2b Culture Shock-The Initial Stresses.doc.doc

Unit2TextBCultureShockTheInitialStressesMyfriendDr.DonghadawonderfulchancetogotoSeattletopresentapaperataprofessionalmeeting.HavingattendedmycourseinInterculturalCommunications,heconsultedmetoreviewsomeoftheculturaldifferenceshemightexperience.Ialsogavehimthephonenumberofafriendofminewholivedinthearea.Whenhegotback,wemettoreviewhisexperience.Dr.Dongtoldmethatthecourseinformationhadhelpedhim.Heexperiencedthetypicalstagesofcultureshock.Hearrivedexpectantandhappyandenjoyedhisfirstdaysverymuch.Atthemedicalconference,hefeltquiteconfidentofhisareaofresearchandwasabletoperformwellinhispresentation.Butafterafewdays,hebegantofeeluncomfortable.HismedicalEnglishwasfine,butthesocialinteractionskillsweredifferent,andhewasunsureofthecuesandthecommunicationstyles.HeworriedmoreandmorethathewasmisunderstandingsimpleEnglishgreetingsandtabletalkconventions.Whenpeoplegreetedhimwhit,“Hi,howsitgoing?”hethoughttheyhadaskedhim“whereareyougoing?”andansweredwiththenameoftheconferencehall,onlytogetaconfusedstarefromthem.Atawesternstyledinner,acolleagueasked,“SohowreyouenjoyintheStates?”hethoughthehead,“Sohowareyouenjoyingyoursteak?”andansweredthathewashavingchicken,notbeef.Thattime,hiscolleaguesmiled,andpatientlyrepeatedthequestion.Atlast,theybothlaughedattheerror.Suchfailuresinunderstandingsandcommunicationswereminor.ButforDr.Dong,theywerethebeginningofasenseof“culturalconfusion”.Bytheendofthemeetings,hefeltadeepsenseof“culturalstress”andwaswornoutfromhavingtopayattentiontosomanynewexpressionsandwaysofdealingwiththings.HefelthishandshakewasnotasfirmasAmericans,foundthatpeoplereactedunusuallywhenhemodestlyinsistedhisEnglishwasnotgoodaftertheycomplimentedhim,didntknowhowtoacceptdinnerinvitationsproperlyandthereforemissedoutongoingtoseverallunches,andsoon.Eventually,hewassobewilderedthathefeltthefullimpactof“cultureshock”.Whatiscultureshockandwhydoesitoccur?Thetermwascoinedabout50yearsagobyaSwedishscholar.Hisseminalarticle,“CultureShock:AdjustmenttoNewCulturalEnvironments”hasbeenreprintedandrevisedformanytextbooksandmagazines.Hecalledit”theoccupationaldiseaseofpeoplewhohavebeensuddenlytransplantedabroad”.Hisuseoftheword“disease”isapun,becauseitimpliesthatitislikean“illness”withitsown“symptomsandcure”,butalsothattherootcauseisalsoafeelingof“dis-“easeorunsettleduneasiness.Thinkbackonyourownexperience.Haveyouevermovedfromonecontexttoanother?Manystudentsfeelthisadjustmentshockwhentheychangefromoneschooltoanother,ormorefromasmalltowntoabigcity.Thesensationsonefeelsinnewsurroundingsofteninclude:Feelinglikeanoutsider,feelingunsureofoneselforevenfeelingstupid；Sensingthatoneslanguageskillsarentgoodenough,missingjokes,colloquialphrases,referencestoTVshowsorpopsongsorothercultural“insider”information；Feelinguneasyandunsettled,irritableandincreasinglyshort-tempered；Feelinglonelyandwantingtogo“home”,feelingmoreandmorelikeastrangeroroutcast；Feelingoverwhelmed,overloaded,daydreaming,staringblanklyatthingsorevenstaringatnothing；Becomingmoreandmoreafraidofcommunicatingandofmakingmistakes,worried,anxious.Theseareallsymptomsofinitialcultureshock.Whitanewcontextcomesnewwaysofdoingthings.Beinguninitiatedandunsureofwhattodo,peopleusuallyhaveastrongsenseofdisplacementinthebeginning.Butthegoodnewsisthatwehumansareverygoodatadapting.Thoughalmostallofusundergosomedegreeifmentalstressinthisperiod,afterafewweeksormonths,welearnhowto“read”ournewcontext.Webecomeawareofthenewcues,thenewexpectations,andthenewwaysofcommunicating.Withsometrialsanderrors,andwithalotofpatiencewithourselves,mostofussucceedinovercomingcultureshockandlearntoenjoyournewcontext.Dr.DongsvisittoUSwasonlythreeweekslong,butbytheendofthefive-daymedicalconference,hewasalreadystartingtofeelmoreconfident.Surehefeltalittlefoolishaboutsomeofthemistakeshehadmade,buthequicklylearnedtolaughathiserrorsandfoundthathiscolleaguessmiledwithhim.Thisbrokedownthebarrierstocommunicationandhelpedhimbuildsomegoodprofessionalrelationships.Andaftertheconference,hecontactedthefamilyIhadreferredhimtoandhadaverynicetimevisitingthem.Thereweresomenewculturalsurprises,buthediscoveredhecouldbetterunderstandandadapttothem.BythetimehereturnedtoChina,hewasfeelingquitepositiveabouthisAmericantrip,andwasgladforthenewexperiencesandne