Culture shock and the development of self-awareness

David, Kenneth

doi:10.1007/bf02110274

Cited by 33 publications

(21 citation statements)

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“…A life-events approach would have us see transitions as a noxious hazard (Holmes and Rahe, 1967), a transitions perspective as a self-induced challenge (Nicholson, 1987). The debate about culture shock follows similar lines between those who would see it as conforming to something akin to a bereavement phasic cycle (Oberg, 1960;Gullahorn and Gullahorn, 1963;Bock, 1970) and those who emphasize developmental benefits (David, 1971;Adler, 1975). Whichever formulation one favours, it remains empirically uncertain whether the experience of expatriation is patterned over time, following the much popularised honeymoondip-recovery sequence (Church, 1982;Bochner er al., 1980).…”

Section: Previous Researchmentioning

confidence: 96%

The Adjustment of Japanese Expatriates to Living and Working in Britain

Nicholson

Imaizumi

1993

British J of Management

110

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Ninety-one Japanese managers and professionals on international assignments in the London offices of trading houses and insurance companies responded to a wide-ranging survey on work and non-work adjustment. Dependent variables included standardized measures of adjustment, well-being, mental health and modes of adjustment (personal change and role innovation). In comparisons with samples from other studies, the expatriates experienced lower work well-being and mental health, and, compared with a sample of United Kingdom domestic job changers, engaged in less role innovation but recorded higher personal change, especially in their values. Predictor variables, including predeparture experience, family factors, self-rated job performance, self-efficacy, worknon-work spillover, social interaction and perceived company purpose in the assignment, were found to be differentially related to outcome measures. A new method of retrospectively recording changes in feelings over time in the work and non-work domains was also applied, supplying tentative evidence for a negative shift in affect on arrival, especially in the non-work domain, and a further fall after arrival, especially in the work domain. In most cases, this latter dip was followed by a recovery, providing some evidence in favour of the U-curve hypothesis. Implications for theory and practice are reviewed. ObjectivesOne consequence of the increasing globalization of business is a high desire on the part of companies to know how to minimize the costs and maximize the benefits of intercultural exchange. One can find, in response to this need, a swelling literature of descriptive accounts, checklists for selecting and managing expatriates, and suggested training methods to aid the adjustment process (Copeland and Griggs, 1985;Harris and Moran, 1987;Fontaine, 1989). These are constructive, and are to be welcomed for raising companies' awareness of their responsibilities and for identifying ways of providing tangible support for expatriates.However, the research record is relatively insubstantial, and is often based on data from Western expatriates and job migrants. In the present paper, we look at a little studied group, Japanese staff expatriated to assignments in the West. Our aim is to examine qualities of their experience and determine whether these are predicted by factors consistent with previous research and conventional wisdom about expatriation. Data analyses extend to exploring the usefulness of a new technique for retrospective reporting of how experience changes over time. Three general issues influenced our choice of variables for study and analytical approach.First, considering expatriation as a species of transition (Nicholson, 1984;Black et al., 1991) we need to be aware that the umbrella concept of 'adjustment' potentially invokes a wide range of personal consequences. Much writing on the subject has been interested only in degrees of distress, under the pervasive influence of so-called 'cultureshock' notions (Oberg, 1960;Bock, 1970;Barna, 1983;Furn...

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Section: Previous Researchmentioning

confidence: 96%

The Adjustment of Japanese Expatriates to Living and Working in Britain

Nicholson

Imaizumi

1993

British J of Management

110

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“…People with multi-cultural backgrounds or experiences may also adapt more successfully. For instance Adler (1975) and David (1971) have stated that although culture shock is more often associated with negative consequences, it may, in mild doses, be important for self-development and personal growth. Culture shock is seen as a transitional experience which can result in the adoption of new values, attitudes and behaviour patterns.…”

Section: Culture Shock: the Shock Of The Newmentioning

confidence: 97%

Communicating in foreign lands: The cause, consequences and cures of culture shock

Furnham

1993

Language, Culture and Curriculum

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To cite this article: Adrian Furnham (1993) Communicating in foreign lands: The cause, consequences and cures of culture shock, Language, Culture and Curriculum, 6:1, 91-109, Abstract The ability to communicate well in a foreign culture is considered as a set of learnable social skills. The notion of culture shock is introduced to cover a broad range of psychological and social reactions to immersion in another culture, many of them detrimental to communication. Programmes aimed at reducing the harmful effects of culture shock are examined in terms of the strategies adopted: (1) information giving, (2) cultural sensitisation, (3) isomorphic attribution, (4) learning by doing, and (5) social skills training (SST). The latter, it is argued, is the most effective

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“…People with multi-cultural backgrounds or experiences may also adapt more successfully. For instance Adler (1975) and David (1971) have stated that although culture shock is more often associated with negative consequences, it may, in mild doses, be important for selfdevelopment and personal growth. Culture shock is seen as a transitional experience which can result in the adoption of new values, attitudes and behavior patterns.…”

Section: Culture Shock: the Shock Of The Newmentioning

confidence: 99%

Culture Shock

Sani

2015

ILSHS

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The ability to communicate well in a foreign culture is considered as a set of learnable social skills. The notion of culture shock is introduced to cover a broad range of psychological and social reactions to immersion in another culture, many of them detrimental to communication. Programs aimed at reducing the harmful effects of culture shock are examined in terms of the strategies adopted: (1) information giving, (2) cultural sensitization, (3) isomorphic attribution, (4) learning by doing, and (5) social skills training (SST). The latter, it is argued, is the most effective.

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Culture shock and the development of self-awareness

Cited by 33 publications

References 0 publications

The Adjustment of Japanese Expatriates to Living and Working in Britain

The Adjustment of Japanese Expatriates to Living and Working in Britain

Communicating in foreign lands: The cause, consequences and cures of culture shock

Culture Shock

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