-
Culture Shock
Do
you
think
studying
in
a
different
country
is
something
that
sounds
very
exciting?
Are
you
like
many
young
people
who
leave
home
to
study
in
another
country
thinking
you
will
have
lots
of
fun?
Certainly,
it
is
a
new
experience,
which
brings
the
opportunity
to
discover
fascinating
things
and
a
feeling
of
freedom.
In
spite
of
these
Because your
advantages, however, there are also
some challenges you will encounter.
countries,
views may
clash
with the different
beliefs, norms, values and
traditions
that exist in
different
you may have difficulty
adjusting to a new culture and to those parts of
the
At least four essential stages of
culture not familiar to you. This is
called
adjustment
occur
during culture shock.
The first stage is called
ho
neymoon
different place, and
everything seems to be
marvelous
. You like
everything, and everybody
seems to be
so nice to you.
ending.
Eventually, however, the
second stage of culture shock appears.
This is
hostility
Also, the
amusement
of life in a new
culture seems to have no
stage
You become tired of
many things about the new culture.
Moreover
, people don't treat
you
like a guest
anymore
. Everything that
seemed to be so wonderful at first is now awful,
everything makes you feel
distressed
and tired.
Usually at
this point in your adjustment to a new culture,
type of coping mechanism is called
repression
you
devise
some defense
and
mechanisms
to
help you
cope
and to protect
yourself against the effects of culture shock. One
This happens when
you
pretend that
everything is
acceptable
and that nothing
bothers you. Another type of defense mechanism
is
called
regression
This
occurs
when
you
start
to
act
as
if
you
are
younger
than
you
actually are; you act
like a child. You forget everything, and sometimes
you become careless
and
irresponsible
. The third
kind of defense mechanism is called
isolation
rather
be home alone, and you don't want to communicate
with anybody.
you try to avoid the
effects of culture shock, or at least that's what
you think.
You would
Isolation is
With isolation,
one of the worst coping mechanisms you
can use because it separates you from those things
that could really help you. The last
type of defense mechanism is called
rejection
coping
mechanism, you think you don't need anybody. You
feel you are coping fine alone, so
you
don't try to ask for help.
The
defense
mechanisms
you
utilize
in
the
hostility
stage
are
not
helpful.
If
you
only
occasionally use one of
these coping mechanisms to help yourself survive,
that is acceptable.
You
must
be
cautious,
however.
These
mechanisms
can
really
hurt
you
because
prevent you from
making necessary adjustments to the new culture.
After you
deal
with your
hostile
feelings,
recognition
of the
temporary
nature of culture
you
try
to
develop
comprehension
of
everything
you
don't
you recover from the
they
shock begins. Then you
come to the third stage called
recovery
feeling
more
positive,
and
understand. The whole
situation starts to become more
favorable
;
beliefs and traditions of the new
country.
symptoms
of the
first two stages, and you adjust yourself to the
new norms, values, and even
You begin
to see that even though the
distinction