Relationship between

culture and personality,

the term of culture shock
What is culture shock?
• Culture shock is frequently linked to moving from one place to
another, such as when travelling abroad.
• It is the feeling of disorientation and discomfort a person feels when
moving from a familiar to an unfamiliar place. This can mean
immigrating to a new country, shifting to a different place in one’s
own country, or transitioning to a different type of life.

• Different cultures have different languages, food habits, social norms,

etc. These differences between the home culture and the new culture
are what cause culture shock. It can lead to feelings of isolation, a
sense of frustration, sleep disturbances, etc.
• The term “culture shock” was coined in the 1960s by the anthropologist
Kalervo Oberg. He defined it as “the psychological disorientation that most
people experience when they move for an extended period of time into a
culture markedly different from their own.” (1960).

• Another definition comes from John Scott, who defines it as “…the

experience of those suddenly immersed in a culture very different from their
own” (2014).

• Above, Scott extends the term to include physical and cognitive reactions
too, along with psychological ones.
 Reverse Culture Shock
• When individuals have spent a considerable amount of time in a new culture, they may also
experience reverse culture shock upon returning to their home culture. They get so
immersed in the new ways of life that the old (once familiar) ways of life begin to feel alien.

• The title of Thomas Wolfe’s novel—You Can’t Go Home Again—aptly describes this feeling.
Reverse culture shock usually consists of two parts:
• Idealization: When a person is in a new culture, they constantly reminisce about their time
in the home culture. All the bad fades away, and only good memories of the past remain,
creating an idealized version of home.
• Expectations: Because of their idealization, individuals imagine that their home is a perfect
place that will never change. But when they return, they realize that nothing is the same.
Even without them, the world has moved on, and this realization causes psychological
discomfort.
 When You Might Get Culture
Shock?
• Going on vacation: Going on vacation to a foreign country can cause culture
shock. While it is often an exciting experience, it can also get overwhelming.
Because of the language barrier, one finds it difficult to communicate with
the locals, especially while navigating or buying something. Plus, there may
be security concerns that one is not cautious about in a new culture; for
example, pickpocketing or scamming.
• Living in a foreign country: While vacations are short-lived (and often don’t
even go past the exciting “honeymoon phase”), living for longer periods can
pose greater challenges. The most fundamental aspects of one’s life, such as
grocery shopping or commuting, can be quite different from what one is
used to. Socializing is the biggest challenge because of the language barriers
and differences in social etiquette.
• Studying abroad: Students living alone in a foreign country face significant
culture shock. Without parental support, they can feel more anxious in
adjusting to a new culture, especially when the patterns of communication
are significantly different. Young et al. point out how this can have long-lasting
effects on students, so universities must provide well-rounded programs to
help them face these challenges.
• International business: Traveling abroad for business can be quite hectic.
There are physiological challenges as one needs to adjust to the different
working hours, food habits, etc. Plus, there is a need to get acquainted with
the communication style and customs while also keeping in mind the business
regulations. So, while international business can be a tremendous
opportunity, it can also involve culture shock.
WHAT IS WORKPLACE CULTURE
SHOCK?
• Culture shock is frequently linked to moving from one place to
another. Moving from one workplace to another or sustaining a toxic
work culture can be even more startling for employees.
• Finding the ideal work match extends beyond qualifications and
experience. Employees may experience anxiety upon starting a new
job as they adjust to working with new people, adopting new
procedures, and learning new rules. They might soon be in danger of
experiencing a culture shock at work.
4 stages of workplace culture
shock
• Honeymoon phase: During the first phase, the differences between
the home culture and the new culture seem quite fascinating. The
individual sees this new way of life in an almost romantic light, getting
enthralled by the change in weather, food habits, and social customs.
The individual is open-minded and confident about trying new things.
Person experiences elation and enthusiasm after being hired or
starting a new job. After the first few weeks, like all honeymoons, this
phase ends.
• Frustration (Negotiation) phase: After the first few months, the
individual sees the differences in a more realistic sense. Instead of
excitement, they now induce anxiety and frustration. Differences in
public hygiene, safety, and food quality increase the sense of
discomfort. There are physical challenges too: the circadian rhythm
gets disrupted (causing insomnia) and the glut flora has to adapt to
different levels of bacteria in food/water. The biggest challenge is
communication as people often feel incredibly lonely in this phase.
• At this stage, the fatigue of not coping with deadlines, work, and
expectations may be happening frequently. Fear of beginning and
taking on new challenges also hits at this stage.
• Adjustment phase: After six to twelve months, the individual learns to
cope with the differences and adapts to the new environment. They
know what to expect in most situations, and the new ways of life start
to feel normal. They develop routines and slowly create social support
systems. The new culture now starts to make sense, and they are able
to appreciate its positive qualities with a positive mindset. We call this
“cultural adaptation.”
• Frustrations are often subdued as the person begins to feel more
familiar and comfortable with the work culture, colleagues, and work
in the environment.
• Adaptation (Acceptance) phase: In this final stage, people are able to fully
participate in the host culture. This does not mean complete conversion as
they may still carry values and practices from their previous culture (like
accents). However, they are confident about their footing and begin to
thrive in the new culture. This phase is also called the biocultural stage as
individuals can expertly navigate the differences between two cultures.
• The final step of culture shock is acceptance, albeit this can sometimes take
weeks, months, or even years after dealing with the emotional stages
mentioned above. Acceptance doesn’t imply comprehension of new
cultures or places; rather, it denotes the understanding that some level of
familiarity is sufficient for one to adopt to and prosper in a new context.
Person has the familiarity and ability to gather the resources to feel at ease
during the acceptance stage.
Cultural acculturation
Cultural acculturation refers to the process of cultural change and
adaptation that occurs as a result of contact between different cultural
groups
 Acculturation vs Assimilation
Examples
Acculturation Assimilation
Learning a new language: Immigrants may learn the Learning a new language: Individuals who move from
language spoken in their new country to better integrate Mexico to the United States learn English to communicate
and understand those around them. If a person from and get along in their new home.
Japan moves to the United States, they may learn English
to communicate better.
Adopting new clothing styles: Upon relocating to a new Changing the way they dress: Immigrants may choose to
country, one may opt for wardrobe changes that better dress in clothing styles that are more common in their
reflect the local style. For instance, if an immigrant from a new home country. People who move from India to Japan
warmer climate moves to Norway, it would be wise—and may start dressing in the traditional kimono instead of
necessary—to invest in attire suited to colder traditional Indian clothes.
temperatures and weather conditions.
Eating new cuisine: Individuals may choose to try out new Substitution of traditional foods: Foods from one’s home
cuisines and dishes that they have not eaten before. country may no longer be available in the new
When someone from Mexico moves to India, they may try environment. So, a person who moves from Mexico to the
the local foods, such as curry. United States may start eating hamburgers instead of
tacos.
A CASE

The case study involves Paula Peters who is a woman from an African
country and has recently moved to Australia with her family. However,
as she encounters a culture different from her home country’s she
experiences culture shock. This report looks at the antecedents and
effects of her culture shock as well as evaluates Paula’s self-awareness
rating. Some recommendations on how to alleviate the issue will also
be provided.
After Paula arrived at Australia and went through a short period of
excitement, she soon realized there existed an extensive cultural gap
between Australia and her country. From the lens of the U-curve model by
Lysgaard (1995, cited in Fitzpatrick, 2017), Paula had already undergone
the “honeymoon” phase which involves a feeling of fascination triggered
by the entry to a new environment. She now reaches the second phase,
which is referred to as “crisis”. This is when the expatriate feels frustrated
and helpless in an unfamiliar cultural setting. Such a situation is called
culture shock. It occurs when a person is exposed to a new culture and
feels disoriented and confused (Moufakkir, 2013). This section explains the
antecedents of culture shock experienced by Paula.
It can be seen that Australia and Paula’s home countries are culturally distant,
which can be manifested through the differences in their national cultural
dimensions. The individualism versus collectivism dimension, one of the five
facets of national culture as identified by Hofstede (1991). While her culture
is characterized for collectivism, Australia is an individualistic culture.
According to Hofstede Insights (n.d), the individualism dimension of Australia
scores 90/100 points. In terms of workplace relationships, in a highly
individualistic culture like Australia, the relationship between an employer
and their employees is contractual. On the other hand, collectivist employees
often perceive themselves as members of an extended family and their
company should be able to look after the needs of their staff beyond the
terms and conditions in the contract (Braje, Klindžić and Galetić, 2019).
In addition, individualist employees are anticipated to display a certain degree of
independence and prioritize personal success while those from a collectivist
culture tend to place a stronger emphasis on collective work and are relatively
dependent on a social unit (Forsyth, 2013). Such a discrepancy has posed a great
challenge for Paula. To be more specific, previously, she might be used to rely on
the support of her colleagues and supervisors in the workplace. In the new
cultural setting, she lacks such support and is expected by both her peers and
boss to be self-reliant on her tasks. Moreover, individualistic societies differ from
collectivistic societies in the ability of grown-up family members to offer financial
support (Jeffrey, Greenhaus and Powell, 2016). Specifically, while in collectivist
families, one family member (often the father) can financially support his entire
family, every adult in individualistic cultures should have a job and fulfil his or her
financial obligation.
The case study also highlights the power distance dimension of national culture.
Australia has a low degree of power distance. This indicates that Australian companies
are attributable to a flat internal hierarchy, easy access to information and superiors as
well as a fairly equal distribution of power. In contrast, in collectivist organizations, the
communication flow is formal, the relationship between superior and subordinate is
polarised (Oliver and Foscarini, 2014). Even though Paula sees this change as an
opportunity for her to play a more participative role in the organization, she might have
to put much effort in adapting to the new organizational structure. She might not feel
comfortable engaging in informal and direct interactions with her superiors. It is also
worth mentioning that the cultural adaptation process of a newcomer can be affected
by his or her network in the host country (Zhou et al., 2008). It appears that Paula and
her family do not have any relationships with the locals prior to their departure. This
can contribute to her difficulty in adapting to the new environment.
The reason why her culture shock is so severe can be explained by the
fact that she was not prepared for her entry to a new cultural
environment. She also admitted that she had unrealistic expectations.
She should have conducted research on some typical attributes of
Australian cultures so that she might be more aware of the changes, and
thus, feel less overwhelmed. This is referred to as informal learning.
According to Noman et al. (2020), new technologies such as Google and
social media are deemed conducive to obtaining information about the
new culture. In addition, Paula should have known about the four stages
of culture shock, as the framework could help her to be better prepared
against relevant psychological impacts (Lin, Chen and Song, 2012).
How to Survive Workplace
Culture Shock?
• Be polite and friendly to everyone: Social interactions are crucial to
understanding the new workplace. You’re spending 40+ hours a week
with these people, so the best thing you can do is make my
environment as positive as possible. Besides –if they like you, you’ll
have a better likelihood of success – and of staying long-term.
• Emulate (copy) the culture: Instead of expecting your new co-workers
to adapt to your style, you’re adapting to theirs. This means getting
up much earlier than you’re used to, structuring your work, and
getting comfortable with uncomfortable silences.
• Let go of the past: Admittedly, I’m still coming to terms with the attachment I
have to my former life. I’ve gone from being a somebody to being much lower
on the food chain. I’ve had to shift my values from helping others get jobs to
helping my co-workers be better leaders and helping my team manage
change. We all reminisce, but lamenting on how the “grass was greener”
(even if it’s true) can be the anchor that sinks the ship. Instead, I’m focusing
on being optimistic for the future.
• Don’t join cliques: We all thought high school was over – not so! Whether
they’re called “cliques”, “networking groups”, or just certain people hanging
out together at the office, who we choose to align ourselves with will bring
opportunities (or not) and will say a lot about our reputations. My game plan
is to be neutral to everyone, especially at this early stage.
• Don’t take it personally: Most of my new co-workers haven’t been the new kid on
the block in a long time, and they’re getting to know me just as much as I’m getting
to know them. Thus, I’ve decided not to make mountains out of molehills, and
there’s a huge amount of freedom that comes from that.
• Manage stress: “Caving in” to new job stress means not having the resilience
necessary for long-term success. It’s important to get enough sleep, maintain a
healthy diet, and exercise regularly. For me, it’s also been very important to have a
support system and people I can “vent” to when needed. One great thing about my
new job is that I have a new friend who was on-boarded with me, and we’ve both
supported each other through the transition.
• Be patient: This is, by far, my most important lesson. In today’s world of instant
gratification, patience often takes a back seat, but it’s necessary to achieve a goal. It
took me several years to earn the accolades I did in my previous roles, and it will
take several months (minimum) to truly adjust to my new surroundings. No one can
expect success overnight.
IN SHORT…
• Be friendly but protect yourself.
• Be willing to step out of your comfort zone.
• Be optimistic for the future.
• Be neutral to everyone, let them set their own scores.
• Don’t take it personally, focus on your self-improvement.
• Manage your stress, find field of interests that calm you and pursue them.
• Accept differences.
• Be patient.
• You’ll see everything will gonna be ok…Everything must pass, this too shall
pass…
REFERENCES
• https://hrsea.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/workpla
ce-culture-shock-which-stage-are-you-at/94028790
• https://edubirdie.com/examples/cross-cultural-shock-case-study-from
-a-cultural-perspective
/
• https://atopcareer.com/survive-workplace-culture-shock/
#:~:text=Culture%20shock%20occurs%20when%20we,us%20into
%20a%20stronger%20person.