Intercultural Communications Chapter 5

A stressful transitional period when individuals move from a familiar culture environment to an unfamiliar one

Affectively: often feel anxiety, bewilderment,confusion, disorientation, and intense desire to be somewhere else

Behaviorally: They are confused as to norms and rules that guide comm appropriateness and effectiveness.

Cognitively: they lack competence to interpret or explain :bizarre" behaviors

psychosomatic problems (headache, etc) caused by prolonged stress

2.affective upheavals consisting of feelings of loneliness, isolation, depression, mood swings and interaction awkwardness caused by the inability to perform well in the new language

1. a sense of identity lose and deprivation

2. identity strain as a result of the effort required to make necessary psychological adaptations

3.identity rejection by members of the new culture

4.identity confusion, especially regarding role ambiguity and unpredictability

5.identity powerlessness as a result as not being able to cope with the new environment

•Personal Expectations

•Cultural Distance

•Psychological Adjustment

•Sociocultural Adjustment

•Communication Competence

•Personality Attributes

2. Keep expectations realistic andincrease familiarity with diverse facetsof new culture. 3. Increase linguistic fluency andappropriateness and understand corevalues linked to specific behaviors.

4.Work on tolerating ambiguity and other flexibility attributes.

5.Develop close friends and acquaintanceship to manage identitystress and loneliness.

6. Be mindful of suspending ethnocentricevaluations of interpersonal behaviorsof host culture.

1. initial adjustment: optimistic or elation phase

2.Crisis: stressful phase when sojourners are overwhelmed by own incompetence

3.Regained adjustment: settling-in phase, involving effective coping

A.Honeymoon “Everything is Beautiful”

B.Hostility “Everything is Ugly”

C.Humorous “Everything is Quite Funny”

D.In-Sync “Everything is OK”

E.Ambivalence “Everythingis Sweet & Sour”

F.Re-Entry Culture Shock “Everythingis Off Center”

G.Re-Socialization “Everythingis Home Again… Maybe?!”

> individuals with voluntary motivations tend to manage their culture shock experience more effectively.

>individuals with involuntary motivations tend not to manage their culture shock effectively.

When a person has realistic expectation and positive expectation they are more likely to have a easier culture shock experience.

Tends to be more severe when the cultural distance is high. (values, language, verbal styles, nonverbal gestures, learning styles, decision-making styles, conflict negotiating styles, religious and sociopolitical/ economic systems)

BUT: when there is a low cultural distance expectancy there can be more problems because the small details are looked over.

Is the feeling of well-being and satisfaction. Ways to cope with highs levels of stress to to have positive self-talk strategies and positive situational appraisal strategies. i.e giving yourself a reward fro learning new things in a culture and changing the way you see things like a "mean" french teacher to the french teacher who pushes you to learn more.

Refers to the ability to fit in and execute appropriate and effective interaction in a new cultural environment. The willingness of the host country and its people play a large part, the friendship networks also help with the feeling of hopelessness.

Critical components for adjustment

-cultural-sensitive knowledge

-motivation to adapt

-the activation of apporate and effective communication skills

-the mastery of culture-based contextual rules

-the achievement of conjoint outcomes between the intercultural communicators.

Personality traits play a role in the success-fullness of a intercultural exchange. If an individual is more independent they should be put in a culture that share the same values while an individual who is interdependent should be fitted accordingly