Dr. Paul Pedersen's presentation in 2005

1. THE FIVE STAGES OF
CULTURE SHOCK
By Paul Pedersen
Professor Emeritus Syracuse University,
Visiting Professor, Department of Psychology
University of Hawaii

2. WHAT IS CULTURAL SHOCK?
• First, familiar cues about how the person is supposed to behave
are missing.
• Second, values the person considered desirable may no longer
be honored.
• Third, the disorientation of culture shock creates an emotional
state of anxiety.
• Fourth, there is a dissatisfaction with the new ways and an
idealization of the way things were back home.
• Fifth, recovery skills that used to work before do not seem to
work any more.
• Sixth, there is a sense that this is a permanent condition that
will never go away.

3. THE FIRST STAGE
The initial contact, or the honeymoon
stage, is when the newly arrived
individuals experience the curiosity and
excitement of a tourist without any
corresponding sense of responsibility for
their own behavior.

4. THE SECOND STAGE
The second stage involves disintegration of
familiar cues and overwhelms the
individual with requirements of the new
culture. The individual typically
experiences self-blame and a sense of
personal inadequacy for difficulties
encountered.

5. THE THIRD STAGE
The third stage reintegrates new cues with
an increased ability to function in the new
culture. However, the emotions associated
with this third stage are typically anger,
blame, and resentment toward the new
culture for having caused difficulties
unnecessarily.

6. THE FOURTH STAGE
The fourth stage continues the process of
reintegration toward gradual autonomy and
increased ability to see both bad and good
elements of the old and new culture.

7. The fifth stage is when the individual has
achieved a bicultural identity and is able to
function in both the old and the new
cultures.
THE FIFTH STAGE

8. COPING WITH CULTURE SHOCK
• Change is almost always uncomfortable
• Being adjusted “back home” is not helpful in a
strange place
• Protect your personal integrity
• Allow time
• Recognize patterns
• Label symptoms
• Prepare yourself for culture shock

9. CONCLUSION
• Culture shock occurs whenever we face a
crisis.
• You can learn things through culture shock.
• When things start to get better there is more
danger.

10. CONCLUSION
• Culture shock occurs whenever we face a
crisis.
• You can learn things through culture shock.
• When things start to get better there is more
danger.