The Psychology of Culture Shock [antikvár]

Foreword In a world where there are millions of tourists, sojourners, expatriates, immigrants and refugees, it is high time for psychologists to pay attention to the culture shock that these individuals are experiencing. Three internationally known psychologists, living in Europe, Asia, and Australia, have combined their skills to write this most impressive book that provides an excellent account of culture shock. The level of scholarship is extremely high. It integrates over one thousand references, placing them in a variety of theoretical frameworks, discussing inconsistencies in the findings, and attempting to find the causes of these inconsistencies. The theoretical perspectives are broad and sound. It is a culturally sensitive psychology, focused on the intercultural encounter. It starts by examining aspects of cultural differences, such as levels of individualism and collectivism, and the outcomes of contact, such as genocide, assimilation, segregation, and integration. It considers both historical and contemporary approaches. It emphasises the need to learn to pay attention to paralinguistics, the local etiquette, and culture specific methods of resolving conflict. Culture contact is likely to be stressful, and an analysis is provided of factors such as personality and social support that can reduce the stress. The role of cultural distance and modernisation in providing gaps that make the contact more stressful is analysed. People in contact might assimilate the other culture, reject it, or change their identity to include both sets of cultural elements. They might even reject both their own and the other culture. Factors that are likely to result in each of these consequences are discussed with sophistication. A distinction is made between within-culture and between-cultures contact, and the different forms of contact associated with these two kinds of contact are examined. The volume has chapters on specific groups, such as tourists, students, business people, immigrants, and refugees. While the broad theoretical principles discussed in the first section of the book apply to all these groups, each one faces special circumstances and that requires the examination of how the group can be successful in its particular situation. Culture training is then discussed, and the development of bicultural competencies is emphasised. Finally, the ABCs of culture shock are explored.