The Essence of Return Culture Shock: Mystified With the Obvious

Writer(s): 
Wayne K. Johnson, Ryukoku University

Culture controls behavior in deep and persisting ways, many of which are outside of awareness and therefore beyond conscious control of the individual.

Edward T. Hall

The Silent Language, 1959, p. 35

Culture shock is concerned with the relationship between culture and language within the context of cultural adaptation. A related concept is return culture shock, the mixture of emotions one experiences during repatriation, when returnees acclimatize into the social, psychological, and occupational patterns of their home countries (Hogan, 1996). People living in an international environment will benefit from exploring the core elements of return culture shock in order to gain a clearer understanding of this aspect of their intercultural experience.

When examining return culture shock, it is crucial to recognize the awareness level of social interactions and customs one employs within their own culture (C1)(1) and how this is contrasted with the awareness level in a second culture (C2). In order to have a clearer understanding of return culture shock, this paper will look at the tacit nature of culture, the connection between linguistic and cultural awareness, and finally the role of television and other media. This information will be useful to language teachers and their students who travel extensively and may live in a foreign country for an extended period of time.

C1, C2, and Radio Waves

Before examining return culture shock in detail, it is necessary to briefly look at culture itself. Kroeber and Kluckhohn's definition of culture is one still largely accepted today: "Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups" [italics mine] (1952, p. 47).

In a more esoteric yet relevant definition, Hofstede (1984, p. 51), described culture as "the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one category of people from another."( 2) Although we know that culture is learned, we also know that it is made up of multifarious components. A great deal of culture, in fact, acts in much the same way as radio waves--it carries information, is omnipresent though invisible, and, if one is tuned to the right frequency, it conveys powerful messages to those equipped to receive them. Just as non-scientists who listen to the radio have difficulty describing how radio waves are transformed into sound, most people have trouble explaining culture, despite the fact that it is the basis of much of their behavior, attitudes, and ways of life. The limitless zones of culture are both readily apparent on the one hand and subtle and impalpable on the other. It is within many of these elusive, intangible aspects of culture that our specific behavior, values, and philosophies are steadily formed.

Culture Shock

In general, culture shock occurs when people relocate from surroundings to which they are accustomed to an unfamiliar place in which the information being transferred to them is contrary to their C1. This may induce any number of emotional reactions, such as fascination, rebellion, or the tendency to surround themselves with others who share their underlying cultural programming. The type of reaction usually depends on one's individual characteristics in dealing with new situations, prior C2 encounters, and linguistic ability.

Insights into Return Culture Shock and Awareness

People who spend considerable time outside of their home cultures, whether conducting research, traveling, studying, or teaching, undergo reverse culture shock in one form or another whenever they step back into their C1.

Why does return culture shock occur? According to Hogan (1996), people may have idealized notions about their home country while away only to find that it has undergone economic, social and political changes during their absence. Or, they may find that their personal social bonds are weaker, and friendships lack the closeness that was present before. Perhaps more common is the gap between their memories and the changing realities of their society.

The main concept to examine within return culture shock is the level of awareness that a person is operating on when in a C2. To better comprehend the significance of this idea, it is important to examine the level of awareness you must possess and exercise in order to readapt to your home culture as compared with the awareness necessary in a C2.

The Correlation Between Linguistic Awareness and Cultural Awareness

Speaking in your L1 is often like riding a bicycle: once learned, it is quite effortless. As some have noted (see Gattegno, 1972; 1985), communicating in L1 is usually as natural as breathing. In most everyday situations, you do not have to use a large amount of energy to produce language and communicate, and more importantly, you do not have to be especially aware of what you are doing (e.g., how you hold your mouth to produce a sound, how to use pronouns, or conjugate verbs). The more fluent you become in a language, the less you have to think about these factors. However, your awareness level must be raised when using an L2, unless you have become bilingual.

As those who speak foreign languages can attest, after hours of using an L2 without a break one becomes fatigued because using an L2 requires more awareness and skill to maintain a suitable level of communicative competence.

The same concept can be applied to culture. When one enters a C2 for the first time, the awareness level is at a much different state compared to being in your C1. Because one does not share the same cultural schema, a raised awareness emanates as soon as one sets foot in a C2. One immediately becomes aware of the differences in peoples' body language and living space. The food, drink, dress, and smells in the C2 may vary considerably from what one is accustomed to back in the C1, and one quickly recognizes the similarities and differences. Even after living in a C2 for a long period of time, an elevated awareness level of social conventions is still necessary to survive. This awareness, and the energy required to maintain it, is similar to the attentiveness necessary to speak in an L2.

Increased Awareness, Return Culture Shock, and the Public Bath House

What effect does a heightened awareness level in another culture have upon returning to one's home country? Quite possibly, you are still acutely aware of what is going on around you, of how you are talking, about social interactions at the airport, about the size of the portion of food you order, and about elements of human interaction. But what differentiates this from one's experience abroad is that it is one's own culture.

A simple explanation is through the metaphor, "the world as a sento" (public bathhouse). Your C1 is a sauna in which you are totally comfortable in the dry heat. When you journey to a C2 it is like jumping into a cold bath: At first you feel quite stunned and dazed. After a period, you adjust to the frigid tub and ponder why people are enamored with it. You gradually grow accustomed to the chilly temperature and your state of ambiguity. From the social interaction in the cold bath, you recognize there is a depth of information about the C2 you will never be familiar with--you're not completely tuned in! Then suddenly, you move back into the sauna, your C1, and with your enhanced perception, you are aware of and experience the heat at a deeper intensity than before. Because you have discovered the concept of cold, you have an intimate understanding of the hot. While standing unnoticed in the blistering sauna, the torridity of your C1 seems both natural and unpleasant. This is the effect of return culture shock.

TV, Media, Context, and Return Culture Shock

When people live outside their C1 for an extended period of time, their knowledge of media trends deteriorates. Even though the Internet has brought many parts of the world closer together, it has not yet overtaken television as the most powerful socializing agent in the industrialized world. When away from their C1 however, people lose direct contact with this form of popular media.

A clear example of the schema the media produces occurred just prior to the final episode of a popular American situation comedy called Seinfeld (the name of its leading character, Jerry Seinfeld), which aired on May 14, 1998. According to the Baltimore Sun, the program averaged 30 million viewers each week for its last four years on the air, more than 10% of the total U.S. population. Seinfeld has been discussed by all age groups in American society, from teens to senior citizens. Aspects of the show were often the topic of conversations in the workplace, and were debated by scholars (Zurawik, 1998, p. 12 ). Collections of academic essays and college research papers were also written about the show. Prior to its final episode, the Baltimore Sun published Users' Guide to Sein Language. Since it was being broadcast around the globe, there was a concern that viewers wouldn't understand the humor: "When the rest of the world is laughing at the Seinfeld finale May 14, you will want to be in on the joke. If you are not familiar with Jerry (Seinfeld) speak, here is a quick guide to help you figure out what is so funny" (1998, p. 12). If you were living outside of the U.S. for some time (the show was on the air for nine years, from 1989) and returned in time for the final episode, you might have suffered some return culture shock.

Unlike missing a single movie and not understanding the context of a conversation, the returnee may have bypassed an entire genre of shows which helped shape or at least add to some of the widespread attributes of popular culture in his or her homeland. When you return, not only do you not know what people are talking about, but you also may feel that you don't really share the same interests. You may confront a situation in which you are regarded as eccentric by your peers (Hogan, 1996).

Returning Home: Just Another Country

Culture is multifaceted, ingrained in every individual, and clearly difficult to define. Thus, when people enter a new culture, the levels of awareness for both cultural adaptation and language understanding are raised. The media, interpersonal relationships, and learning skills are integral to the process of getting over the initial culture shock. However, all these influences can never replace the missed information that they would be viewing in their own C1, i.e., news, current events, and social events that shape trends.

There are several books that explain ways to deal with return culture shock (see Smith, 1996; Storti, 1997). Suggestions include keeping in contact with current media via video tapes sent from home; setting up satellite dishes and watching global news networks; and staying in touch with friends via letters, e-mail and phone. When you return home, it is useful to surround yourself with those who have experienced the odyssey of living overseas. The best way to deal with return culture shock may simply be to have awareness that it is going to occur. Being conscious of your perceptions is the most valuable step in being comfortable upon return. Once you realize that your heightened awareness gained in the C2 remains, you will be able to better interpret your C1.

Upon reentry, many returnees reconfirm that their homeland is simply another country in the world. It may or may not be economically better off or have a different style of government than other C2's, but culturally you are able to see your C1 as a place which is quite similar to all places around the globe in that it has both positive as well as negative attributes. It is in this scenario that you are able to see your C1 from a different viewpoint, realizing that the best way to learn about both the admirable and undesirable traits of your own culture is to leave it. You can see how each country on this planet is a figurative island, with a distinctive culture, media, and ethnocentric perspective.

When you do return to your country with a raised awareness, it is important to focus on the positive aspects of your new cultural cognizance. Being more culturally aware gives you the chance to familiarize your compatriots with the wider world, to show how cultural understanding is enriching for both the individual and society.

It is invaluable for sojourners living overseas to understand that their reactions upon returning home are a natural and a valuable aspect of the process of becoming an intercultural person. For many, this awareness is the essence of return culture shock, and it is at this point of disorientation, being mystified with the obvious, that you realize what return culture shock is. It is a time when you have no choice but to familiarize yourself with and become attuned to a society to which you once belonged. What at one time seemed run-of-the-mill and comfortable, feels much like another world.

Notes

  1. For the sake of clarity, I am using the term culture to embody the notion of the primary culture of a country or nation state (e.g., French, German, Japanese, New Zealand, Polish, or Thai culture).
  2. The concept of culture acting as collective programming or radio waves is similar to the study of memes and memetics. A meme is an information pattern, held in an individual's memory, which is capable of being copied to another individual's memory. Memetics is the theoretical and empirical science that studies the replication, spread, and evolution of memes. For a more detailed analysis of this concept see Dawkins, 1976.

 


Acknowledgments

I would like to give special thanks to Craig Sower, who helped me better clarify the concept of this paper for myself. I would also like to thank many friends and colleagues for their constructive feedback and insightful comments concerning return culture shock: William Bradley, Kirsten Dekin, Elizabeth Forrest, Terry Futaba, Yukiko Seto-Johnson, Peter Klanian, Joseph Macadam, Katrazyna Randall, Dmitri Robbins, David D. Stewart, Jana Silver, Noel Terhune, and Stephen Wolfe. Any and all mistakes are mine.


 

 

References

Dawkins R. (1976). The selfish gene. New York: Oxford University Press.

Gattegno, C. (1972). Teaching foreign languages in schools: The silent way. Second Edition. New York: Educational Solutions.

Gattegno, C. (1985). The common sense of teaching reading and writing. New York: Educational Solutions.

Hall, E. T. (1959). The silent language. New York: Anchor/Doubleday.

Hofstede, G. (1984). National cultures and corporate cultures. In L. A. Samovar & R. E. Porter (Eds.), Communication between cultures (p. 51). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Hogan, C. F. (1996). What is the extent of responsibilities of universities to prepare overseas students to return to their home countries? In J. Abbott & L. Willcoxson (Eds.), Teaching and learning within and across disciplines (pp. 83-91). Proceedings of the 5th Annual Teaching Learning Forum, Murdoch University, February 1996. Perth: Murdoch University.

Kroeber, A. L., & Kluckhohn, C. (1952). Culture: A critical review of concepts and definitions. Harvard University Peabody Museum of American Archeology and Ethnology papers, p. 47.

Smith, C. D. (1996). Strangers at home: Essays on the effects of living overseas and coming "home" to a strange land. Bayside, NY: Aletheia Publications.

Storti, C. (1997). The art of coming home. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press.

Users' guide to Sein Language. (1998, May 14). The Baltimore Sun, (reprinted in The Daily Yomiuri), p. 12.

Zurawik, D. (1998, May 14). Like it or not, 'Seinfeld' connects with our times. The Baltimore Sun, (reprinted in The Daily Yomiuri ), p. 12.