Culture shock: its 6 phases and characteristics

Mobilization and cultural exchange are characteristic phenomena of general human societies. They have generated, among other things, the need to rearrange the ways of relating and identifying ourselves. Said rearrangement is a process that might seem simple, but is characterized by significant experiences of wonder, estrangement, and even some discomfort; what we know as “culture shock”.

Next we will see in more detail what is a culture shock, what elements compose it according to sociology and psychology, and what are the stages by which it is characterized.

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What is a culture shock?

The term "shock" can refer to a violent confrontation, a confrontation, an impact, a friction, or a feeling of strangeness. In this sense, a “culture shock” can be defined as a feeling of strangeness that occurs due to the confrontation between different cultures. As it is a confrontation, the culture shock can be visible from different phases and can also generate psychological and social conflicts.

For example, njnjf tell us that the term culture shock also refers to the state of disorientation and frustration generated by the recognition of the differences that exist between cultures. Said recognition can imply surprise, stress, anxiety, nostalgia, anger, uncertainty, helplessness and a feeling of incompetence.

On the other hand, García and Verdú (2008) tell us that culture shock is an inherent and characteristic conflict of the global context of the 21st century, which among other things has distinguished itself by a cosmopolitan discourse that defends the advantages of globalization and cultural exchange. These advantages, however, converge with a series of psychosocial elements that force the internalization of new norms and values, as well as the rearrangement of imaginaries and identities.

3 characteristic elements of culture shock

Culture shock is a phenomenon that occurs on the margins of the scenario where the integration of different cultures takes place. For this reason, it is an experience that especially accompanies the migratory process, where it is inevitable to face new forms of communication, new social hierarchies, new identities and cultural codes.

However, culture shock can occur beyond migration; for example, during the meeting of two people with different cultural ancestry but who have shared the same belonging group since birth. In both cases, the culture shock generates, firstly, strangeness and, secondly, the need to rearrange the codes of interaction. To explain this we will see below Some elements that characterize culture shock.

1. Language and communication

It is to be expected that one of the elements that can facilitate or hinder the experience of culture shock is language. Facing a different language and the communicative difficulties that this poses is one of the factors that can cause culture shock to be experienced with a greater or lesser intensity. The same can occur non-verbal language elements such as gestures or postures or body shapes that are expected within one culture and not in another.

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2. Modify interaction codes

Communicative encounters are mediated by different interaction codes. Thus, a person who speaks natively the language of a duty station, does not necessarily share the integration rules of that place.

For the latter to take place, a negotiation of the interaction codes must also occur. For example, of the roles, the ways of speaking or moving, the ways of greeting or saying goodbye, gratitude, manners and space transit rules, among others.

3. Identity

This ultimately has an impact on the individual and collective identification process, that is, on the ethnic identity of origin that is necessarily articulated with the behavioral expectations of the culture of destination.

The people involved modify through communicative encounters their own representation about themselves. In addition to linguistic and communication skills, this representation includes tastes, desires, interests, lifestyles. It also has to do with a process of rearranging the imaginaries of both the society of origin and the society of destination.

Culture shock in the migratory process

As we have said, culture shock is a phenomenon that occurs almost inevitably in the migratory process. For this reason, it is in this context that different studies have been developed from sociology and psychology. García and Verdú (2008), for example, tell us about 7 stages that are characteristic of the culture shock surrounding the migration event.

Specifically, these stages have to do with the evolution of the imaginary of the society of reference and the society of belonging of the person who migrates:

1. Idealization

In the beginning there is a utopia about international migration; where fanciful images of migration processes are articulated (which have to do with the idea of ​​"better opportunities" and "trying your luck"), with the imaginaries of the society of origin that are generally negative.

2. Frustration

A stage of disappointment or frustration follows, where the initial illusions or aspirations are confronted with the exclusion systems and the real difficulties for integration.

3. Yearning

A phase of idealization of the place of origin continues, which is characterized by a process is longing for family or friends and of the codes that are part of the reference communicative encounter.

4. Fusion

After the idealization and before the permanence in the place of destination, the process of maintaining certain cultural practices of their own, and at the same time incorporate practices of the society of belonging.

5. Solidarity

This converges with new survival strategies, which consist of create migratory support networks, often centered on the nuclear family. At the same time there is a process of psychological adaptation and cultural learning of the knowledge and skills that are necessary for socialization.

6. Settlement

As a result, the need to articulate the sensation of stability in the destination society becomes visible (with the permanence both positive and negative aspects), and its correlate that frequently goes in the opposite direction on the country of origin.