Every person you know lives and is defined by culture in some aspect, it’s human nature. Thus, everyone has their own opinion and perspective on what culture is to themselves or collectively, which ironically is an aspect of culture as well. My favorite definition is the need to communicate information and the basis of how it’s done depending on the community.
My studies have led me to examine the works of anthropologists Edward T. Hall, Fons Trompenaar, and Geert Hofestede. Each of these researchers landed on their own structural definitions of culture, curated so it could be understood by people such as you and me. The beautiful thing about learning about culture is that no matter who you are, you can relate to it and see yourself reflected in the science of it.
The definitions created by these anthropologists are the ends of a spectrum, the black and white of cultural aspects. They are the first to tell you that the culture of a country or community will lie between the ends of the definitions and that culture is a spectrum. Secondly, culture is fluid. Over time, certain dimensions may strengthen or weaken in any given culture. Take a look at some examples below. See if you can relate them to yourself or to other cultures you’ve encountered. (These aspects are only a sampling from their full studies.)
High versus Low Context
- Context refers to how much communication and information an individual can observe and utilize at any time. Communication includes body language, use of silence, implications of a message, or how much they know about their environment, and many more things.
- High context cultures can read and provide codes in verbal and body language. They are able to infer and understand messages without being explicitly told directly. In this case, some communication may not be direct or blunt. You can find high context cultures in Japan, Italy, and Spain. They tend to stay up to date on all matters of things and are very good at reading into body and verbal clues.
- Low context cultures, communication codes are not easily interpreted. This means they use their verbal communication as the primary form of communication and explanation. The context is not implied. These cultures will be more blunt and direct. You can find low context cultures in the USA, Germany, and Norway.
Polychronic versus Monochronic
- Chronic refers to time; the use and interpretation of it.
- Polychronic cultures are present in Latin America, African, and Middle eastern cultures. These cultures are able to handle multiple activities and tasks at the same time. Talking on the phone, cooking, and watching a show at the same time is no issue for these cultures. They have a flexible use of time and may arrive “late” to a meeting. The need to form and maintain strong and long lasting bonds with other people is a key source of this flexible use of time. They use their time to build relationships, and how prompt they are is based on your relationship with them.
- Monochronic cultures include the USA and the UK. They tend to focus on one task at a time and can’t move on fully until it is complete. Promptness is very important to them and will usually base their time off an agenda, so the use of time is planned and agreed upon beforehand.
Masculinity versus Femininity
- Masculine and feminine traits are what you could typically attribute to the female and male genders assigned by society.
- Countries that culturally value masculine traits include China, South Africa, Mexico. Traits that are expected and portrayed are assertiveness, competitive, focus on success. You will find that male and female gender roles are more rigid in these cultures. They prioritize money and status. Additionally, they are performance driven.
- Countries that culturally value feminine traits include The Netherlands, Greenland, and Sweden. Traits that are expected and portrayed are solidarity, cooperation, focus on quality of life. In these cultures the gender rules are more fluid. They will be more focused on building and maintaining relationships rather than performance.
Indulgent versus Restraint
- Indulgence means the degree in which people control their desires and impulses.
- Indulgent cultures show relatively weak control over themselves, require instant gratification, and tend to enjoy life more and are fun-having people. These cultures include Canada, Argentina, the USA, and Chile.
- Restrained cultures often follow strict social norms and rules. The concept of “saving face” is common in these cultures. It is best to provide a material reward to show a job well done since gratification is suppressed. They will often not show their emotions. These cultures include South Korea, Japan, and China.
Now that you have some idea of cultural dimensions, you might be able to reflect upon yourself to understand which aspects you are or are not comfortable with. Experiencing conflict in other countries is often a product of misunderstanding world views that culture is embedded in. This is CULTURE SHOCK!
Culture shock is a disorientation one may feel when removed from their own culture. It’s similar to stepping out of your comfort zone. Use of time, space, and language may be different than what you’re used to. From my own experience and from what I’ve heard from others, moving abroad you will go through different stages: the honeymoon phase (when everything is so new and exciting), the familiar phase (when you are starting to orient yourself and are getting used to your new life), the dip phase (you start to level out but miss home and comfort of the life you left), the leveling out phase (you’ve been able to fully integrate to your new surroundings and start to flourish).
One will experience REVERSE culture shock when you have finally orientated yourself to a new culture and you step back into your original culture. A person experiencing reverse culture shock will see their own culture in a whole new light, with a new perspective. In my opinion, this is such an important feeling to experience and one of the best aspects of culture shock. It can take you out of a complicit situation, where you may never question what goes on around you and you can understand others unlike you better.
Here are some examples of (reverse) culture shock:
“I think I experienced reverse culture shock when I came back home from Australia. I had enjoyed my time in Australia so much, I learned so much about myself and the world when I was there.
So I really felt a bit lost for a while after I came back home. I remember my friends and family being at my home to celebrate that I was back home. And I felt so strange/ out of place. I couldn’t explain how my time in Australia was in just a short story. And it was weird to see how everyone just lived their life how they always had, while I felt like my whole life had changed. I kept feeling out of place for a few more months after I came back home. And maybe even longer because after like a year I started traveling again. And I only started missing home or wanting to go back to the Netherlands since a few years ago.
SIlke, woman from the netherlands
Silke experienced reverse culture shock. Many people can feel that life at home moved on without them, or didn’t move at all and are surprised how everything seemed to remain the same.
“One specific event I remember when I went to visit back home in the Czech Republic after having lived in the US for 2 years, was when my sister organized a surprise dinner for me with my closest friends at a restaurant. I was being chatty and making jokes with the waiter, you know having been “Americanized” and after the waiter walked away from our table my friends looked at me like “What are you doing? Do you know him? Why don’t you just let him do his job!” I’ll never forget that”
Zuzu, woman from the czech republic
Zuzu also experienced reverse culture shock. What was a social norm in the US, was not true for her home country.
“Gravitating towards ANYONE that speaks your language in another country.’ and “Seeing how similar some people and places are.”
John, man from the USa
Culture shock and its effects can present itself in so many ways, and many times in ways you didn’t understand until a later time. It is the essence of stepping out of your comfort zone and into someone else’s. There is so much to learn in the world, and so much of that can be learned through culture and language. Culture is truly a shared human experience.
Kelsy Melton February 10, 2021