Post on 22-Dec-2015
The Rotary Youth Exchange Experience:
Culture Shock and
Reverse Culture Shock
NAYEN Conference 2010
Dennis White, Ph.D.
dkwhite@itol.com
www.yeoresources.org
This presentation may be viewed at www.yeoresources.org.
If viewed on line, certain slides with hyperlinks will lead to other articles
or materials
CultureAn integrated system of
learned behavior patterns that are characteristic of
any given society. It refers to the total way of life,
including how people think, feel and behave.
Metaphorically, culture is the lens through which we
view the world.
You can’t trust your eyes when your
imagination is out of focus.
Mark Twain
The Cultural Iceberg
1/8th above the surface
7/8ths below the surface
Conscious behaviors
Unconscious beliefs and
values
When we think we know what we are seeing or hearing, it is very
easy to make a mistake, especially in language.
What do they mean?
• You are invited to take advantage of
the chambermaid.
Japanese hotel
• I slaughter myself twice daily. Israeli
butcher • Ladies, leave your clothes here and have a wonderful time. French laundry
Dr. No
We don’t want a doctor
Titanic
Ship Outta Luck!
At first we will be dependent upon translators – sometimes a risky business
Sometimes, it’s just pronunciation
Ethnocentrism:
The universal tendency for any
culture to see its own values and practices
as natural and correct.
Ethnocentrism:
All cultures are ethnocentric - and
must be to impart their values to their members.
I don’t feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them. There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves. John Wayne
“The world in which you were born is just one model of reality.
Other cultures are not failed attempts at being like you.
They are unique manifestations of the human spirit ”.
Wade Davis
In James Hiltons’ novel, Lost Horizon, An American stranded in Shangri-la says to his Tibetan rescuer:
“I want to get back to civilization as soon as possible.”
The Tibetan’s reply:
“Are you so very certain that you are away from it?”
Ethnorelativism:
The acquired ability to see many values and behaviors as
cultural rather than universal.
Ethnorelativism:
This approach attempts to
understand values and behaviors from the point of view of that culture, rather
than as right or wrong.
Ethnorelativism:
It assumes that one’s own culture is no more central to describing
and evaluating reality than any other -
regardless of one’s strongly held preferences
“I see America through a sharper lens - both her
strengths and her weaknesses and I am tired of people who uncritically
accept everything American as right.”
American Exchange Student
Ethnocentrism is similar to egocentrism.Ethnorelativism is similar to empathy.
The Golden Rule
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
The Platinum Rule
Do unto others as they would have you do unto them.
Real life examples:
• Watching the moon landing in Iranian theatres
• Holding hands
In a new culture everything is harder
Developing cultural sensitivity and
competence requires moving from
Ethnocentrism to Ethnorelativism
One World or Many.doc
Developing Intercultural Sensitivity
The Experience of Difference
Denial Defense Minimization
Ethnocentric Stages Ethnorelative Stages
Acceptance Adaptation Integration
Model developed by Dr.. Milton Bennett, Portland State University
Culture Shock
The profound sense of disorientation and discomfort that
comes with extended travel or living in a foreign culture markedly
different from one’s own.
Culture Shock.doc
Stages of Culture Shock:
• Initial enthusiasm and euphoria• Irritability and negativism• Gradual adjustment and adaptation• Integration and bi-culturalism
The Middle Wave of Culture Shock.doc
Culture Shock Cycle
Pre-Departure Months
Normal Level of Feelings
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Return …...
Rotary Youth Exchange
Adapted from a model by Robert Kohls
Culture Shock Cycle
Pre-Departure Months
Normal Level of Feelings
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Return …...
Rotary Youth Exchange
Adapted from a model by Robert Kohls
Normal Distribution of Any Cultural Trait
Frequency
Amount of Trait
Example: Individualism vs. Group Orientation
A typical student
Comparing Two Cultures (on any given trait)
In this example, there is some overlap, but the two cultures are mostly different
After Adaptation
Culture Shock
Returning To Home Culture
Returning To Home Culture
Reverse Culture Shock
Returning To Home Culture
Severe Reverse Culture Shock
Most people anticipate some degree of culture shock. Very few people believe they will experience reverse culture shock.
Reverse Culture Shock (Re-entry Shock)
The often unexpected and difficult period of disorientation and readjustment experienced after returning to one’s own culture after an
extended period of living abroad.
So You Think You're Home Now.doc
The Stages of Reverse Culture Shock are almost the same as those of Culture Shock
• Initial Euphoria (may be very brief or not happen at all)
• Irritability and Negativism ( may be very lengthy)
• Gradual Adaptation• True Bi-Culturalism
Culture Shock and Reverse Culture Shock are not just unpleasant side effects of
international living.
They are the necessary ingredients that bring about
quality intercultural education.
We can prepare for both forms of culture shock by:
• Anticipating CS and RCS. • “Normalizing” these phenomena. • Remembering that “compost happens”.• Remembering that, as new depths of
understanding develop, new waves of culture shock emerge.
“Culture shock pushes me out of my comfort zone”
Under pressure, we tend to fall back on what is comfortable, habitual, and unconscious.
Even when we know how to follow a cultural practice, and can do it, the tendency is to fall back.
“I love my country more now than ever, but I am
critical of those who blindly accept everything
American as the best, especially when they have
never been out of the country.”
American Peace Corps Volunteer
How I Have Changed?How Have I Changed.doc
An exercise using 44 statements that have often
been identified by exchange students as significant
changes from the experience.
How I Have Changed
One student’s response My youth exchange year was one of incredible
change and growth for me. In addition to seeing so much of the rest of the world, and making such wonderful friends, I changed in ways I never knew were possible.
How I Have Changed
One student’s response
I am more confident and positive when meeting new people. I have a greater ability to empathize with others and to put myself in their place when making judgments. I have greater willingness to take on new roles and tasks.
How I Have Changed One student’s response I have more ability to see myself objectively, in a
more realistic context. I understand more fully my own strengths and weaknesses. I am more tolerant of ambiguous situations and more open to differing interpretations of them. I feel greater respect and appreciation for my family.
How I Have Changed One student’s response
And most of all, I feel more surely that common bonds unite all human beings. Thank you, Rotary for the best year of my life.
Dennis White, Ph.D.207 S. 4th Ave.Sturgeon Bay, WI. 54235Telephone 920-746-1346Fax 920-746-1347Email dkwhite@itol.com
For more information, visit www.yeoresources.org