As the family became immersed with the traditions of contemporary American culture, they began to forge conflicting identities and values, which led to the dissolution of the family. One effect of culture shock was the dramatic changes in family relationships, which were caused by conflicting values among family members. This family matter was the primary struggle throughout the novel. Another aspect of culture shock is the life style changes a person undergoes when transitioning into a new foreign culture. A person is likely to change certain ways of living in order to survive in the new country. In the novel each girl slowly deviated from certain traditional Dominican cultural values that she grew up with. This typically causes emotional distress, identity loss, and inability to adjust. The most prevalent form of cultural clash is a language barrier. The person who is moving into a foreign country usually must learn the countries native language and customs in order to successfully communicate with citizens of the domestic country. Another impact associated with cultural shock is the difficulty to accept prevalent values and beliefs within the foreign culture. Identity loss occurs when a person feels as if his or her identity has become replaced or eliminated due to a change in social status or place in society.…
Culture shock is an inevitably phenomenon which occurs commonly in our daily life. I believe that most of us have experienced culture shock by one way or others but some of us did not notice its influences in our life, and some even did not recognize it. In this paper, I will discuss about the pros and cons of culture shock. I will also tell you about my sparkling experience of culture shock to illustrate these pros and cons in more detailed and realistic approach.…
The word ‘CULTURE’ has been derived from the Latin word ‘CULTURA’ which means to cultivate, to grow (Harper 2010). Anthropologist Edward B. Taylor, defines culture as “That complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits.” (O’Neil 2006). This is the basic premise that beliefs, morals, and customs are all based on one’s culture. In the essay, “No Place Like Home” by Neil Bissoondath, the author describes how multiculturalism creates uneasiness on different levels to immigrants in Canada. The author points that Canada’s Multicultural Act, focuses on cultural uniqueness rather than cultural integration that has provided for stereotypes and other problems for ethnic minorities in the country. Bissoondath is describing people of different cultures are put into different genres regardless of where they come from. Any disorientation, uneasiness, and insecurity they feel when they encounter cultures radically different from their own such as religion, skin colour, language, lifestyle, is considered to be culture shock. 2…
The documentary movie “Cold Water”, produced by Noriko Ogami in 1986, demonstrates how different people feel and what kind of experiences they have when they first come to live in the U.S. All of those people have something in common about their experiences in a new culture; all of them experiences culture shock in some ways. Dr. Robert Kohls, the Executive Director of Washington International Center, describes a state of being in a culture shock as “when you realize by living in a new culture that your own values are being brought into question.” He farther states that when individuals step into another culture, they begin to doubt their own values. Values, which they were taught about by their relatives and environment. Immigrants begin to question those values because they see that values of people from different culture are different and work well for those people. Due to this, immigrants realize that they have to adjust to new values and even act as they are their own. However, it is hard to be themselves if they have to change their perspective. This is what happens when individuals experience culture shock.…
Among expatriates culture shock is a term in common usage. It describes the discomforting responses one may have while re-adjusting culturally to one 's home culture in repatriation. That distress tends to result in disorientation and emotional challenges. When one passes through that cultural adjustment process, it is said that person has acculturated.…
Culture Shock: The reaction people may have when encountering cultural traditions different from their own.…
• Describe a personal experience you have had where you experienced culture shock. What components of culture were you shocked by?…
Cultural shock can be an extremely, emotionally overwhelming, causing people to be home sick, overly concerned about hygiene, feeling the new place is dirty, and people become easily irritated. Irritation comes from things that used to be minor such as going to the bank, using the phone, or asking for directions, to things that become very difficult. Other symptoms associated with cultural shock are loss of identity, lack of confidence, or feeling of inadequacy.…
Kelly is an American woman that has been given an assignment and been sticking to it, trying to fix things out. at the same time ,she is risking her life, her children’s life and her husband’s work and life aswell ,she may lose her own job or atleast her promised promotion if she doesn’t succeed in the assignment .…
How do people cope when everything they know has changed, when the language they speak is unintelligible to many of the people around them? Their mannerisms and customs make others treat them as if they were dangerous, suspicious, odd, and maybe even less intelligent. Over time, they begin to adjust, but the only way to fit in is to give up parts of their previous culture, language, and customs. This adjustment is difficult and painful, causing stress and sometimes maladaptive coping responses.…
References: Bochner, S. (2003). Culture shock due to contact with unfamiliar cultures. Found in W. J. Lonner, D. L. Dinnel, S. A. Hayes, & D. N. Sattler (Eds.), Online Readings in Psychology and Culture (Unit 8, Chapter 7), Center for Cross-Cultural Research, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington USA. Accessed 1st September 2008, from http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~culture/Bochner.htm…
I would best describe Culture Shock as a roller coaster ride- fun and exciting, yet a little scary and daunting. It happens from Country to Country, from state to state, city to city and within neighborhoods. Not everybody experiences it in the exact same way. Culture Shock occurs when one enters an unfamiliar place where cultural traits, social norms, beliefs and customs may not be in line with what they are familiar with. Wikipedia best describes Culture Shock in four phases; the Honeymoon, Negotiation, Adjustment and the Mastery Phase, and I've experienced them all firsthand and can attest to their importance from an Anthropological standpoint.…
What is culture shock? Culture shock is primarily a set of emotional reactions to the loss of perceptual reinforcements from one 's own culture, to new cultural stimuli which have little or no meaning. (Adler, 1975) In layman 's terms, culture shock is the anxiety resulting from losing one 's sense of when to do what and how. (Pederson, 1988) There are many different ways to experience culture shock. It can be experienced across the world or as near as one 's backyard. Many Americans would venture that they consider themselves very culturally accepting. Often, when these same Americans travel abroad, they experience culture shock. It is not always a negative thing. Often it is just the shock of being in a place that is completely different in every way from anything one has ever known. Culture shock is a widely experienced phenomenon when people enter a different country.…
I chose culture shock for my discussion in this assignment. I will discuss the definition of Culture shock and how it affects people. I will also discuss some theories and in the end I will give a short story from my own experience.…
“Culture shock is primarily a set of emotional reactions to the loss of perceptual reinforcements from one's own culture, to new cultural stimuli which have little or no meaning, and to the misunderstanding of new and diverse experiences” (p. 13).…