TEMPLATE

Culture is a description of how people experience themselves and others, individually and in groups. It is defined by a wide variety of beliefs, behaviours and values, such as social customs, ethnicity, language, cuisine, religion and the arts.

Culture shock springs from a failure to identify with one's social environment. It describes the impact of moving from a familiar culture to one which is unfamiliar. It usually happens when people travel to a different country and encounter forms of behaviour or custom that are alien to them. It may be intensified by such differences as climate, food and dress, It can, however, occur even when travelling within one's own country and is particularly prevalent nowadays given the growing movements of different ethnic groups between countries.

There are habitually recognised to be several stages in the development of culture shock. Here are some of the more common:

1. The Honeymoon Stage. The excitement of being in a new environment, exposed to unusual experiences, while still being "protected" by the closeness - in memory at least - of the culture you have left.

2. Post-honeymoon. The feeling of being shielded by your own culture is wearing off, and you begin to feel isolated.

3. The Frustration Stage. You have lost the feeling of support from family and friends and are beginning to realise how great are the differences from what you are used to.

4. The Adjustment Stage. You are beginning to feel like an "old hand". Differences from your own culture are no longer quite so weird. You may be in contact with other people from your own - or another diverse - culture, and can display pride at your assimilation.

5. The Acceptance Stage. Difficult situations have become normalised and you can now trust your self to cope with them.

There are, however, ways in which the effects of culture shock may be minimized. Here, for example, are some suggestions provided to Australian students travelling abroad to study:

* Maintain contact with home until you have reached the Adjustment Stage. Balance this with trying to adapt to the new environment.

* Take regular exercise and eat a healthy and balanced diet, including some familiar food.

* Make friends with other students who are also from another culture - even if not your own - so you can share your feelings.

* Use the help and services that are available through your learning institution and local community.

It is also possible to experience a "reverse culture shock" after having totally assimilated in your new culture, whereby the same cultural shocks as were previously experienced may be repeated when returning to one's home environment. This could feel even more shocking to anyone experiencing it than did the original shock, and explains why some people are advised when living abroad either to restrict their absence from home to a specific period, or be prepared never to return home again.

It is interesting in this connection to note the comments made (via the Wikipedia article) on cross-cultural competence as applied to overseas students:

A salient issue, especially for people living in countries other than their native country, is the issue of which culture they should follow. Should they try to fit in and adapt to the culture surrounding them, or should they hold on to their native culture and try to avoid interacting with the culture surrounding them? This issue is increasingly common today. Globalization has caused immigration rates to rise sharply for most developed and developing countries. In a country that is strange to them, immigrants are surrounded by a culture that does not belong to them.

International students also face this issue. They have a choice of modifying their cultural boundaries and adapting to the culture around them or holding on to their native culture and surrounding themselves with people from their own country. The students who decide to hold on to their native culture are those who experience the most problems in their university life and who encounter frequent culture shocks. But international students who adapt themselves to the culture surrounding them (and who interact more with domestic students) will increase their knowledge of the domestic culture, which may help them to "blend in" more. Such individuals may be said to have adopted bicultural identities.