Friday 16 November 2007

Culture shock

I found a great article defining culture shock that all we expats have experienced in some degree.
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/CGuanipa/cultshok.htm

Extract:

The term, culture shock, was introduced for the first time in 1958 to describe the anxiety produced when a person moves to a completely new environment. This term expresses the lack of direction, the feeling of not knowing what to do or how to do things in a new environment, and not knowing what is appropriate or inappropriate. The feeling of culture shock generally sets in after the first few weeks of coming to a new place.

Symptoms:
Sadness, loneliness, melancholy
Preoccupation with health
Aches, pains, and allergies
Insomnia, desire to sleep too much or too little
Changes in temperament, depression, feeling vulnerable, feeling powerless
Identifying with the old culture or idealizing the old country
Loss of identity
Trying too hard to absorb everything in the new culture or country
Lack of confidence
Feelings of inadequacy or insecurity
Developing stereotypes about the new culture
Longing for family
Feelings of being lost, overlooked, exploited or abused

[Full article can be found in the link above]

Which of those have you felt or still feel while living away?

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