Cultural discomfort tends to be a rather prevailing feeling, however, not everyone is comfortable with revealing it. The international student from Saudi Arabia comes to mind, since she gives the impression of feeling culturally discomforted in the American environment. Interestingly, the girl does not seem to be timid, however, it is worth noting that she is a deeply religious person. Presumably, her embarrassment is associated with her religious upbringing. It should be noted that forming new relationships appears to be the most disconcerting experience for her. In addition to the situations of hidden communicative discomfort, there are differences in terms of the outlook on life. In a new ethno-cultural environment, discomfort is likely to be related to the change of the meaning of life and values. Besides, there are issues connected with emotional acceptance that seem to be associated with fear of exclusion and alienation, including loneliness, ridicule, and bullying. Due to young age, youth is exposed to the emotional experience of a situation of social instability, thereby experiencing a psychological crisis. As the result, maladjustment and disorientation might occur. Anxiety and a sense of inferiority are mixed with stress due to the efforts made to achieve the psychological adjustment. Each culture has a number of images and behaviors by which people can automatically act in different situations. Being in a new culture, the usual orientation system is inadequate since it is based on quite different ideas, other norms and values together with stereotypes of behavior and perception. Normally, people are not aware of the fact that the multicultural environment has its hidden part of the cultural iceberg. In this regard, the Arabian girl tends to be vulnerable.
When it comes to the multicultural society, cultural adaptation entails both external and internal mechanisms of interaction with the changing environment (Mahler, 2012). Thus, it is of paramount importance to ensure the optimization of the human relationship with the cultural environment as well as the comfort with regard to the interests of human life in a new place of residence. In terms of cognitive, social, and cultural aspects, value orientation also has a significant impact on overcoming cultural discomfort. Stereotyped collective images of the others as well as the rejection of multiculturalism as an ideological paradigm, along with the fear of a new environment, is likely to trigger cultural uncertainty and discomfort. It is a well-known fact that people in the United States try to embrace ethnic diversity. However, according to Mahler (2012), another reason worth emphasizing is the lack of desire to establish relations with the surrounding society. Besides, rejection of accepted norms, and the lack of sense of belonging to the host culture, lead to unstable readiness for interaction. Nevertheless, it is essential to have the desire to find a compromise and to become acquainted with the features of new cultural environment. In order to bridge cultural discomfort, it is vital to realize its core causes. It is not the racism that triggers discomfort, but instead the ignorance of a proper behavior around people of various backgrounds. The genuine desire to cultivate relationships with native-born counterparts gradually improves the climate of discomfort and confusion among ethnically different people. The process contributes to the adequate perception of the new environment, the knowledge of their ethnic culture, and the development of their multicultural identity.
References
Mahler, S. J. (2012). Culture as comfort. Pearson Publishing.
