Essay 2: U Curve and W curve adjustment

U Curve Hypothesis

Aims to explain the cultural adjustment in progressive stages that an immigrant would go through from arrival to eventual adaptation.

culture-distance hypothesis

cultural distance determine difficulty in establishing and maintaining of harmonious relations especially gap in core issues

behavioural

instrumental adjustment interaction adjustment relational adjustment

cognitive

interest in other cultures tolerance for culture differences positive attitudes

affective

measure amount of stress, physical and mental health

similarity-attraction hypothesis

preference for people similar to them in group bias is assuring consensual validation

Return to home culture: Reverse culture shock stage

• Re-entry is as intense or sometimes more challenging than the first entry o Severity determined by: - Amount of time abroad - Degree of differences in the host country - Student's background variables (personality, culture, previous intercultural experiences, religion, gender, etc.) • the adjustment curve is repeated on re-entry to the home culture • individuals experience culture shock twice: once during the first entry to the new culture, and another culture shock during re-entry to the home culture • they have returned to a group of people, and indeed a country, that has changed in the interim • These changes can be subtle or far-reaching, but they will affect the way that the returnee is accepted by, or accepts, their own host country and its residents • As these people have been transformed and gain new identity via successful acculturation, they have to readjust to their home culture → Realities and imperfections of home long forgotten • They view things differently now, and might have communication issues with their peers and families • Stress and frustration can also arise from the fear of being treated differently by their native people.

Honeymoon/euphoric stage

• When a person arrives in a new country, the first stage that they will go through • everything about the new culture will delight and amuse the new arrival • The country from which the person has travelled will be constantly compared to the new country in disparaging terms • The new language will be studied with enthusiasm • first few months are usually a time of great progress • lasts from three to six months, but for some people it can last up to a year • People find their new environment exciting, interesting and fun. • Tend to notice similarities between their home and the new place and find differences interesting.

Acceptance/acculturation stage

• a kind of equilibrium is reached where the immigrant learns to accept the differences between their host culture and their home culture • celebrate those differences where appropriate • Individuals start to regain self-esteem while developing ability to understand and communicate with the host group • certain customs that the host culture reveres will become part of the everyday life of the new resident • e.g. the custom of leaving shoes outside the house in Japan, which many one-time residents of that country take back to their home country • people develop a sense of integration with the host environment and are effectively bicultural

Hostile/culture shock stage

• arrives with little or no warning • can be triggered by a seemingly small incident or even have no apparent cause • people begin to feel somewhat negative and critical • The person affected will attempt to reconnect with their home culture, by watching films or reading books and papers that are connected with their homeland • Cultural differences will no longer be celebrated, but seen as a source of conflict • Familiar or comfort food from the traveller's home country will be sought out and consumed with delight • Last for six months, but it varies from person to person.

3. Adjustment or coping stage

• people realize that the stress and problems are not due to the locals deliberate attempts to frustrate them • the differences in cultures, including values and beliefs, which resulted in conflicts • they become less critical of the host culture, and deal with problems and conflicts positively.