Why you should run towards culture shock, not away from it

Culture shock is the first step in a process of personal transformation.

Yes, culture shock certainly does involve a lot of negative emotions. It is the feeling that we are getting when we are exposed to behaviors which are forcing us to question our own personal values and beliefs.

Whereas before we have had a clear picture of the world that we shared to the most degree with the people around us, suddenly there are people whose behavior is making it clear that they are simply not in agreement with the way that we are looking at the world.

And with we, I mean both your own beliefs and those of your culture at large.

When we are living in an environment where the majority of people are sharing certain behavioral patterns as well as beliefs underlying these behaviors, under normal circumstances we simply do not put any of them into question.

Exposure to a new culture changes that dramatically and suddenly.

Most people are stuck in ways of thinking dictated by their culture of origin

Looking at the world from the perspective of the culture that we grew up with certainly has its benefits.

It gives us stability. It gives us a clear guide on how to act. It gives us the feeling of being true to who we are. It gives us an identity.

The problem with being stuck in the way of thinking dictated by your own culture is that it prevents you from learning and growing in certain aspects of life.

If we assume the values, beliefs and behaviors of our own culture “to be true”, then there is simply no room for us to grow beyond the boundaries set by this particular cultural framework.

And yet, there is wisdom inherent in every culture in the world. Every culture in the world has valuable lessons to teach us about all aspects of life — whether that is on how to deal with conflict or uncertainty, how to best manage our time, how to get meaning across to other people and so on and so forth.

Wasting a learning opportunity where we have the possibility to learn how to perceive the world from a completely different perspective keeps us from understanding better how the world works.

Why we need to embrace culture shock

Yes, the feeling of being in the state of culture shock is certainly painful. And it can take a lot of time for us to get out of this feeling — if it doesn’t accompany us for our whole lives.

But culture shock is a necessary condition in order to start perceiving the world from anther perspective. If you want to build something, you first have to destroy that which already exists.

What I do not mean here is to blindly let go of all our existing beliefs and to adapt to anything the new culture is offering us, but rather I am saying that we should give “the other” cultural perspective a chance.

Even if in the end we reject all the values and beliefs of our host culture, at least being exposed to them forces us to reflect on our very own belief system.

One of the most common quotes in intercultural communication is this: “we don’t know who has discovered water, but we know it wasn’t a fish”.

This quote implies that by living in it constantly, we become so unaware of our cultural environment that we simply do not notice it anymore, let alone reflect on the values, beliefs and assumptions underlying the different behaviors that we use.

Going through the experience of culture shock gives us an active choice: do we want to remain the person that our culture is dictating to us, or do we want to grow beyond its restraints and become somebody who is capable of looking at the world from multiple perspectives?

Some questions to answer for yourself when you are in a state of culture shock:

• in what ways do these “new behaviors” or “new beliefs” differ from those that I am used to?
• what is the meaning behind those behaviors? i.e. what are the underlying values and beliefs that make the people from this culture act the way they do?
• what is it really that is making me uncomfortable? what is this feeling telling me about myself and my perspective on the world?
• are there things which I have taken for granted until now, which the people from this other culture are perceiving in a completely different way? If yes, then how do they think about it?
• in what ways is this stage of culture shock affecting the way I perceive myself? Where do I want this process to lead me?

Before finishing off with this article, I’d love to hear from you. What experiences do you have with culture shock? How do you deal with the negative feelings involved in it?

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