Castril Information Centre
I am sure you will agree when you first make the move to Spain it is somewhat of a “Shock Culture”! Jolanda G. Tromp (PhD) has written a useful article giving us a more indepth look at what Culture Shock and Resilience is….I am sure, when first moving to Spain, you will recognise some of these symptons!
Culture shock is a term used to describe the anxiety and feelings of surprise, disorientation, confusion, etc. which you can feel when you operate within or deal with an different cultural or social environment, such as a foreign country or person. It causes difficulty in knowing what is appropriate and what is not. In its most extreme, it can lead you to feel disgust (moral or aesthetical) about certain aspects of a different culture. However, culture shock can also lead to positive effects, like increasing your knowledge and resilience. The most important quality you need to manage culture shock is your resilience. We all possess this quality to a certain extent and anybody can learn and develop it.
Resilience is a term used to describe the ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change. It is rooted in your support systems (e.g. family, friends, people and places you know where to find when and for what you need, your own personality, knowledge and skills, your values and the meaning you attribute to your life and experiences). The irony of the situation is that moving from one culture to another, changes us and our connections to those support systems, at a time when we need and expect to rely on them the most. In fact, we have to re-establish a large part of these support systems in the new culture and this makes us re-assess and re-appreciate our life and situation. It is also a great opportunity to change, improve and grow as a person.
Phases of Culture Shock
Culture shock consists of distinct phases, though not everyone passes through these phases at the same pace, a phase can last a few days, weeks, or months. Roughly speaking there are 3 phases:
1) The "Honeymoon" Phase - During this time the differences between the old and new culture are experienced as new, different and interesting. Note that during this phase you are in a great position to plan ahead to minimize the effects of culture shock - more about this soon. The Honeymoon phase ends when the differences between the old and new culture present difficulties.
2) The "Negotiation" Phase - Trying to get things done in a foreign place, in a language you might not speak so well, within a culture and system that you are unfamiliar with, can lead to highthened levels of stress. The perception of how it went will also influence future stress reactions and it is not uncommon for people to feel burnt-out on a regular basis during this time.
3a and 3b) The "Everything is OK" and "Everything is Not OK" Phase - Whether the Negotiation Phase is resolved in a positive manner or a negative manner, affects how we evaluate our acculturation process and of course how happy we feel.
During phase 2 you might find yourself exhausted and in need of support. This is a good time to talk to the immigration psychologist, especially if you start to experience increased feelings of irritability, low-self esteem, anger, social discord, fatigue, sadness, etc. These feelings are often warning signs that you are entering phase 3b.