Culture Shock
-a disease of people who’ve been transplanted abroad
-it is a disease but it is only seldom fatal
-over time and experience our comfort zone enlarges
-can be a wonderful time of spiritual renewal
-can not eliminate it but awareness can lessen the impact
Strength of the attack depends upon 3 things
1. Differences in culture (greater the difference in culture, greater the culture shock)
a. there are exceptions, if we’re not expecting it because we go to a very
similar culture such as Australia, it can blindside us
b. typically for Americans it can take 1-2 years to adjust in S. America or
Europe; 3-5 years to adjust to an African culture; and 5-10 years to adjust
to an Asian culture
c. ½ of missionaries return by the end of their first term and lack of
understanding culture shock is a big reason. Shorter terms in Africa and
Asia sometimes lead to people leaving before they’ve broken through the
barrier of adjustment. This should not discourage us, but learning this can
help cross-cultural workers to press through some difficulties they face.
2. Personality of the individual
a. Meyers Briggs Type Indicator measures preferences
i. ESFJ is the standard personality type for missionaries
ii. ENFP is the ideal type according to Dr. Whiteman’s research
iii. The critical piece is the J/P scale; high J’s have the most difficult
time facing culture shock.
b. Personality tests should not be used to determine who is qualified and
called but can serve as tools to inform cross-cultural workers of specific
hurdles that they might have to face because of their personality types
3. Methods used to cope with a new situation (discussed later)
5 Causes of Culture Shock
-the overarching cause is the primary anxiety from losing all signs and symbols for social
interaction
-the typical response is one of rejection and regression (we reject the people and the
environment and regress by clinging to fellow Americans)
1. Language Shock
a. This manifests as an inability to communicate (like children we struggle to
say the simplest things)
2. Change of Routine
a. A major issue is discovering how much time it takes to simply survive (in
rural areas this is sometimes 80% of a person’s time)
b. Simple things such as laundry or shopping now may take an entire day
leaving no time for “ministry” or the ultimate purposes which we believe
we’ve gone for.
3. Change of Relationships
a. Our lives are centered around relationships and even with the advances in
technology we are finding that it doesn’t help much.
4. Loss of Understanding
a. Our knowledge will consistently fail us
b. Things as simple as clapping, pointing, and greeting someone else may be
done in ways that we are not able to grasp for a considerable period of
time (in parts of Africa some people point with their lips, some places
shaking their head “no” means “yes” and vice versa, in certain Pacific
Islands they raise their eyebrows to say “yes”, etc.)
5. Emotional Distortion and Evaluative Confusion
a. This plays out on the cognitive, emotional, and value dimensions
3 Symptoms of Culture Shock – twists our perception of reality and wreaks havoc on our
bodies
1. Rising Stress
2. Physical Illness (chronic headaches, ulcers, lower back pain, high blood pressure,
chronic fatigue, heart attack)
3. Psychological and Spiritual Depression (sense of failure)
Mono-cultural
Bi-cultural
Level of
Satisfaction
I want to go
home!!!
TIME
This chart should be given to supporters so that they can be praying you through the
stages.
4 Stages of Culture Shock
1. Tourist Stage (generally 3 weeks to 6 months)
a. Characterized by a fascination with everything new and strange.
b. Let this last as long as possible, no major benefits from a shorter tourist
stage.
c. The first down spike on the chart that passes very quickly is your
experience at the airport when you first arrive (this is a very common
attack against your experience).
d. This phase follows up to the first peak and then down to a point equal with
where you began.
2. Hostility and Disenchantment (generally 6 months to 1 year)
a. During this stage we feel that the security of our lives is threatened; we
find fault with the host culture and compare it unfavorably with our own.
b. This is the crisis period of the disease; we either overcome it or go home.
c. We are attempting to become cultural insiders but the simplest things like
laundry, the food, going shopping, or transportation derails us at every
turn.
d. Key sign of this period is when we begin going to English speaking
churches.
e. It is most commonly an experience at the very bottom of the chart that
turns things around; we become close friends with a national, gain
language competency, have a very successful shopping trip, or get in
touch with our call.
3. Resolution and Resolve (generally 6 months to a year)
a. This is the upturn on the chart, the common sign is that we begin laughing
again (when we stop laughing it is time to go home)
b. We still tend to have a superior attitude towards the culture but this is the
period where we begin working to identify.
c. We run into newer newcomers and that helps some.
4. Adjustment
a. We begin to feel comfortable in another culture; not only accept it but now
begin to truly enjoy it.
-important to note that the time periods can vary dependent upon the difference in
cultures
-some people who have received this instruction get frustrated with the professor because
they say they were promised a tourist stage and never had one, something to look out for
3 Ways to Adjust
1. Keep our distance and build an American ghetto (US Army bases use this path)
a. This NEVER works if you want to be an effective cross-cultural worker.
b. The first 24 hours and following 3 weeks can shape your behavior for 30
years. During this period you should completely avoid fellow Americans.
It is even recommended that you have nationals pick you up at the airport
and take you to your new home.
2. Go Native – trying to reject our past and who we are
a. If we attempt this we will no longer be whole people; our culture has
shaped us and to try to deny that is to neglect a significant part of who we
are.
b. We might offend the nationals if we expect that we can truly become one
of them, especially so quickly.
i. The most we can ever hope to become is to be an acceptable
outsider. If we understand that role then we can enter into deep
relationships with the nationals.
3. We can become Bridges from one culture to another
a. This is the role of the acceptable outsider
b. It is important but difficult to remember that the purpose of a bridge is to
be walked over. It may feel like that as we become bi-cultural because in
many ways we will be people who are in-between worlds finding our
home fully in neither.
Reverse Culture Shock
1. This process follows the same stages as Culture Shock only it begins upon our
return home.
2. The reason is that we have changed, and our home culture has changed,
therefore we enter as a new person into a new culture.
3. Normally we go through the tourist stage and then begin trying to share with
people about our experience and we find that many people don’t really listen
and don’t really care.
4. The kicker is that the people who adjust the best to the new culture have the
hardest time returning.
5. Often this process is more difficult than the culture shock experience because
it is often unanticipated; it has resulted in deep prolonged periods of
depression and even suicide for returning missionaries and/or their children.
Cures for Culture Shock
1. Recognize our Anxiety
a. Much of our anxiety is completely unfounded and our information is
inaccurate.
b. Most of it will leave when we learn to live in the new culture.
c. Some will leave when we change our lifestyle to become more
appropriate.
2. Learn the New Culture
a. Attitude of excitement and not fear is imperative (if we live out of our
fear of the unknown we will huddle in reconstructed islands of
American culture)
b. We enter with much fear and anxiety coupled with very little
knowledge but the best way to learn is by immersing ourselves within
the host culture.
c. Learning the new culture is vitally important for evangelism, the most
important characteristic for missionaries is humility
3. Building Trust
a. Learning the language and culture is not enough, we can still remain
outside of it
b. This question of trust is a primary question, only when they trust us
will they begin to trust the message that we bear
c. One way to build trust is to deliver what you promise
4. Deal with Stress
a. A regiment of exercise is imperative.
Adapted from Lecture by Dr. Darrell Whiteman, Resident Missiologist of The Mission
Society.