Research has shown that reentry is at least as frequent as the initial culture shock. Reverse culture shock education abroad drexel university. Read international magazines and foreign newspapers, or access news from your host country. This survey study revealed significant findings that bear upon student services programming conducted by college student personnel workers. Keeping an international perspective is a special skill not to take for granted or put away. Glanzs epiphany is an example of a study abroad sideeffect known as reverse culture shock. What is it like returning to singapore after studying abroad. Preparing for reverse culture shock can help limit its effects. Youll most likely have reverse culture shock after studying abroad, which is the opposite of what you probably first experienced when you got to your study abroad destination the symptoms of reverse culture shock. Students from overseas study abroad programs are returning to the us with feelings of distress, anxiety, and cultural identity confusion, most of which are not dealt with on the university campus. Students typically do a lot of planning and preparation to go abroad, and are usually prepared for some of the difficulties they will initially face in a new culture. How to deal with reverse culture shock after studying abroad.
Reverse culture shock and reentry stress study abroad. Texas state division of academic affairs education abroad returning students reverse culture shock reverse culture shock culture shock is most noticeable when you leave your home to go to another country, but it can also occure in reverse once you have returned to the u. Reverse culture shock, also called reentry shock, is the term used to describe the disorientation and adaptation that occur when one is trying to readjust to hisher own culture after spending an extended period of time in a different culture. Reverse culture shock in students returning from overseas kevin f. Reverse culture shock is inevitable and ultimately a natural byproduct of the life that your child built abroad.
Many students find that the best way to get past their reverse culture shock is to share their experiences with others. It is therefore an inevitable part of your study abroad experience. However, students tend to do a lot less preparation for returning home. Returning study abroad students bellarmine university. Confronting reverse culture shock and saying goodbye. Its natural to want to share your deepened understandings with friends, family, and classmates. Another common symptom of reverse culture shock is boredom.
San diego state university, last modified march 17, 1998. This feeling of reverse culture shock is normal and can come in many forms. Culture shock affects study abroad students campus. Expatriates and organizations alike tend to overlook the challenges and risks associated with returning from an international assignment. Reverse culture shock derives from the fact that sojourners return to home with new eyes and, in a sense, new bodies. While it may have existed miles away, in a different environment and possibly in a different language, that life is just as real to your child as the one you have continued to lead in their absence at home. Just as culture shock can differ greatly from person to person, reverse culture shock is just as personal of an experience. When youve spent several months in a different country you not only become accustomed to that countrys lifestyle and their food, but the bonds that you make with new friends makes your study abroad location quickly feel like home. Reverse culture shock is the emotional and psychological distress suffered by some people when they return home after a number of years overseas. Dealing with reverse culture shock for students returning from study abroad programs. From reverse culture shock to global competency asee peer.
Reverse culture shockthough many students expect to feel some level of culture shock when going abroad, many students do not necessarily expect to feel the same upon returning. If youre reading this, youve probably already taken the first step toward lessening the effects of reverse culture shock youre educating yourself and expecting disruption in. The overseasexperienced american college student may indeed experience reverse culture shock. Reverse culture shock after studying abroad cultural shock. Both students and host families experience reverse culture shock. Reverse homesickness is a typical symptom of reverse cultural shock. Below you will find the summarized descriptions of the stages of reverse culture shock, as well as some of the top ten frustrations we see in our students when they return to the states and ncc. Youll gain a completely new perspective on a subject, a culture, and a part of the world that transcends inclass learning. The reentry experiences of 66 overseasexperienced american college students were examined to determine if reverse culture shock influenced selfreported problem severity, willingness to see a counselor, and student support service. Pdf dealing with reverse culture shock for students returning. Reverse culture shock the citadel, the military college of. As long as you have an understanding of what youre going through, its safe to say that not only will you push through these confusing and difficult times. Use this time to rebuild relationships, interests, and your new worldly self.
The difficulty adjusting back to your home culture is called reverse culture shock. While the phenomenon of culture shock is increasingly well known and relatively well prepared for in the foreign affairs community, reverse culture shock is not as recognized and understood. The main reason is probably because its not expected. Effectively dealing with reverse culture shock begins long before you ever land in the united states. The reentry experiences of 66 overseasexperienced american college students were examined to determine if reverse culture shock influenced selfreported. While you traveled and lived abroad, your world view has been jumbled and changed, and once you return, youll have to learn how your new you will fit into the your old world. Some students find that they have changed and grown a great deal while abroad, but that home, family and friends have not. For more information about reverse culture shock, the us state department page has extensive resources. Culture shock is the expected confrontation with the unfamiliar. The breakdown of interpersonal communication the causes of reverse culture shock are quite similar to those of culture shock. The honeymoon period may last only a few days or hours. Although culture shock has become a mainstream word, reverse culture shock remains a largely unanticipated and unrecognized event.
How to deal with reverse culture shock when returning home. Many students expect to experience culture shock when they arrive in their host country. Office of programs for study abroad, said reverse culture shock occurs when people return from studying abroad and find some of the things about. Few people anticipate culture shock when they return home, but many students actually find that it is just as challenging to get used to being home again as it was to get used to living abroad. Reverse culture shock is a normal reaction of returning to your home country. Many students who studied abroad in the country of your choice went through many changes, reexamining their priorities, their values, and what they think of themselves and the united states. Whether youre heading home for the holidays, or your time of studying abroad has come to an end, returning home can be an exciting experience. See culture shock for more information about the challenges of adapting to a new culture. Dealing with reverse culture shock for students returning. This section will discuss reverse culture shock the psychological, emotional and cultural aspects of reentry. Many faculty and study abroad advisors who chat with their students returning from study abroad experiences will recognize that one of the most. This study extends previous research by examining the role of cultural intelligence cq in both culture shock and reverse culture shock. Pdf when students return from their study abroad programs, they can often feel distress, anxiety, and cultural identity confusion. This happens when students deeply miss their abroad friends, international host families, and the city where they lived during the study abroad experience.
Recently students from abroad experience a sense of insecurity, uncertainty, confusion and frustration. Relationships between culture shock, reentry shock. With reverse culture shock, your child will be recognizing how they may have changed while abroad and how to integrate those newly realized aspects of their identity into their lives back at home. Dealing with reverse culture shock students university of. Coping with reverse culture shock one way to ease back into life here is to spend some time with people who have also had experiences abroad, or those who are just beginning to plan their own overseas journey. When returning home, some students are surprised to find they experience as much. This unpleasantness can be attributed to your new attitudes and perceptions you may have developed while overseas. Many of the same events and circumstances that create stress when adapting to a foreign culture also create stress in the return trip. Dec 03, 20 4 ways reverse culture shock can affect international students you may feel misunderstood once back in your home country, and even homesick for your u. Unfortunately, leaving a new home, new friends, and a new culture you have grown accustomed to makes returning to the states quite a bit more complicated than just stepping off the plane. Reverse culture shock, or reentry shock, refers to the difficulty sometimes experienced when returning to your home country and culture after you have had experiences in another country. They may not even think about it until they are on the plane heading home. At first, you may be excited to return homeseeing friends and family members, driving a car instead of walking, and eating your favorite foods.
Reverse culture shock and reentry stress students returning home from their time abroad often experience feelings and reactions similar to those that they first felt overseas, an experience commonly referred to as reverse culture shock. Reverse culture shock is a large part of what can make the return home so challenging for international students. According to gullahorn and gullahorn, the main dierence between reverse. Check out the staying global in philadelphia page for other ways to continue your international journey back here at drexel. If youre reading this, youve probably already taken the first step toward lessening the effects of reverse culture shockyoure educating yourself and expecting disruption in your routines and level of comfort in a new place. The issue of reverse culture shock and employee repatriation. Reverse culture shock is a transition, and an important learning experience. Much like the culture shock that you experience upon arrival in your host country, reverse culture shock has several stages. The transition from saying goodbye to your study abroad host country and life to reintegrating yourself back into the us and renewing your relationships at home can be difficult for many students. Abstract the reentry experiences of 66 overseas experienced american college students were examined to determine if reverse culture shock influenced selfreported problem severity, willingness to see a counselor, and student support service usage.
Just as everyone experiences culture shock differently, so too do students experience reverse culture shock. Reverse culture shock reentryfor international students. In one study gaw 2000 looked at reverse culture shock in american students returning home. These are a great way to meet and talk with other students who recently returned from abroad. When students first arrive at their study abroad location, they may feel bored, homesick, have difficulties developing. Your reentry is a process that may involve some or all of the following stages. Reverse culture shock is similar to culture shock, but it occurs when you return to an environment that you once knew well.
The reentry experiences of 66 overseas experienced american college students were examined to determine if reverse culture shock influenced selfreported problem severity, willingness to see a counselor, and student support service usage. Specifically, this study asserts that cq acts as a moderating mechanism that lessens the negative effects of both culture shock and reverse culture shock on psychological and sociocultural adaptation among international students. This is due in part to the fact that people are returning home. Center for advanced research on language acquisition, university of minnesota. Japanese student sojourners, moreover, often have challenges that go beyond non. The reverse culture shock may be more difficult than the culture shock you felt when in portugal. Returning home after study abroad culture shock is a common discussion topic in preparation for studying abroad. Reverse culture shock in students returning from overseas request. The reverse culture shock may be more difficult than the culture shock you felt when in the country of your choice. While abroad, sojourners learn to see the world in a different way and to move through it in a different fashion. Returning home after having lived overseas typically carries with it a period of adjustment, known as reentry shock, or reverse culture shock. Reverse culture shock the challenges of returning home.
One of the biggest challenges for students who participate in study abroad can be the difficulty in readapting to the realities in the united states otherwise known as reentry. Dealing with reverse culture shock for students returning from. When students return home, they may experience a change in the relationships that they had with their family andor friends. Reverse culture shock in students returning from overseas.
After spending a semester abroad, american students usually return back to the states and experience something theyve never felt before. Request pdf reverse culture shock in students returning from overseas the reentry experiences of 66 overseasexperienced american college students. Reentry shock is the unexpected confrontation with the familiar. Determinants of academic focusing gains in the study abroad experience b e n j a m i n f.
How to deal with reverse culture shock when returning home after studying abroad. Reverse culture shock international support services. For many students who study abroad, the most difficult time is the culture shock of returning home. Apr 20, 2016 reverse culture shock is an adjustment of expectations with reality. Reverse culture shock is a common problem for international students. Students returning from an international experience can go through reverse culture shock which can hit someone harder than culture shock. Coming home after studying abroad just as everyone experiences culture shock differently, so too do students experience reverse culture shock.
Gaw university of nevada, usa abstract the reentry experiences of 66 overseasexperienced american college students were examined to determine if reverse culture shock in. To view our list of reentry events and opportunities, please visit the returned students section on the study abroad website. While a wide range of responses is normal, some may be unexpected. It may be helpful to think of reverse culture shock in terms of the culture shock one experiences when moving overseas. This basically consists of feeling out of place in your own country, or experiencing a sense of disorientation. The limited evidence suggests that this experience is even more severe and protracted than culture shock and that it sets in much more quickly. This strain and stress can sometimes invoke a sense of helplessness or a loss of identity.
Many factors may influence readjustment to your home culture, including the length of time you were away, any. Reentry shock is difficult, because it creeps up on you unexpectedly. If so, this student is likely to experience depression, alienation, isolation, loneliness, general anxiety, speech anxiety, friendship difficulties, shyness concerns, and feelings of inferiority. Aug 31, 2016 overseas, your child had an opportunity for growth that is entirely independent and defined by their personal experience in their foreign destination. Aug 23, 2018 this is what we call reverse culture shock, where youre learning who you are and how you fit into your culture after returning home from study abroad. The issue of reverse culture shock and employee repatriation share often in discussions surrounding international assignments and cultural differences, the key issue is the employees adjusting to their host countries, but employers may not be giving enough attention to the reverse culture shock that can come with repatriation. This is an opportunity for you to become bicultural being able to function competently in two cultural environments. In this section, you will learn how to cope with reverse culture shock you may experience upon return to the united states. A students guide to strategies for language and culture learning and use. Reverse culture shock in students returning from overseas reverse culture shock is the process of readjusting, reacculturating, and reassimilating into ones own home culture after living in a different culture for a significant period of time. The reentry experiences of 66 overseasexperienced american college students were examined to determine if reverse culture shock influenced selfreported problem severity, willingness to see a counselor, and student support service usage. Reverse culture shock is neither recognized or understood at home few. The cognitive dissonance experienced at reentry was perceived as the primary root to the syndrome of reverse culture shock, causing structural imbalance cognitive schema disequilibrium. Like many other exchange students i found myself living with my parents again after a year in canada.
Reverse culture shock managing reverse culture shock. Many of these americans are dependent youth who, after completing high school abroad, return to the united states for college. Reverse culture shock impacts students returning from abroad. Studying abroad can be one of the most exciting experiences of your college life. The reentry ucurve can be derived from the notion of contradictory role demands. Research indicates that about 70% of students experience reverse culture shock as they readjust to their lives in their home country. Know that you are always welcome to stop by the study abroad programs office to discuss your feelings and we host events targeted at returned study abroad students. Almost all students and host families experience re. Students, who have just returned from a foreign shore, tend to miss acquaintances, friends and places abroad. Sep 18, 2019 reverse culture shock is the emotional and psychological distress suffered by some people when they return home after a number of years overseas. If you do not feel well or are returning from a developing country, please see your primary care physician for a checkup. Academic year and semester study abroad students participate in a returning student seminar to help facilitate the returning home process. The mix of emotions coupled with drastic changes to environment, living situation and lifestyle can cause students to be overwhelmed.