Culture shock

Running head: CULTURE SHOCK INTERVIEW 1
CULTURE SHOCK INTERVIEW
Author’s Name
Institution of Affiliation
Date of Submission
CULTURE SHOCK INTERVIEW 2
Culture shock
Culture shock is a relatively short-term natural state of physical and psychological disorientation
of discomfort due to living, working and studying in a new culture and unfamiliar with the cues
in the environment. Culture shock progresses slowly, and it does not hit suddenly (Ward,
Bochner and Furnham, 2005). But not every person moving to a new environment will
experience culture shock. Some of them may experiences culture shock symptoms such as
homesickness, stereotypical of the host country, boredom and family conflict. To some degree,
culture shock is inevitable, and its reactions are emotional and cannot be easily managed.
Correspondingly, along with the growing worldwide immigration from one country to another,
culture shock within people has become a key feature in the current world. This paper is
comprised of the interview question and the response as well as my experience on the interview.
Interview with Susan
For my improvement in my anthropology class and have a deeper understanding of
culture shock, I interviewed an acquaintance of mine by the name Susan. We sat down together
in one of the tables in order to discuss whether she has experienced culture shock and what are
some of the experiences she came across when she first arrived in America.
Interview questions and response
Have you ever experienced culture shock? If yes, how would you describe it?
Yes, I have experienced culture shock. Just imagine how hard it is growing up in two
different countries, and both are your home. Every time I come to the United States, and every
time I go back to Norway there are several differences. My first difference is when I was born.
CULTURE SHOCK INTERVIEW 3
My mother is a Norwegian citizen by birth, and she was raised in Norway, and when she came to
the United States, she met my father. Since my mother is a Norwegian citizen, she could go
back and to Norway and give birth with zero costs; whereas in the united stated giving birth costs
between $2,500 and $3,500 after the insurance cover of giving birth naturally. Healthcare is
funded publicly in Norway, and it is completely free until the age of sixteen, in which a payment
is made before you get your exemption card. Here in the United States, healthcare is something
hard to receive for me. Being sick in the United States is expensive.
What are the cultural differences here in the United States that you find most difficult to
adjust?
The first thing Susan talked about was being an adult. It is only until you graduate in the
tenth grade and you are eighteen years that you will be an adult in most American culture.
Whereas, you are considered an adult at the age of sixteen at which point you also graduate in
the tenth grade in Norwegian culture. It was difficult for me to adjust to being a kid again when I
came to visit summer at my seventieth birthday, after being on my own for a while. Generally,
there are differences on how parents here in the United States and Norway raise their children. It
was really difficult for me to grow up and to get used to the different approaches taken on
parenting. We pride ourselves on being tough in Norway, and there are a lot of things we have to
learn and experience ourselves. We are overprotected and sensitive here in the United States. I
am not against being loved, but sometimes it is too much when compared to how I am treated in
Norway.
CULTURE SHOCK INTERVIEW 4
How do people criticize you as a person since here in the United States there's this idea of
individualism?
I always find it quite strange when coming to America and having people criticize me for
who I am as a person and how they look at me closely. In America, people do not believe in
janteloven, and it is very hard for them to accept. When moving from one country to another,
there is always a period of adjustment, which is really confusing because you are not used to the
differences (Furnham and Bochner, 1986). When I was young, it was worse because I did not
understand why things were different to me. In Norway cannot question you or judge on your
gender but here in the United States, it is difficult to be your own.
What have you been surprised most by the food, tome and routine here in America?
In Norway, we go by the military time which is different from the United States, and I
found it confusing for communication purposes. For the food, here in the United States, there is a
heavy fast-food culture whereas in Norway there is not food culture, but we eat a lot of fish,
dairy, and bread. In Norway, fast food is not popular, and there is no much dependency on it.
Discussion and class concept
During the interview with Susan, she seemed to be a good listener, and whenever I ask
any question, she could first smile before responding to my question. This was a good indication
that Susan was more than willing for the interview and responded in a respectful manner (Oberg,
1960). I never got worried about getting ready to be judged by Susan because I approached her
politely and asked if I could interview her.
CULTURE SHOCK INTERVIEW 5
It is important to study culture because it makes us who we are today. It is interesting to
see how being raised in two different countries with different culture has shaped Susan’s
behavior to who she is today. Nevertheless, from the interview, I have learned that culture shock
never goes away, it will always be hard when it comes to adjusting to different cultures when
moving from one place to another.
Conclusion
In conclusion, based on the culture shock interview, I had a better understanding of
different symptoms of a culture shock for being raised to two different cultures. I have also
acquired a deep understanding of the potential culture shock relationships among different
countries with a different culture.
CULTURE SHOCK INTERVIEW 6
References
Furnham, A., & Bochner, S. (1986). Culture shock. Psychological reactions to unfamiliar
environments. Culture shock. Psychological reactions to unfamiliar environments.
Ward, C., Bochner, S., & Furnham, A. (2005). The psychology of culture shock. Routledge.
Oberg, K. (1960). Cultural shock: Adjustment to new cultural environments. Practical
anthropology, 7(4), 177-182.

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

-+
550 words

Our customers say

Customer Avatar
Jeff Curtis
USA, Student

"I'm fully satisfied with the essay I've just received. When I read it, I felt like it was exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the necessary words. Thank you!"

Customer Avatar
Ian McGregor
UK, Student

"I don’t know what I would do without your assistance! With your help, I met my deadline just in time and the work was very professional. I will be back in several days with another assignment!"

Customer Avatar
Shannon Williams
Canada, Student

"It was the perfect experience! I enjoyed working with my writer, he delivered my work on time and followed all the guidelines about the referencing and contents."

  • 5-paragraph Essay
  • Admission Essay
  • Annotated Bibliography
  • Argumentative Essay
  • Article Review
  • Assignment
  • Biography
  • Book/Movie Review
  • Business Plan
  • Case Study
  • Cause and Effect Essay
  • Classification Essay
  • Comparison Essay
  • Coursework
  • Creative Writing
  • Critical Thinking/Review
  • Deductive Essay
  • Definition Essay
  • Essay (Any Type)
  • Exploratory Essay
  • Expository Essay
  • Informal Essay
  • Literature Essay
  • Multiple Choice Question
  • Narrative Essay
  • Personal Essay
  • Persuasive Essay
  • Powerpoint Presentation
  • Reflective Writing
  • Research Essay
  • Response Essay
  • Scholarship Essay
  • Term Paper
We use cookies to provide you with the best possible experience. By using this website you are accepting the use of cookies mentioned in our Privacy Policy.