Culture Shock [The 4 Stages of Adaptation]

When we move to another country, we are often exposed to a culture different from ours and need to go through four stages of transition: Honeymoon, frustration, adjustment, and adaptation. Some people are excited about the foreign culture for months, and others start to get frustrated on day one. And then there are those who experience a culture shock that is so strong that they leave before adjusting.

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COLLABORATORS
Script: Ludovico Saint Amour di Chanaz and Jonas Koblin
Artist: Pascal Gaggelli
Voice: Matt Abbott
Coloring: Nalin
Editing: Peera Lertsukittipongsa
Production: Selina Bador
Sound Design: Miguel Ojeda

SOUNDTRACKS
Friendly Phantom - Shaun Frearson
Bollywood Entrance - Brightside Studio
Embarrassing Moment - Jack Pierce

DIG DEEPER with these top videos, games and resources:
Read about a study on cultural adaptation in 50 countries

Read about ow culture shock can happen in all spheres of life

Read about the Reverse Culture shock and the loss of identity that ensues

Read the original research by Lysgaard

SOURCES

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY
Visit our website to access recommended activity for classroom on this topic.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:35 Honeymoon Bliss
00:49 Frustration & culture shock
01:07 Adjustment & familiarity
01:23 Adaptation & mastery
01:59 The Paris syndrome
02:34 Reverse culture shock
02:53 Forced transition
03:12 Preschool anxiety
03:40 Lysgaard’s research
04:19 Your travel story

#sproutsschools #psychology #sociology #cultureshock #travel

[wasanthamorawaka]

I think the video is 100% correct. I was living in five countries 3 in the West and two in the East. Am old now and still living abroad occasionally. I saw some foreigners who leave their countries of origin to live in a foreign country go back because they could not integrated into the new culture for many reasons. Some were not accepted to the societies based on racism, different mode of work ethics or descrimination.Most people adapt because some have no other choice rather than going away from their native countries. I took everything easy, worked hard as I can, did not let emotions cover the realities. Living in a foreign country is not easy and if you are a tourist then you see a completely different picture than when you start living in a foreign country . Thanks for the excellent video.

[sem]

So with traveling you basically are always in the honey moon phase

[drrtfm]

I think that concept likely applies to many other things, such as starting a new job or even just moving to a different phase in our life (e.g., going to college).

[georockstar]

lived in Romania for 12 years. My brother and I adapted easily, my parents, not. They kept complaining that nobody visited them, until I spelled it out that YOU were supposed to go OUT into town every evening or so and meet up with friends who also went there. They never did, they were always alone and frustrated - meanwhile I was meeting up with friends telling me they missed my parents!

[karenrodgers]

This is such an important topic. I spent a year in Mexico in the 1980s (before the internet of course) and felt I had travelled to the other side of the moon or into another space/ time dimension..For two months I had a deep sense of unreality. If i had realised how hard it was going to be I would probably not have had the courage to go. However, I am so glad I did. The trip was utterly life changing in a good way. It gave me the vocabulary and confidence to articulate a whole range of aspirations I would otherwise have been incapable of even framing.
I woud not have lased the year without my wonderful hosts Nena and Dante or without my friend Conchita and her wonderful family. When I came back to the Uk I had a kind of reverse culture shock which was not nearly as challenging as the first one and which has never quite gone away. I now see how isolated Southern British people tend to be and how much happier we would all be if we lived espisodic rather than clock time, finishing conversation rather than dashing off and if we prioritised friends and family over material wealth.
warmest regards,

Karen (in Celaya, Guanajuato 1986-1987)

[bboyneon]

I can tell this also applies to a city which is rapidly changing(or what we call developing). It's crazy having to undergo all this in a place you call home.

[AFlemPen]

Its important to talk about reverse culture shock like in the video because its causes new problems that a person would never expect

[homer]

also depends on wether u have financial problems or u cant get a comfortable place or job

[selen]

Just changing your city in your own country for university education may also have the same effect :D

[espinoname]

I lived in the uk for 4 years, i went with super high expectations, but my honeymoon was crushed within the first semester of university. I never got out of my frustration phase until I left. I never made any British friends, despite being surrounded by them in my university lectures. Then i
I moved to Switzerland, much more unsure if it was a good idea after suffering so much in the UK. I loved it with a passion for a year and a half and didn't ever really experience a huge culture shock. Within a few months I was dating a lovely Swiss guy which is still my partner, and I also made several Swiss friends. My English was perfect before i moved to the UK, and my German was okay, but not nearly as good as my English, and it still isn't. I did have a period where I got frustrated, but in particular at my university and how it runs and not so much at the country. Of course there are things in Switzerland that mildly annoy me or I wish were more like in my native Spain, but I am now more attune with many Swiss behaviours than Spanish ones. I get extremely frustrated when I go to Spain and see everything half broken and dirty, people making public spaces dirty with purpose and all the shouting and noise everywhere. I am also more flexible with time that the typical Swiss, but it is extremely annoying to me when someone comes like 30 mins late or you ask them specifically to please be on time because of a specific reason and they don't manage and mess uo the whole plan. In particular in more formal situations like doctor appointments or work meetings, that someone is late boils my blood.

I'm very happy in Switzerland after 3 years living here, so I think how you adapt also depends on your expectations and how suitable the receiving country is for your personality and culture and also how lucky you are. Perhaps also where in your life you are, since it's not the same to move from a happy situation into a bad one than from a bad one into the unknown, which will probably be better. And it's also not the same to adapt to a new country for the first time than the second time, since somd stuff you already learned, I was also 18 in my first move out and 22 in the second, so I suppose a bit more age and maturity also helps.

[OmarJames]

This is a great video. Myself and another student from my town went on an exchange year to Japan in the early 2000s. I made it out of stage 2 and had a great year, he didn't and came home early. It's a shame because I made some lifelong friends I consider family and I go back often while he has never set foot in Japan again. Gotta be prepared for the rough times

[hersirirminsul]

After growing up in urban London, I lived 8 years in Norway, in the country side, and adapted almost from day 1. The reason for this was very simple. I was determined to fit in and make it my new permanent home. About 6 months in I had a couple of weeks where my brain was switching gear from, / listen-to-Norwegian-translate-to-English-thoughts, to, think-and-listen-in-Norwegian, where I could hardly communicate at all! I went back to London for a break and apart from the mental re-boot it gave me, hated it and couldn't wait to get back. My conclusion - will-power and optimism has a lot to do with how 'your experience may differ'.

[PirateOfTheNorth]

It took me 15 years to fully adjust after my parents moved the family to a different country. I spent years in stage 2.

[SatchPatch]

I'm a Floridan born and raised Puerto Rican and moved to Puerto Rico 3 months before Hurricane Maria. I think in my particular case I was forced into adaptation before frustration set in. I'm not saying there weren't times where I felt hopeless because there definitely were but I couldn't let it get to me. We had to survive and follow daily routines in order to do so. We had no electricity for 5-6 months. I had my 2 year old daughter and 9 year old sister I had to care for and moving back was not an option. After we got our electricity and a few months passed is when I think frustration set in for me. Now that things were supposed to be "normal" I expected everything to go a certain way and it didn't. It led to a lot of depression. Especially with everything that we had already went through. I got through it though and I'm still here!

[angeronal]

These different stages can cycle over and over again. I've lived in three different countries aside from my native country, and I have 14 years in Mexico. I still find some vacillation. You're never done learning.

[RobertPrzytula]

This actually applies to so much! People starting a bussines being optimistic, then learning the intricacies of that type of bussines and then leave to start another one. Or people jumping from job to job or people jumping from relationship to relationship. It’s all the same pattern, reliving the highs. Chasing highs over and over again. That’s one of the major reasons people can’t stick with things lol

[chibha]

I find culture shock can be reduced by having a realistic picture rather than a rosy picture. To have a realistic picture one must learn the language & culture as a right of passage which can be effective rather than relying on natives for assistance.

[MONARCH_FLIES]

This is so true!! I’m American peruvian but I’ve lived in the states for most of my life. It took me around 2 years after I moved to Peru to feel fully comfortable. I miss the states sometimes, but when I go back and visit I end up missing Peru! Now I have two homes and I am happy :)

[davidletasi]

I lived in Japan for two years. Enjoyed every day I was there. The people were friendly, the sights and towns were amazing. I had my own house I rented, and neighbors were interesting and diverse. One stage for me, I just had a fantastic experience. However, I did have a network of American friends as a support group there, so that does make a difference.

[JackTorS]

Right now, the French natives are experiencing severe culture shock without ever having to leave their own country. It's a perpetual stage 2.