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1、 Culture ShockDo you think studying in a different country is something that sounds very exciting? Are you like many young people who leave home to study in another country thinking you will have lots of fun? Certainly,it is a new experience,which brings the opportunity to discover fascinating thing
2、s and a feeling of freedom, In spite of these advantages, however there are also some challenges you will encounter . Because your views may clash with the different beliefs, norms,values and traditions that exist in different countries, you may have difficulty adjusting to a new culture and to thos
3、e parts of the culture not familiar to you. This is called culture shock.At least four essential stages of adjustment occur during culture shock. The first stage is called the honeymoon. In this stage, you are excited about living in a different place, and everything seems to be marvellous. You like
4、 everything, and everybody seems to be so nice to you. Also, the amusement of life in a new culture seems to have no ending. Eventually, however, the second stage of culture shock appears. This is the hostility stage. You begin to notice that not everything is as good as you had originally thought i
5、t was. You become tired of many things about the new culture. Moreover,people dont treat you like a guest anymore. Everything that seemed to be so wonderful at first is now awful, and everything makes you feel distressed and tired. Usually at this point in you adjustment to a new culture, you devise
6、 some defense mechanisms to help you cope and to protect yourself against the effects of culture shock.One type of coping mechanism is called repression.This happens when you pretend that everything is acceptable and that nothing bothers you. Another type of defense mechanism is called regression. T
7、his occurs when you start to act as if you are younger than you actually are; you act like a child. You forget everything, and sometimes you become careless and irresponsible. The third kind of defense mechanism is called isolation. You would rather be home alone, and you dont want to communicate wi
8、th anybody. With isolation, you try to avoid the effects of culture shock, or at least thats what you think. Isolation is one of the worst coping mechanisms you can use because it separates you from those things that could really help you. The last type of defense mechanism is called rejection. With
9、 this coping mechanism, you think you dont need anybody. You feel you are coping fine alone, so you dont try to ask for help. The defense mechanisms you utilize in the hostility stage are not helpful. If you only occasionally use one of these coping mechanisms to help yourself survive, that is accep
10、table. You must be cautious, however. These mechanisms can really hurt you because they prevent you from making necessary adjustments to the new culture. After you deal with your hostile feelings, recognition of the temporary nature of culture shock begins. Then you come to the third stage called re
11、covery.In this stage, you start feeling more positive, and you try to develop comprehension of everything you dont understand. The whole situation starts to become more favorable; you recover from the symptoms of the first two stages, and you adjust yourself to the new norms, values, and even belief
12、s and traditions of the new country. You begin to see that even though the distinction of the culture is different from your own, it has elements that you can learn to appreciate. The last stage of culture shock is called adjustment. In this stage, you have reached az point where you actually feel g
13、ood because you have learned enough to understand the new culture. The things that initially made you feel uncomfortable or strange are now things that you understand. This acquisition of understanding alleviates much of the stress. Now you feel comfortable; you have adjusted to the new culture. Cul
14、ture shock is not something you can avoid when living in a foreign country. It does not seem like a very helpful experience when you are going through its four stages. However, when you have completely adjusted to a new culture you can more fully enjoy it. You learn how to interact with other people, and you learn a considerable amount about life in a culture that is not your own. Furthermore, learning about other cultures and how to adjust to the shock of living in them helps you learn more about yourself.