Jose’ Pablo Villalobos and Juan Carlos Ramirez-Pimiento essay “Corridos and la pura verdad: Myths and Realities of the Mexican Ballad” which discusses the corrido. Chapter six, “Everyday Border Heroes” of Patricia L. Price’s book Dry Place which illustrates the reasons to the devotion to unofficial saints. Futhermore, this essay reviews five of the twenty myths that Aviva Chomsky confronts in her book “They Take Our Jobs!”.
In “Mrs. Sen’s”, Lahiri portrayed Mrs. Sen as a cultural outsider to the American society and a cultural insider in her microcosm, that apartment she decorated to resemble India. Interestingly, Lahiri portrayed Eliot as a cultural outsider to Mrs. Sen version of “little” India and a cultural insider of the American society. In other words, both Mrs. Sen and Eliot are mirror images of each other as they were going through a very similar transformation process from a cultural outsider to a cultural insider. While Eliot did a pretty great job in learning, discovering and assimilating himself in Mrs. Sen’s world of “little” India, Mrs. Sen, on the contrary, was in a state of denial and was having difficulty trying to assimilate, accept and even fit into the
Culture shock includes all those beliefs and expectations about how people should speck and act, the social organisation, the relationship and the rules that govern kinship systems. Also it includes ones ethnicity, the socio economic status, and the ideas, customs and learned behaviour that has become second nature to a person (Fernandez p.158). Culture shock comes in when the student discovers that all the behaviours and skills he or she had are no longer accepted in the new environment.
A sudden change in one’s surroundings can result in culture shock. Culture shock refers to the anxiety and surprise a person feels when he or she is discontented with an unfamiliar setting. The majority of practices or customs are different from what a person is used to. One may experience withdrawal, homesickness, or a desire for old friends. For example, when a person goes to live in a different place with unfamiliar surroundings, they may experience culture shock. Sometimes it is the result of losing their identity. In the article “The Phases of Culture Shock”, Pamela J. Brink and Judith Saunders describe four phases of culture shock. They are: Honeymoon Phase, Disenchantment Phase, Beginning Resolution Phase, and Effective Function Phase. These phases denote some of the stages that exemplify culture shock. The four phases are illustrated in the articles “New Immigrants: Portraits in Passage” by Thomas Bentz, “Immigrant America: A Portrait” by Alejandro Portes and Ruben G. Rumbaut, “When I Was Puerto Rican” by Esmeralda Santiago, “Today’s Immigrants, Their Stories” by Thomas Kessner and Betty Boyd Caroli, and lastly, “The New Americans: Immigrant Life in Southern California” by Ulli Steltzer, and are about the experiences of some immigrants. This essay will examine the four phases of culture shock and classify the experiences of these immigrants by the different phases of culture shock identified.
In his essay, “What is Culture?”, Kluckhohn explains the differences and similarities amongst world’s peoples. To support his explanation of the differences and similarities he provides the concept of culture. It is difficult to give this concept a precise definition because the word “culture” is a broad term. Kluckhohn allows the reader to understand the concept of culture by providing examples of cultural differences along with some anthropological evidence to support his views.
Being an immigrant is difficult for some people. It requires a lot of preparation not just the belongings people intend to keep, but also their psychological and emotional state wherein they will have to live their new lives in an unfamiliar community. Some immigrants migrate to a foreign country without preparing themselves mentally and emotionally which most often leads them encountering depression or anxiety. Adjusting to a place is one factor that these people must do in order to survive in a place where an individual has no knowledge about.
A major challenge of doing business internationally is to adapt effectively to different culture. Such adaptation requires an understanding of cultural diversity, perceptions, stereotypes, and values (Hodgett &Luthans, 2005). Doing business overseas has its challenges as well as it rewards.
Everyone reacts differently to new environments.While some are excited others are upset to have to leave important people behind. Culture shock comes in many different forms and sizes, some may find it harder to adjust than others. The difficulties to adjusting don’t always show up right away (TeensHealth). Culture shock is experienced in many different ways some common feelings are; sadness, loneliness, anxiety, trouble concentrating, feeling left out, negative feelings towards the new culture and frustration (TeensHealth). These feelings are temporary, eventually people get used to their surroundings. Although, many have been planning on the change for a long time, many still experience the impact of culture shock (International Students and Culture Shock). A huge majority of the cultures norms are based on language.
The difficulty of moving to a new culture is that a lot of people would feel fear because they are so use to their own culture, so now they leave what they are used to a new way and it will be hard for them to adapt. Some may like the new food and the pace of life, then later on in the month’s people may feel like the new life and culture is unpleasant life for instance: public hygiene, the language barriers, traffic safety, and food accessibility. Still the most part in relocating to a different culture is the communication because they might not understand the language or might say the wrong word thinking it means the same in the other countries. People adjusting to a new culture often feel lonely and homesick because they are not yet used to the new environment and meet people with whom they are not familiar every day.
In the present day organisations are expanding their operations to different countries of the world. They therefore need people to work there “expatriates”. Once the international assignment is completed, the expatriates have got to go back home, the process of repatriation begins. Even though most expatriates and managers presuppose that the repatriation process will be easy seeing as the employee is just returning home, research has substantiated that this is a tricky process. There is indication that it could be more difficult to adjust to the home environment as opposed to adjusting to life in a foreign nation. Therefore, repatriation process ought to be considered keenly (Baruch et al 2002).
1. What is Culture? What I personally think is that our culture is the foundation of who we really are in life. It identifies the lifestyle and pursuits that are practiced in the group of people we relate with in our society. In other words, an important concept to understand is that cultural beliefs, values, and practices are learned from birth first at home, in church, and other places where people meet. Some practices and beliefs in human culture include religion, music, sports, food, health beliefs, and art which represent the values we have in life. Also, our own culture is diverse and it is significant to look with in and identify what we value the most, what is essentially needed, and how we see the world. It is our remaining tool and we don’t even realize it is needed to communicate and socialize with others.
The differences in other cultures vary from beliefs to ways of life, or norms, of the different societies. The importance of understanding and sensitivity to other countries’ differences is crucial to a business’ success. “Lack of familiarity with the business practices, social customs, and etiquette of a country can weaken a co...
The word 'culture' is often described in terms of concrete ideas or social artifacts. Gary R. Weaver describes some common conceptions such as "good taste," "art or music," or "something that people in exotic foreign lands had."1 However, culture in the context of international assignments relates to how people perceive the world and the influence this perception has on their actions. It is culture on the interpersonal level. Different cultures can perceive the same thing differently, which leads to miscommunication and misunderstanding when one crosses into another culture not their own.
Sonderberg, A-M & N Holden. (2002), Rethinking cross cultural management in a globalizing business world' International Journal of Cross Culture Management 2(1): 103-121