This paper examines the challenge of culture shock faced by expatriates who relocate to foreign countries with unfamiliar languages, customs, and social structures. Using a scenario in which an American expatriate and his family move to a developing country with a different culture and language, the paper identifies the problematic situations likely to arise — including social inequality, language barriers, and differences in norms and religion — and proposes a range of practical coping strategies. These strategies are organized into three categories: knowledge-based approaches such as cultural learning and cross-cultural training, emotion-based approaches focused on attitude adjustment and building support networks, and physical strategies including relaxation therapy and personalizing the home environment.
Adjustment to a new environment or culture with unfamiliar people is often marred by significant challenges, one of which is culture shock. Culture shock is the confusion and anxiety that arises when one is exposed to unfamiliar social surroundings that are noticeably different from their own (Anjalin, Mazumdar, & Whiteside, 2017). Students, expatriates, and business people who move from one culture to another are at risk of experiencing culture shock and need to develop strategies for coping with it in order to enhance their performance. This paper outlines coping strategies that an expatriate moving to a foreign country could adopt to manage culture shock.
An expatriate has received a promotion that requires him and his family to transfer to another country to run operations there. The destination country is not only a developing nation but also has different cultural norms and speaks a different language. It is therefore important to identify the coping strategies that the expatriate and his family could use to effectively deal with culture shock in the new country.
There is likely to be a significant difference in social structure between the United States and the new country. Americans are generally able to climb the social ladder through determination and hard work, meaning that the social statuses of most Americans are largely achieved (Rempel, 2011). Conversely, societies in many developing countries are more rigid, characterized by substantial inequalities that result in large proportions of the population living in abject poverty. With a significantly large number of poor people, living conditions can be starkly different from those in the US, making the transition difficult for American immigrants (Rempel, 2011).
In addition, the expatriate and his family speak English as their primary language, while the new country has an entirely different official language. This creates the risk of a language barrier that could make communication with neighbors, employees, and schoolmates difficult for the entire family. Moreover, given that the new country has a different culture, there are likely to be differences in religious makeup, social norms, the nature of interpersonal interactions, nationally recognized festivals, and even cuisine (Rempel, 2011).
Coping strategies can be organized into three categories: knowledge-based strategies, emotion-based strategies, and physical strategies.
One way to cope with culture shock is to actively learn about the new country, gaining as much knowledge as possible about its culture, history, religious practices, language, music, political environment, traditions, norms, social practices, and economic situation, among other things. Learning can take different forms, including reading books and websites, observing how people in the new country behave in various situations, and making friends with locals who can serve as cultural informants. Most people are proud of their cultures and will be happy to share them with newcomers, as long as those newcomers demonstrate genuine openness without being prejudicial or judgmental. For this reason, the expatriate and his family could take an interest in learning the local language or even preparing some popular local dishes (Kim, 2012).
It may also be beneficial to connect with other members of the expatriate community and their families in order to share insights on how to cope. Connecting with fellow expatriates also helps to maintain ties to American culture, thereby reducing the intensity of culture shock. Another effective knowledge-based strategy is participating in cross-cultural training both before departure and after arrival in the new country. Such training helps the expatriate develop an understanding of the communication and management styles that align best with the new culture (Kim, 2012).
For instance, in a culture that values direct communication, a manager may need to adopt a more subtle approach when giving feedback, since being blunt could leave an employee feeling insulted (Smith, 2019). Conversely, in a culture that favors indirect communication, if a manager praises an employee's performance and then points out areas for improvement, the employee may mistakenly assume that the manager is dissatisfied with their overall work (Smith, 2019). Cross-cultural training equips the expatriate with such insights, minimizing the risk of misunderstanding and conflict.
"Attitude adjustment, support systems, and relaxation"
The family has a range of knowledge-based, emotion-based, and physical strategies available to help them cope with culture shock in their new country. Most importantly, the family should take time to learn about the new culture, connect with other members of the expatriate community, maintain a strong support system, and engage in regular relaxation therapy. Together, these strategies can ease the transition and help the entire family adapt successfully to their new environment.
You’re 69% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 1 section.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.