Anthropologists are concerned with understanding what makes
us human in all aspects. In pursuit of
this goal all anthropologists, regardless of subfield, typically study groups
of people- be they from the past or present-that are very different from their
own. This leads to exposure of cultural
standards that may be very different from those that the anthropologist is most
familiar with. When this occurs,
anthropologists may experience culture shock, which is the topic of today’s
blog post. Culture shock is not
exclusive to anthropologists, however, and it is something that anyone-be it on
vacation, away on business, or in one’s own community-can experience when
coming in contact with a new culture, particularly one that is very different
from his or her own. In this post you
will learn what culture shock is, what the symptoms are, and how one can go
about best dealing with culture shock.
 |
| Figure 1: Example of Culture Shock (from a journal excerpt of an anthropologist in the field for the first time) |
Culture shock is the
personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life. Culture shock is experienced when an
individual experiences a culture very different from their own-be it in a
different country or in one’s home country.
Culture shock was first identified in 1954 by Kalvero Oberg, but it was
and continues to be experienced by people across the globe, meaning it is a
universal situation. Individuals who
experience culture shock can experience a variety of feelings, including
disorientation, frustration, fear, irritability, sadness, anger, resentment, boredom,
and fatigue (Figure 1). In addition to
emotional reactions, physical symptoms such as physical pain, loss of appetite,
sleeplessness, compulsive eating and drinking, and oversleeping may manifest.
There are multiple
ways that individuals can deal and cope with culture shock. Here are some of the things you can do if you
find yourself experiencing culture shock:
- Be proactive! Learn about where you are going and what you may realistically expect from the people and culture(s) you may be exposed to. Additional tips for preparing ahead of time can be found here.
- Be prepared! Recognize the symptoms of culture shock, be okay with admitting to yourself that you are experiencing them, and be ready and willing to make proactive and positive changes to help you deal with them.
- Be realistic! Cultural diversity exists, and not every culture is the same. If we all were life would be boring, and we wouldn’t be able to creatively solve problems, which is why several cultural and technological advancements have happened. Have realistic expectations about cultural differences and be prepared to confront your ethnocentric feelings about them and be proactive about being more culturally relativistic.
- Be friendly! Whatever the purpose of this excursion, be it for work or play, remember that you should have fun, and part of fun means getting out and meeting people. Meeting people can provide you insights into the culture(s) you are being exposed to, and you can also have fun and make friends (Figure 2).
- Learn the language! Language is a key element of culture, so by learning the local language you can better learn how to cope in your environment. It also helps you in being friendly and making friends, which assists you in acclimating to your new cultural environment.
 |
| Figure 2: American ESL teachers (two ladies on the left) and American anthropologist (far right) hanging out at a Halloween party and making friends with local Chileans and Peruvians (one is pictured second from right) |
- Be healthy! Be sure to eat well balanced, nutritional meals, get plenty of sleep, and exercise. These all help keep you healthy and reduce stress, which will ease your emotional and physical reactions to culture shock considerably.
- Keep in contact with friends and family back home! Your friends and family back home know you well, and they can be amazing resources to assist you in coping with homesickness, your feelings, and more. Don’t cut them out of your life just because you are in a foreign country and experience a new culture.
- Don’t idolize your own culture! Your own culture is what you are most familiar with, but it is not the best or end all be all culture out there. If you stick to closely to your own cultural norms, values, and beliefs you will be unable to experience the new culture around you and you will be stuck in culture shock. Furthermore, learning about the new culture will help you learn more about yourself, and you may actually learn how to improve yourself and/or some of the things you do on a daily basis.
- Keep a journal! Writing down your thoughts and feelings is one way to cope. It is also useful in allowing you to reflect back on your initial thoughts and feelings so you can see how much you have grown from the experience.
- Be kind! This means not only to others but yourself, as well. People around you are not trying to offend you. They are merely reacting how they believe is best based on their own cultural norms. Keep that in mind if you find yourself feeling offended. Also, be kind to yourself. You will make mistakes, and that’s okay. It is how you react and what you learn from those mistakes that is important.
Bibliography
Culbertson, H. 2016. “Understanding
Culture Stress: Coping with Culture Shock.”
Missions Mobilizer. https://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/shock.htm
De Jesus, M. 2004. “How
to Overcome Culture Shock.” Culture
Shock. http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring04/DeJesus/page3.html
No Author. No
Date. “Student Handbook-Coping with
Culture Shock.” ISEP. http://www.isep.org/students/placed/student_handbook3c.asp
No Author. 2013. “How
to Deal with Culture Shock.” University
of Tennessee Health Sciences Center. https://www.uthsc.edu/international/shock.php
No Author. 2016. “Coping
with Culture Shock.” Government of
Canada. https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/living-abroad/culture-shock
30 comments:
I usually prepare for travel the way you suggest, and it works very well. However, I experienced culture shock when I moved to Reno in 2013 because I did not prepare myself ahead of time to come here.
I love Reno now, but when I first arrived, I found it very different here from my home in the Yukon. Being raised solely in my First Nations culture, made the transition to Reno challenging and lonely. I tried to get involved in that community here to feel a connection here, but I was unaware of their protocols or where I could go to find out what they were.
Gwendolyn Jones-Gailey
I think being realistic (before and during) is probably one of the most effective ways to combat culture shock: if you know there are going to be differences in culture, then it's generally not much of a "shock" at all! Granted you may not know exactly what these differences consist of, keeping an open mind will most certainly turn what could be an uncomfortable and unnerving situation into one of learning and inquisitiveness.
Neva Rodrigues
ANTH 101, Section 3001
I haven't had the opportunity to travel much in my life thus far however I do work in a very multicultural facility. It has been a long time dream of mine to go visit and explore Africa and when I go I would like to completely immerse myself in the culture and not really as a tourist. I am fortunate enough to work with quite a few girls from Africa who have given me such great insight into the ways of life there. After reading this I now better understand how to cope with culture shock as I'm sure I will feel this. No amount of information I can obtain will ever be enough to completely prepare me for what is in store however, I hope that the excitement and joy I feel now resignates when I am there and I do let loose and have fun enjoying a different way of life.
when I first came to Reno in my personal experience the cultural shock was language because I couldn't even order chips from the store more less from a many in a restaurant. First thing I learned was the numbers, I only ordered number one from any fast food restaurant. After learning that there are many ways to get your point across to get what you actually want. For me learning a new language was challenging but I had to learned to not exclude my self from the society I live in and to cope my languages struggles. Now I'm proud to say I can order more than just the number 1 or 2 from the menu.
I don't travel at all. My husband and I go to an English speaking church. A few months ago our church has welcomed in a Spanish speaking church to use the building. At first my husband started playing the base with the Spanish worship team. Most of the worship team is from Chilli. Some don't speak English at all. Shortly after my husband joined the worship team, I was asked to sing with them by the worship team leader. Her name is Elizabeth. She doesn't speak English that well and I speak no Spanish. So I started learning how to sing in Spanish. I still struggle with it. But the friendships made with this family from Chilli is so awesome. Spending more time with them (despite the language barrier) I have learned so many things and more respect of their culture. Two families from two different countries, different languages, can develop friendships that can last a life time. We are planning on going camping with them this summer.
Melissa Compton
Culture shock is and can be a nearly debilitating experience. In my travels in the military I have been in a lot of countries that are different than what I am used to. My norm are not universal. It has been helpful to research the culture of the destination I am headed to. looking for local restaurants that serve the foods of the countries. the most important part is that I really need to remain open minded. I am not saying that I haven't experienced stress from being in an un familiar environment...and I still experience ethnocentrism at times. but I am grateful for the exposure to something different. It makes me appreciate what we have here even more.
I used several of these methods when I traveled to Thailand. The research I did before traveling there made the trip much more enjoyable. Even though I did not learn Thai, I did learn a few phrases and words which helped me move around with ease. The Thai people were much more helpful when they found out I knew a few Thai words. I definitely think a little research before any trip helps with the culture shock and makes traveling much more relaxing and enjoyable.
Samantha Bond
Anth 101 Sec 3002
I experienced a lot of culture shock when I went to Europe this summer. I noticed at first, only a few small differences but then I soon realized how much different virtually everything was. I did my best to learn the different cultures but attempting to learn and understand a new language is a lot harder than I thought. I had a lot of fun and definitely learned a lot traveling through Europe and I learned a lot about my own culture.
I think this is an awesome topic. It can be a life changing experience to be exposed to culture shock. I remember when my family and I moved here, to Reno, a VERY long time ago. I remember little but the parts I do remember now I know and realize how much we were all in culture shock. Moving here from Mexico was a huge transition. My family and I went through some negative side affects such as depression, frustration and so much more because we were all used to different cultures. It was difficult learning language and American customs but it was surely a life changing experience. Now that I look back at when we first came to the United States we've came very far from the people we came here as. It was a whole new culture we were being exposed to and transitioned into as individuals. This topic, I believe, can be applied to many situations and its an amazing experience to go through.
I know culture shock isn't necessarily a good thing but I feel that it is a humbling experience. I recently went to Mexico to visit family and I immediately rejected numerous of their customs. I realize now it was because I idolized the culture i grew up with more. For the few weeks I stayed there I refused to accept their culture and it only resulted in a negative experience for me. I know when I return I will have make sure to keep a more positive and open mindset.
My first experience of culture shock was when I went to Montevideo, Uruguay. Thinking, becuase its a spanish speaking country that it will be something that I am use too. When I get there, a lot of their custom and courtesy's were different, as well as their words and pronunciation. Next time I travel somewhere new, I will use these tips so I wont be caught off guard.
Cultural Shock was first witnessed in 1954. I don't travel much so I haven't witnessed much of cultural shock besides with my self. This blog gave me several ways to help with coping, the only way I used to handle mine was with just distancing myself or writing.
Aaliyah Caldwell
I like to watch YouTube while I do homework or if I’m trying to go to sleep and a I learn a lot of things from other cultures like the toilets in Japan shoot water to clean your behind instead of using toilet paper and things like that I don’t really judge these types of things so I’ve never really experienced culture shock before there are things that occasionally catch me off guard but I don’t judge it or even think about too much there is even a YouTube channel that’s called culture shock but it just focuses on folklore and stuff like that nothing that’s extremely different from ours.
The most culture shock I had was when i went to visit my family in Louisiana for the first time in like 10 years but i just learned to accept it and when I came to Missouri i kinda expected it to be like Louisiana so it wasn't as much of a culture shock.
Being proactive, being realistic, and not idolizing one's own culture seem to be the most important methods of dealing with culture shock, in my opinion. Not only do they seem to be the best why to calm yourself, but they are possibly the most useful in learning about another culture.
I once idolized my own culture when I lived in a certain neighborhood and was raised with the same group of people. My senior year of high school I moved from what I was used to, to a middle class, more diverse area. It threw me off for sure at first but then I learned to accept the culture that I was not accustomed to. Now I can appreciate that because I feel as though I experienced the best of both worlds.
Culture shock can occur in everyday life. When one is taken from their norm and thrown somewhere where everyone does things different from the or looks different from them you may be shaken up a little and thrown off to the point where your lost completely.
After reading this article, it described how I felt when I first arrived in Jefferson City. Coming from the city of Chicago, I was always used to being in a fast-pace and urban environment that always had something to do. When i came to Jefferson City, it was definitely a culture shock because its a small town with not many things to do. I have somewhat learned to adjust to the city but I will forever love Chicago and always admire it when I travel back home. - Brianne Pickett
Some people can not move out side their culture because of Cultural shock, and what they will face over there. it is good to try other culture so as to know what people of that place is facing which might benefit you in life.
My motto has always been: "Never think your struggle was any worse or that your success is any bigger" that ties into the idea that I am always open to hear different opinions and lifestyles and not to judge them off how different they are from mine because I know that everything different isn't necessarily wrong. I never try to think that I'm any better than anyone I just go at my own pace.
Culture shock in my opinion is not deferring ones culture or belief, but its when you come into an environment of abnormality. I consider culture shock in not being open minded to it being different understanding than your own.
Chauntiana Houston
I have had an culture shock when I came to college. Jefferson City is very different from Saint Louis and I didn't realize it was a cultural shock until I went to home for winter break.
I have never really traveled that for until I came to college. I lived away from my family but never travled away. I didnt relize how different people act and talked until I came to college. I learned alot of different things and what they do in their countries from different people.
-Daisha Benton
Culture stun can happen in regular day to day existence. When one is taken from their standard and tossed some place where everybody does things unique in relation to the or looks not the same as them you might be shaken up a little and thrown off to the point where your lost totally.
I had my culture shock by coming to Jeff City. I'm from Miami, a bustling city that never stops moving. It was different for me to come to the midwest.
Culture shock is something I have also experienced, it happens when and individual sees the practices of ones culture and immediately does not understand it. This is one of my favorite topics in Anthropology.
I think being prepared and staying positive while staying contact with loved ones, are a great way to embrace it. Without preparation I feel you are setting yourself in a bad position to fail and being negative will just create a worse experience for you
I haven't really traveled. I been to a few states but not places were I'm in shock because I wasn't prepared. However, I'd like to travel to Africa one day and I'll be fully prepared to take on my journey.
I like this blog because it’s states the obvious on how to dea with culture shock, however people don’t do it. Things are sometimes as simple as it seems , yet in society we find ways to make it more difficult . Things like being proactive , learn the language , be friendly , be REALISTIC all sound like things that would be common sense yet we lack grasping it and actually applying it at hand. Preparation is definitely key when changing your cultural environment drastically but sometimes the move seems to happen quicker than expected. I feel that even though St.Louis is not too far from Jefferson City it was a lot more of a culture shock to me. I feel as an African American here and being in the middle of predominantly Caucasian town things have been a lot different here . This town is definitely something you have to adapt too .
-Jazlyn Logan
I never knew culture shock was a thing. I learned that Cultural shock is basically when a person is on vacation or maybe a business trip and gets anxiety,confusion or has uncertainty.It can come from not knowing a specific language and feeling out of place.
-Jasmine Busby
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