Intercultural Communications: Chapter 04 cultural shock

1. Chapter 4 Cultural Shock Intercultural Business Communication, 4th ed., Chaney & Martin

3. Intercultural Business Communication, 4th ed., Chaney & Martin Cultural shock is the trauma you experience when you move into a culture different from your home culture. Frustrations may include lack of food, unacceptable standards of cleanliness, different bathroom facilities, and fear for personal safety.

4. Intercultural Business Communication, 4th ed., Chaney & Martin People experience cultural shock when they are in a country where yes may mean no , where prices are negotiable, and where laughter may signify anger.

5. Intercultural Business Communication, 4th ed., Chaney & Martin Upon her arrival in La Paz, Bolivia, from Atlanta, Georgia, Katherine Montague asked directions to the ladies’ room at the local university. Upon entering, she observed three males using urinals and made a hasty retreat. Her U.S. colleagues explained that all restrooms were unisex; Katherine decided to take a taxi to her hotel.

11. Stages of Cultural Shock Intercultural Business Communication, 4th ed., Chaney & Martin Stage 1: Excitement and fascination with the new culture; the "honeymoon" stage. Stage 2: Crisis or disenchantment period; excitement has turned to disappointment. Stage 3: Adjustment phase; you begin to accept the new culture, try new foods, see the humor in situations. Stage 4: Acceptance or adaptation phase; feel at home in the new culture and become involved in activities of the culture. Stage 5: Reentry shock; follows the stages identified earlier: excitement, crisis or disenchantment, adjustment, and adaptation .

24. "One of the byproducts of a successful adjustment to the host culture is that our old notions of our culture will never again be the same. After one lives for a while in Switzerland or Germany, the U.S. no longer seems to be the epitome of cleanliness; when compared to the Japanese, the typical American seems loud and boisterous; after a stint in a developing nation, people in the U.S. seem rushed and impersonal. Somehow home isn't what one had remembered." Ferraro, The Cultural Dimension of International Business