A different country, a different culture: the culture shock (enabling intercultural adaptation)

Year 2011, Issue: 4, 115 - 131, 01.05.2011

Ayşen Temel Eğinli

Abstract

People may face various difficulties (language, eating and drinking culture, social interactions etc.) in the process of the adaptation to a new culture. Experiencing the feeling of''otherness" in the new culture and offacing of new experiences creates pressure on the person. This condition which is a mixture of excitement, anxiety, uncertainty, fear etc. and which makes a person feel lost is named as culture shock. The culture shock is a problem which is faced particularly by managers, diplomats, technicians, missioners and military personnel who work abroad or the students who continue their education abroad. In order for these people to adapt to the culture they live in, to be aware of the culture shock and to develop the intercultural sensitivity by being informed about how to handle it is a necessity. Thus, it is possible for a person to feel satisfied with the intercultural relationships, to be successful in both economic and cultural fields and not to be hurt by the symptoms of the culture shock. This study aims to explain the concept of the culture shock and theory, its processes and the importance of intercultural interaction and communication for providing intercultural adaptation.

Keywords

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Farklı bir Ülke, farklı bir kültür: kültür şoku (kültürlerarası adaptasyonun sağlanması)

Abstract

Kişinin yeni bir kültüre adapte olma sürecinde çeşitli güçlüklerle (dil, yeme ve içme, ilişkiler vb.) karşılaşması olasıdır. Farklı ve yeni bir kültür içerisinde "öteki" olma duygusunun yoğun olarak yaşanması ve karşı karşıya kalınan yeni deneyimlerin varlığı kişide bir baskı hissi yaratmaktadır. Heyecan, endişe, belirsizlik, korku vb. duyguların bir karışımı olan ve kişide kaybolmuştuk hissi uyandıran bu duruma kültür şoku adı verilmektedir. Kültür şoku, özellikle uluslararası alanda çalışan yöneticiler, diplomatlar, teknik personel, misyonerler, askeri personel ya da eğitimini yurtdışında devam ettiren öğrencilerin karşı karşıya kaldığı bir problem olarak ele alınmaktadır. Söz konusu bu kişilerin içinde yer aldıkları kültüre adapte olabilmesi için yaşayacakları kültür şokunun farkında olması ve kültürşokunun nasıl aşılabileceği hakkında bilgilendirilerek kültürlerarası duyarlılığın geliştirilmesi gereklidir. Böylece kültürlerarası ilişkilerden doyum elde etmek, hem ekonomik hem de kültürel anlamda başarı elde etmek ve kültür şoku semptomları nedeni ile bir yaralı olmamak mümkün olabilmektedir. Bu çalışmada kültür şoku kavramı ve teorisi, süreçleri, kültürlerarası adaptasyonun sağlanması için kültürlerarası etkileşimin ve kültürlerarası iletişim yeterliliğinin öneminin açıklanılması hedeflenmektedir.

Keywords

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