Culture Shock

History

Systematic study of culture shock began after World War II when the United States made efforts to increase international diplomacy through programs such as the Fulbright Program, the Foreign Service Institute, and later the Peace Corps. In 1955, Sverre Lysgaard published one of the first reports detailing the “adjustment crisis” experienced by 200 Norwegian Fulbright scholars who returned from their sojourn in the United States. His report advanced the notion of a U-shaped adjustment curve that takes place in four phases: a honeymoon phase, in which sojourners are fascinated by the host country and elated to be abroad; a crisis phase, characterized by frustration and hostility toward the host country; a recovery phase, wherein the sojourner begins to adjust; and a final adjustment phase, wherein the sojourner accepts and integrates host country customs. Later, Oberg wrote in detail about the experience of the crisis phase (labeled culture shock) and gave rise to numerous scholarly investigations into the value and usefulness of culture shock and the U-shaped curve.

U-Shaped Curve of Culture Shock

Although individuals experience the process of cultural adjustment differently, sojourners’ retrospective accounts often, though not always, fit the U-shaped curve advanced by Lysgaard. The degree to which an individual adheres to the U-curve depends on several factors, including previous experience, expectations, time to prepare, time abroad, severity of cultural differences, access to [Page 190]social support, knowledge about the host culture, levels of ethnocentrism, belief in one's ability to succeed, ability and willingness to communicate, how well the sojourner is received by the host country, and so forth. Although sojourners may take many routes to overcoming culture shock, the phases of the U-curve are useful in outlining common experiences.

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