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Dr. Sujatha Menon: Culture Shock

Culture shock occurs when moving from a familiar to an unfamiliar cultural environment. It is a mental state caused by the changes in established behavioral patterns. There are four phases of culture shock: 1) Exhilaration phase where one is excited to explore a new culture. 2) Disenchantment phase where one experiences problems with communication and adaptation, feeling lonely or depressed. 3) Adjustment phase where one begins to accept and adjust to the new surroundings. 4) Effective functioning phase where one understands the new culture and feels comfortable in the surroundings.

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51 views1 page

Dr. Sujatha Menon: Culture Shock

Culture shock occurs when moving from a familiar to an unfamiliar cultural environment. It is a mental state caused by the changes in established behavioral patterns. There are four phases of culture shock: 1) Exhilaration phase where one is excited to explore a new culture. 2) Disenchantment phase where one experiences problems with communication and adaptation, feeling lonely or depressed. 3) Adjustment phase where one begins to accept and adjust to the new surroundings. 4) Effective functioning phase where one understands the new culture and feels comfortable in the surroundings.

Uploaded by

Sujatha Menon
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CULTURE SHOCK

According to Samovar et al, Culture shock is a part of the process of trying


to adjust and adapt to a new culture. In other words, it is a mental state
caused by the change that occurs when you go from a familiar cultural
environment to an unfamiliar one. Culture shock mainly occurs when you
discover that your established patterns of behaviour are ineffective or
different from those of the new culture.
Phases of Culture Shock
Samovar et al (and others) describe four phases of culture shock as far as
intercultural communication is concerned.
Exhilaration Phase or Stage:
This is the first stage in culture shock. This stage is filled with a sense of
thrill or happiness or excitement when a person looks forward to travelling
to a new country. He/she is eager to explore something new about
behaviour or food or fashion in the new country.
Disenchantment Stage:
When a person begins to face reality by way of cultural differences, the
second stage begins. During this stage, the person experiences problems of
communication and adaptation. This is also called the crisis period of
culture shock because people react in different ways to these differences.
They may become lonely, or feel depressed, irritated, or unfriendly.
Adjustment Stage:
At this stage, the person gradually begins to come to terms or adjust to the
new surroundings. He or she realizes that things are not as bad as
imagined. The person gradually begins to make modifications to his/her life
style and way of thinking. Adaptation begins to occur at this stage.
Effective Functioning Stage:
This is the last stage in culture shock where things return to normal for the
person. He or she begins to understand the key elements of the new culture
(special customs, behaviours, communication patterns, and such) and feels
comfortable in the surroundings.

Dr. Sujatha Menon

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