Cross-Cultural Conflict and Adjustment

From Beyond the Language:
Cross-Cultural Communication.
by Deena R. Levine and Mara B.Adelman.
2nd edition

"What a wonderful country. People are so friendly.
I love it here. It's better than back home!"
Newcomer (After One Month in the United States)

"They do everything backwards here. I can't make friends.
I feel irritated all day long. Nothing's the same. I miss my own country."
The Same Newcomer (After Seven Months in the United States)

Pre-Reading Vocabulary

1. Definitions
The words "to adjust" and "to adapt" both deal with changing to meet the demands of a new situation,
a. to adjust: to change in order to fit
b. to adapt: to make fit or suitable by changing or adjusting
Discussion: To what extent, if at all, does a person have to change in order to adjust or adapt to a new culture? Must an individual's personality change for the adjustment to be successful?

2. Definitions
a. elation: great happiness ("up")
b. depression: great sadness ("down")
Discussion: In which situations (in another culture) are people's feelings sometimes like a roller coaster ride?

3. Definition
culture shock: the response that an individual may have in a new country; the person may feel confused and disoriented, and every aspect of daily life may be difficult Discussion: Going to live in another country means that a person will be "uprooted." When you plant a tree or flower and then move it to another place, what happens? Are there always problems'? Are there ways to minimize these problems? What happens when a person is taken by the "roots" and moved?

4. Definitions
a. integrate: to become a part or a member of b. carbon copy: an exact copy; the same as another Discussion: Some people say, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." Do you agree? Should people in a new culture try to retain some of their own culture, or should they become just like the "Romans"?

A Fish Out of Water

"A fish out of water": This expression has been used to describe someone who is living in a new culture.' Such a person will experience a variety of 'emotional "ups and downs" lasting from weeks to years. Cultural "adjustment can indeed be difficult, and newcomers adjust in many different ways. In thinking about how someone will adjust to a new culture, the following questions should be considered:
1. Motivation: Why did the person leave his or her native country? Did the person have a choice, or was he or she forced to leave for political, religious, or economic reasons?
2. Length of stay: How long will the person be in the new country?
3. Language and cultural background: How similar are the language and culture of the new country to the person's native language and culture?
4. Language and cultural knowledge: How well does the newcomer speak the language and understand the culture of the new country?
5. Personality: How flexible and tolerant is the newcomer?
6. Relationships with others: How much support from either family or friends does the newcomer have?
7. Financial situation: What financial resources does the person have?
8. Job: Does the newcomer have a job? Is it a lower status job than the one the person had in the native country?
9. Age: How old is the person?
10. Degree of 'ethnocentrism; How ethnocentric is the newcomer? Does this person think that the new culture is inferior to his or her culture of origin"? To what degree does the newcomer consider everything back home to be "normal" and everything in the new environment to be "strange"?
One might predict that the easiest and fastest adjustment would be made by the flexible, tolerant person who had chosen to come to the new country and who had a job. Additionally, adjustment would be easier for someone whose culture and language are similar to those of the new country. Finally, a person who has a lot of support from friends and family would probably adjust more quickly. Undoubtedly, in many cases, these would be good predictors of a relatively smooth adjustment. However, sometimes there are surprises in people's cultural adaptation to a new country.

 Unpredictable Cultural Adjustment

Some newcomers to a society do well in their first year of cultural adjustment. However, they may have a more difficult time later. Perhaps they expected the second year to be as easy and successful as the first year, but are not prepared to deal with obstacles that arise during the second year. Those who had problems from the beginning may actually find the second year easier because they are used to solving problems. They expect difficulties and aren't surprised by them.

There is yet another unpredictable variable in cultural adjustment. Sometimes people come to a second culture speaking the new language very well, but still do not have an easy adjustment. The newcomers think that because they have a good grasp of the language, they will not have much difficulty. In addition, if people think that the new country is very similar to their 'country of origin when, in fact, it is not, they may actually adapt more slowly. This is because the newcomers only imagine the 'similarity between the two cultures. Therefore they may deny that differences exist. Cultural differences do not go away, of course, just because a person denies that they exist

A Ride on a Roller Coaster

What happens to someone living in a different culture? The experience can be like riding a roller coaster. People can experience both elation and depression in a very short period. They can 'vacillate between loving and hating the new country. Often, but not always, there is an initial period when newcomers feel enthusiasm and excitement. The cultural differences they experience at first can be fascinating rather than troubling. At first, there is often a high level of interest and motivation because the newcomers are eager to become familiar with the new culture. Life seems exciting, novel, exotic, and stimulating. However, after a while, the newness and strangeness of being in another country can influence emotions in a negative way. Many people in a new culture do not realize that their problems, feelings, and mood changes are common.

When people are immersed in a new culture, "culture shock" is a typical response. They should anticipate that they will probably feel "bewildered and disoriented at times. This is normal when people neither speak the language nor understand the details of daily behavior. The newcomer may be unsure, for example, about when to shake hands or when to 'embrace. In some cases, it may even be difficult to know when a person means "yes" or "no."

After all, people can become overwhelmed when deprived of everything that was once familiar. The adult trying to become familiar with another culture may feel like a child. Stress, fatigue, and tension are common symptoms of culture shock. In most cases, however, at least a partial adjustment takes place. This adjustment (even if incomplete) allows the newcomer to function and sometimes succeed in the new country. Certainly, there are many examples of successful adjustment among refugees, immigrants, and others who have settled in the United States. Many have made very notable contributions to American society.

From Honeymoon to Culture Shock to Integration
Reactions to a new culture vary, but experience and research have shown that there are distinct stages in the adjustment process. Visitors coming for short periods do not always experience the same 'intense emotions as do immigrants from another country. A short-term adjustment for a one-year stay in a country could be represented by the following W-shaped diagram. 

The "W" pattern of adjustment can also apply to longer stays (including permanent ones) in another culture. Each stage in the adjustment process is characterized by symptoms or outward signs typifying certain kinds of behavior:
1. Honeymoon period: Initially many people are fascinated and excited by everything in the new culture. The newcomer is elated to be experiencing a new culture. Interestingly, this level of elation may not be reached again.
2. Culture shock: The individuals are immersed in new problems: housing, transportation, employment, shopping, and language. Mental fatigue results from continuously 'straining to understand the new language and culture.
3. Initial adjustment: Everyday activities such as housing and shopping are no longer major problems. The visitors may not yet be fluent in the spoken 
language, but they can now express their basic ideas and feelings.
4. Mental isolation: Individuals have been away from their family and good friends for a long time and may feel lonely. Many cannot express themselves as well as they could in their native language. Frustration and sometimes a loss of self-confidence result. Some individuals remain at this stage, particularly if they haven't been able to find a job.
5. Acceptance and 'integration: A routine (e.g., work, business, or school) has been established. The newcomers have become accustomed to the habits, customs, foods, and characteristics of the people in the new culture. They feel comfortable with friends, associates, and the language in the new country.

The Adjustment Process in a New Culture

Individuals experience the stages of adjustment in different ways. Some people never experience a "honeymoon" period because the circumstances of their coming to a new country may have been too painful. In addition, certain stages last longer for some than for others, depending on such factors as the newcomer's personality, age, language and cultural competence, support from family and friends, financial situation, job status, and motivation for being in the new country

Can a person accelerate or skip some of the more difficult stages of adjustment? Some people can, yet others cannot. This depends on individuals' ability to "cope with changes in their life. Change is easier for some people than for others. Whenever people happen to be experiencing a negative stage of adjustment, they must be extremely patient and let time do its work.

How do people know that they are having problems adjusting to the new culture? Typical "symptoms" include the following:

1. Homesickness
2. Inability to work well
3. Too much eating, drinking, or sleeping
4. Anger toward the members of the new culture
5. 'Glorifying the native culture and emphasizing the negative in the new 
culture
6. Withdrawal and avoidance of contact with people from the new culture
7. Lack of ability to deal with even small problems.

To a certain extent, all of these reactions are normal, and, in a healthy adjustment, should be relatively short-term. When these responses last a long time or become exaggerated, the person may find it difficult to function on a daily basis. The above list is not complete. The reader can probably think of more "symptoms."

One of the most important things a newcomer can do to facilitate adjustment is to try to develop social relationships with people from one's own country, with other newcomers, and with members of the new culture. It is essential to try to develop a group of people with whom one can share new experiences. This is perhaps one of the fastest ways to begin to feel more at ease in another country. 

Sometimes newcomers are eager to integrate and choose to give up their own culture. (Some people refer to this as "going native.") Others are fearful of cultural change and cling even more strongly to their own cultural traditions. Both giving up one's own culture and clinging to one's traditions may be extreme behavior. Studies on cross-cultural adjustment suggest that maintaining a balance between two cultural patterns of behavior and beliefs can be helpful in the long term.

If newcomers try to become aware of cultural differences and make some modifications without attempting to change their basic personality, they will probably adjust fairly well to the new society. Especially in the United States, where there is already so much diversity, the newcomer doesn't need to become a “carbon copy” of an American in order to be a part of the society. Newcomers can retain their individuality while becoming aware of differences. And, of course, some changes will have to be made. Feeling like a "fish out of water" shouldn't last 
forever.

Cultural Re-entry Adjustment

A cultural readjustment process occurs when visitors return to their native countries, although the stages are usually shorter and less intense than those of adjustment to a new culture. The following W-shaped diagram illustrates reactions and emotions experienced when people leave a foreign country and return to their own.

As in the diagram of the adjustment process in a new culture (see p. 2), each stage in the reentry process is characterized by certain symptoms and feelings:
1. Acceptance and integration: A routine has been established in the new culture. The foreigner has accepted and is comfortable with cultural differences.
2. Return anxiety: There may be confusion and emotional pain about leaving because friendships will have to be disrupted. Many people realize how much they have changed because of their experiences and may be nervous about going home.
3. Return honeymoon: Immediately upon arrival in the person's home country, there is generally a great deal of excitement. There are parties to welcome back the visitor, and friendships are renewed.
4. Re-entry shock: Family and friends may not understand or appreciate what the traveler has experienced. The native country or city may have changed in the eyes of the traveler.
5. Reintegration: The former traveler becomes fully involved with friends, family, and activities, and once again feels integrated in the society. At this stage many people realize the positive and negative aspects of both countries, and have a more balanced perspective about their experiences.

The “Re-entry Adjustment Process”(p.2)
 
The article was sent by Oksanka_NYC .