In this globalized and highly networked world of the 21st century, culture shock is more prevalent than ever before.
Almost all of us have been exposed to other cultures, thanks to globalization and the Internet. Many reading this blog have been virtually connected, related, or have worked with diverse people from different cultures using advanced telecommunication tools or, at least, befriended them on social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn.
In short, we have crossed cultures. We have either been exposed to or visited or lived in cultures other than our own.
What do all people have in common when they first cross culture? They experience culture shock, especially before familiarizing themselves with the new culture.
So, what is culture shock?
According to Wikipedia, culture shock is the anxiety, feelings of frustration, alienation and anger that may occur when a person is placed in a new culture.
Why do we feel these symptoms?
Because we haven’t prepared for the new culture. We have been nurtured and shaped by our own culture in certain ways and when we are exposed to a culture different from ours, we don't know how to communicate, behave or do things in that particular culture. So we display signs of frustration.
Of course, the magnitude of the shock may vary from person to person. For some, it might be equivalent to a 1 or 2 on the Richter scale while for others it might be even greater like a 7 or 8.
I personally experienced culture shock when I was exposed to the cultures of some countries in western and southern Africa. I traveled there while I was a student leader at Addis Ababa University in 1997/98. It happened again, more than six years ago, during my early days in the US.
Because culture shock cannot be completely avoided, how can it be mitigated?
Here are four suggestions.
First, we should understand the major cultural divides in the world. Many culture experts agree that the world cultures can hypothetically be divided into individual-based and communal-based cultures. Most of the western countries such as the US, Canada, and Europe can be categorized under individual-based cultures while cultures in continents such as Africa, Asia, and South America can be categorized as communal-based cultures. Of course, we have subcultures within these broader categories. There are also exceptional individuals who may not display all of the features of the culture they are living in.
We can compare and contrast these two broad cultural divides using three known parameters suggested by culture experts: Context, Time, and Space. Let me just take one of these indicators and make a comparison. The culture we Ethiopians grown up, as a high context culture, most people express themselves and their ideas covertly, implicitly, and non-verbally. Most people are reserved to express themselves, and are inward. When I came to the US, I observed the opposite. As a low context culture, most Americans expressed themselves and their ideas overtly, explicitly, and verbally.
Second, we should also take time to study and research the main characteristics of a given culture before we cross it. We should go to libraries and read about the culture we are intending to visit. Internet is also a great resource to carryout the research.
Third, we should use every opportunity in our neighborhood, workplace, and in the marketplace to interact with people from diverse cultures. Toastmasters is another avenue we should consider to expose ourselves to various cultures.
Last but not least, we should also take some advices from individual adherents who lived in that particular culture we anticipate to visit. We should ask them to give us the most important aspects of the culture and the things we should pay closer attention. These ways, we may at least avoid catastrophic cultural slurs, and mitigate the magnitude of culture shock we may experience.
In conclusion, culture matters. It determines who we would become at the end of the day. It makes or breaks us. It releases or binds us. Thus, we should understand the impact of the culture we live in, and shed those cultural elements that restrain us from progressing and succeeding. We should also embrace multiculturalism, and develop cross-cultural communication skills so that we may mitigate culture shock, effectively communicate, relate, and work with various people from diverse cultures. Toastmasters is a great place to expose ourselves to multiculturalism. More than any other organization in the world, it gives us opportunities to improve our cross-cultural communication skill. If you are not yet a member, join the nearest Toastmasters in the place where you live or work, and start to expose yourselves to diverse cultures, and learn how to communicate with people from different cultures.
