ExpatRepat Services
by Robert E. "", President
ExpatRepat Services
Among expatriates culture shock is a term in common usage. It describes the discomforting responses one may have while re-adjusting culturally to one's home culture in repatriation. That distress tends to result in disorientation and emotional challenges. When one passes through that cultural adjustment process, it is said that person has acculturated.
A second experience of a similar response typically occurs to most who go through the coming home process known as repatriation. Interestingly, this is often experienced as a more difficult process for those who adjusted well to a host culture and completed the assignment effectively. This response is common in repatriation and is typically called reverse culture shock.
A variety of responses have been noted among repatriates who experience reverse culture shock. Those responses are normal, and generally temporary in nature. Some of the most obvious challenges a repatriate might experience could include:
Changes in patterns of eating and sleeping.
Rapid shifts or changes in mood or temperament.
Relative increase in the ease or frequency of feelings of anger.
More than usual experience of feelings of being depressed.
Impatience at the manner in which others back home respond, or do not respond.
Apathy, or loss of interest in others, or in activities with others.
Loss of one's sense of humor.
Denial of obvious strong personal feelings or emotional outbursts.
Periods of silence or withdrawal from others.
There are appropriate steps one can take to deal with responses such as are mentioned above. The one which may be of greatest value is to realize such responses are very common for those who successfully adjusted to a host culture. That personal adjustment permitted you to complete an effective expatriate assignment. You were sufficiently patient in the host culture so as to complete the cultural adjustment process successfully. Similarly, it will take time for you to complete the process of cultural readjustment to your culture of origin.
Typically, cultural readjustment requires far more attention to that which is "affective" than "cognitive." Thus, one must readjust at the emotional levels of change in order to be culturally readjusted to the home culture. Coming home from an international assignment requires patient and persistent steps to effect your personal readjustment to home.
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