Theme 4: INTERCULTURAL ENCOUNTERS AND ADAPTATION

Meeting people from different cultural backgrounds has become more and more common in the globalizing world. However, we are often not aware of our own culture until something surprising or shocking happens. Our own habits, values and beliefs feel just natural to us. It is only when we meet someone from a different culture that we notice the basic assumptions are not the same everywhere. Our reactions in such a situation can be very different -- rejection, acceptance and adaptation are some examples of how people can take cultural differences.

In this chapter we will discuss intercultural encounters and adaptation to a new culture. The contents are

• Encounters and emotions
• Culture Shock
• Intercultural adaptation
  • U-curve model
  • W-curve model
  • Stress-Adaptation-Growth
• Expatriate assignment cycle

© Maria El Said, 2006