“Culture shock” is a feeling of disorientation and unease in a new and unfamiliar cultural environment as a result of relocation. This concept has both an affective, or psychological, component, relating to how an individual feels in their new surroundings,
and a behavioural, or sociocultural, component, relating to how they interact with others from a different cultural background. Relocation triggers a cognitive response in individuals, who reflect on their own cultural identity and either reject or learn how to live by new cultural rules. An early model of culture shock, devised by Kalervo Oberg, identified set stages in a linear progression towards adjustment, but, while there may be common elements, such as learning a new language or coping with new norms or laws, the experience is now understood as different for each individual. Much depends on the domains that they frequent and the social roles that they play, ranging from an employee adjusting to new management practices at work, an accompanying spouse coping with daily life, to a student dealing with a new college and
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