電脳経済学v3> f用語集> bu3 文化 (culture)

bu3e Culture Shock (uploaded:2007/06/18)

Culture shock is the feeling of confusion caused by disorientation when people are suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar way of life in another country. It implies definitely that the culture shock originates from a cultural gap between ones own particular culture and newly experienced one. In this context a more in-depth investigation will be required to clarify the meaning of the word "Culture" itself.

What does the word "Culture" mean ? In comparison with other animals, the human being can be characterized by less physical features such as fur, horn and the like to adapt to the environment but maintain life with more intellectual features represented as Homo Sapience or Homo Faber. Thus the culture could be defined as intellectual outcomes of human lifestyles. Culture change takes place as a result of ecological, socioeconomic, political, religious or other fundamental factors affecting a society. Nevertheless it is a hard task to specify the word culture briefly because this word has a wide range of implications as described below.
- [Sourced from Wikipedia]:

• The origin of the word culture comes from "cultivate" land contrasting with "wild" or "unexplored". (from the Latin cultura; colere)
• Pattern of human activity and symbolic structures that give such activity significance. (general)
• Different theoretical bases for understanding or criteria for evaluating human activity. (focus on difference)
• Whole product of an individual, group or society of intelligent beings. (general)
• Technology, art, science as well as moral systems and the characteristic behaviours and habits of the selected intelligent entities. (coverage of the range)
• It has more specific detailed meanings in different domains of human activities. (in particular)
• The universal human capacity to classify, codify and communicate their experiences symbolically. (Anthropology)
• The capacity has long been taken as a defining feature of the human. (-ditto-)
• The way people live in accordance with belief, language, history or the way they dress. (-ditto-)
• Identified aspects of culture among human's closest relatives in the animal kingdom. (Primatology)

How do we overcome culture shock? I believe that culture shock could be overcome without difficulty through a daily mental attitude to accept the culture gap which may exist. The first step to alleviate the gap would be to remove any biased way of thinking in which trap most people are caught unconsciously. Such negative feelings as stress, shock or panic may be caused by perception gaps regarding races, religions, languages, ideas, beliefs, customs, taboos, codes, arts, behaviours, genders and the like.

The simplest and perhaps easiest or less stressful way is through experience. A variety of experiences would conclusively resolve such culture-related negative feelings as the more you interact with others of differing beliefs and customs, the more you can accept that their norm is simply different form your own. Not better or worse but different and relative to their own cherished cultures.