Cross-Cultural Training

Lesson 7: Culture Shock

Stages of culture shock

Geert Hofestede describes the stages of culture such as the following:

Stage 1: During the first stage you are excited about living in your new culture and you welcome the changes you see. “Oh, these people eat so much healthier than we do. Their city is more beautiful. I’m going to like it here.” These feelings are similar to what you experience when you visit a foreign country on holiday or for a business trip.

Stage 2: This is when culture shock sets in. The excitement and the newness is gone. You are now finding daily frustrations and challenges as you try to function in your new society. People don’t understand you, you can’t even find the most “common “ things you are looking for, and you want waffles for breakfast but no one even knows what they are! On top of this, you are no longer treated as an honored guest. You are now expected to do things on your own. These frustrations can quickly lead to feelings of dread and withdrawal. You don’t even want to go out to do things because you are already imagining all of the problems you will have. It’s just easier to stay home.

Stage 3: This is the beginning of the adjustment stage. You still may face frustrations, but at least you’re learning to function within the context of your new culture. It may mean not being so upset if someone arrives “late” or even being “late” yourself at times. It may mean “standing in line” the same way your fellow countrymen do and not feeling guilty about it or not being upset when someone “breaks” the line and is served when you’ve already been standing there for 10 minutes. This stage takes work and some people never make it, but if you do, you will most likely be well on your way to Stage 4.

Stage 4: This stage is when you have reached a stable state of mind meaning that you have permanently adjusted to your new culture. That doesn’t mean you like it. You can dislike it (you’ll never feel like you’re a part of it), you can be neutral (you may not agree with the way things are done and you aren’t going to give up your beliefs and values, but you understand why they do what they do and you can operate within that context), or you may think that everything is so great about your new culture that you abandon your own and “go native.” It seems to be the general consensus that being neutral towards your new culture is the healthiest form of adjustment.

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