Culture shock

Culture shock is a condition of emotional upset and tension that becomes chronic for a period of varying duration. It is experienced by people who, exposed to life in a new and unfamiliar setting, react with anxiety, irritation, and frustration. Having left their home countries with their familiar, manageable routines and social patterns, they are now confronted with the necessity of living in a new location in which everything is different.

The new culture’s customs, rules, and mores may be very unfamiliar and uncomfortable to them. This combined with the distance between where they live now and their family and friends at home can make life very challenging. The necessity of living in a state of loneliness, confusion about the proper procedures to follow and a lack of control over their life has a compounding exasperating effect which wears down the emotional defenses; eventually they may find their nerves increasingly frayed.