1. Intercultural Communication
Week 11
Intercultural Communication

2. Hand in Week 10 writing task

3. Ch. 5 wrap-up
Have you ever personally experienced culture shock? If so, what happened?
If not, do you know anyone who experienced culture shock?
What is culture shock?
Discuss some examples of culture shock and the stage in which it occurred.
Provide some characteristics of culture shock.
What is reverse culture shock?

4. What is Culture Shock?
Culture shock is the stress and the feeling of disorientation you experience in a new culture
Sojourners, or temporary visitors are most susceptible to experiencing some degree of culture shock
Learning more about people’s culture shock experiences, you can:
develop new knowledge
display more respectful attitudes
learn to apply more flexible intercultural skills

5. Understanding Culture Shock
Culture shock is experienced whenever anyone uproots themselves from a familiar setting and moves to an unfamiliar one
an emotional experience of highly intense emotions followed by behavioral confusion and cognitive disorientation
short-term sojourners and long-term immigrants can experience culture shock occurs at different stages of adaptation
Ex. of sojourners: international students, businesspersons, diplomats, journalists, military personnel, or Peace Corps volunteers

6. Characteristics
Text’s def. of culture shock - a stressful transitional period when individuals move from a familiar environment into an unfamiliar one
every interaction moment could create unintentional awkwardness or stress.
unfamiliarity creates a perceived threat, and a perceived threat triggers fear and emotional vulnerability.
According to Oberg (1960), culture shock involves:
1) a sense of identity loss and identity deprivation with regard to values, status, profession, friends, and possessions
2) identity strain as a result of the effort required to make necessary psychological adaptation

7. Characteristics (cont.)
3) identity rejection by members of the new culture
4) identity confusion, especially concerning role ambiguity and unpredictability
5) identity powerlessness as a result of not being able to cope with the new environment
ABC’s of culture shock:
Affectively: anxiety, bewilderment, confusion, disorientation, perplexity as well as the intense desire to be somewhere else
Behavioral: confusion stage in terms of norms and rules
Cognitive disorientation: lack cultural interpretive competence to explain “bizarre” behaviors

8. Pros & Cons
negative:
psychosomatic problems (stomachaches etc.) due to stress
affective upheavals such as feelings of loneliness, isolation, depression, and drastic mood swings
interaction awkwardness due to the inability to perform optimally in the new language and nonverbal postures
cognitive exhaustion due to difficulties in making accurate attributions
positive:
a sense of well-being
heightened positive self-esteem
emotional richness and enhanced tolerance for ambiguity
behavioral competence in social interaction, cognitive openness and flexibility
an enhanced optimism about self, others, and everyday surroundings

9. Underlying Factors
motivational orientation - voluntary vs. involuntary
personal expectations - realistic and positive expectations generally results in successful adaptation
cultural distance - cultural values, language, verbal styles, nonverbal gestures, learning styles, decision-making styles, and conflict negotiation styles, as well as religious, sociopolitical , and economic systems
sociocultural adjustment - ability to fit in and execute appropriate and effective interactions in a new cultural environment
factors include the quality or quantity of relations with host nationals and the length of residence in the host country; culture-specific knowledge , language fluency as well as the previously mentioned factors are related to lower levels of sociocultural difficulty
psychological adjustment - feelings of well-being and satisfaction during cross-cultural transitions (Table 5.1); primary vs. secondary strategies
personality attributes - personality traits such as tolerance for ambiguity, internal control, personal flexibility, and mastery can contribute to good adjustment and positive psychological well-being

10. Managing Culture Shock
1) increase motivations to learn about the new culture
2) keep realistic expectations and increase familiarity concerning the various aspects of the new culture
3) increase linguistic fluency and learn why, how, and under what situations certain phrases or gestures are appropriate as well as understanding the core cultural values linked to specific behaviors
4) work on tolerance for ambiguity and other flexible personal attributes
5) develop strong ties (close friends), and weak ties (acquaintanceships) to manage identity stress and loneliness
6) be mindful of the host culture’s interpersonal behaviors and get rid of ethnocentric evaluations

11. Intercultural Adjustment
short-term and medium-term adaptive process of sojourners in overseas assignments
Tourists don’t count towards IA although they can experience culture shock
Sojourners try to achieve instrumental goals (task-based) as well as socio-emotional (relational, recreational, and personal development) goals

12. U-Curve Adjustment Model
Lysgaard U-Curve: honeymoon phase, “slump” or stressful phase followed by pulling themselves back up to an effective phase in the IA process
Gullahorn six-stage W-shaped model: successive honeymoon, hostility, humorous, at-home, reentry culture shock, and re- socialization stages

13. The Revised W-Shaped Adjustment Model
Figure 5.1 Seven stages:
the honeymoon
hostility
humorous
in-sync
ambivalence
reentry culture shock
re-socialization

14. Peaks & Valleys
1) need to understand the peaks and valleys, or positive and negative shifts; the roller-coaster ride is part of the process
2) need to be aware and keep track of their instrumental, relational, and identity goals in the new culture
3) need to give themselves time and space to adjust
4) need to develop strong ties and weak ties to support themselves and seek help in times of crisis
5) need to reach out to participate in the host culture’s major cultural events and immerse themselves in a once-in-a-lifetime experience
model consist of back-and-forth looping movements

15. Reentry Culture Shock a.k.a Reverse Culture Shock
the realignment of one’s new identity with a once familiar home environment
Elements that affect reentry culture shock:
sojourners’ identity change
nostalgic and idealized images of their home culture
difficulty in reintegrating themselves into their old career path
letdown in their expectations as to close ties
family and friends’ lack of interest in listening
home culture’s demand for conformity
absence of change in the home culture

16. Resocialization Three profiles: Resocialized returnees
Alienated returnees
Proactive returnees

17. Culture Shock Article & Video
After reading Ch. 5 and the supplemental article, can you think of any additional ways to deal with/overcome/battle culture shock?
OR What do you think is the most important tip for managing culture shock?
Why is this video an example of culture shock? Provide at least one or two examples to support the following question.

18. Class 2: Week 13, May 31
First, let’s make a list of 33 countries/cultures/ethnicities together(not including any in China or America).
You can each give me one country/culture/ethnicity.
Now, I will write each on a piece of paper and we will each pick out one slip of paper from a bag.
The assignment is as follows:
Explore the perceptions, stereotypes, or generalizations you have for that country/culture/ethnicity.
After doing some general research (Wikipedia is acceptable), you will report your findings to the class. Are your perceptions, stereotypes, or generalizations true? Not true?
On May 31st, you will discuss your findings, NOT present them. No visuals allowed. I will also participate. 2-3 minutes worth of discussion.

19. Culture Shock group work
Find one real world example of culture shock.
Multimedia format such as video, photo, article, OR blog entry
Keep it short. You do not need to it to me prior to class. Therefore, you need to consider giving a VERY BRIEF summary.
Prepare to discuss your findings, observations, analysis, commentary etc., NOT present it.
Only one item per group

20. Week 11 Assignments Culture Shock group work assignment
Next week: Group work discussion, Deanna Kluger’s video followed by a writing task.
If time allows, we will analyze and discuss my own “group work” article(s),video(s), photo(s) or blog entry.