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Culture shock is a term that was first used in 1958. It describes the anxiety and feeling a person experiences after migrating to a new country or place. This new country has its own traditions, languages and customs that are not the same as what the person used to call home. Because of this significant change, a person experiences a set of symptoms that relate to culture shock.
The symptoms of culture shock may be physical and emotional both. They also vary in intensity depending on different personalities. The symptoms of cultural shock include but are not limited to, loneliness, anxiety, anger, insomnia, loss of identity, missing home and family, developing unnecessary stereotypes and obsessions.
There are five different stages of culture shock. The time of each stage may vary from person to person. The first stage is the euphoric stage in which a person is amazed by all the new sights and scenes. The second stage is when the person starts encountering problems in simple tasks like buying groceries or not being understood because of language barriers. The third stage involves accepting those changes and trying to adjust with the new place and its values.
In the fourth stage, the person understands the pros and cons of the new system. The person has a sense of feeling responsible. The fifth stage however occurs when the person returns to his native place of residence. Then he realizes that many things have changed and the new customs he has adopted are not acceptable in his home country.
Culture shock is a universal phenomenon and takes time to fade off. It is best to accept the changes in life and maintain as much contact with the new culture and people.
