Reflection on Cultural Shock

Reflection on Cultural Shock
What is culture? The culture is a set of values and practices that a person learns from society
and follows them to be a part of society. This conventional definition of the culture defines it
from a sociological perspective. However, if I wish to answer a question about the cultural
shock or reverse cultural shock then I need to redefine culture on psychosocial levels. Here I
discovered that I am living under a subculture. This subculture consists of the set of values
and practices that an individual retains from an existing culture with an intention to live a life
of convenience.
As an Australian citizen, I belong to a cosmopolitan culture which is open to accommodate
new cultures. The study of cultural shock and reserve cultural shock allowed me to
understand the mindset of some of my workmates who immigrated from different parts of the
world to Australia (Turkowsky, 2010).
They found it difficult to adjust to the working conditions and social conditions of Australia.
As a society, Australians believe in straight talks with no passive undertones attached to
them. Individuals coming from the side of Indian subcontinent find it a little insulting and
rude. This sentiment forces a change in their behavior. They fall for the trap of depression,
stress, and anxiety. In terms of sociology, they feel a kind of social alienation. However,
while stepping into their life under the role of a psychologist we cannot treat them based on
the symptoms alone. For instance, anxiety, depression or the display of the social inhibition is
only a symptom. The root cause for these symptoms can be “Inferiority Complex,” “Poor me
syndrome” or “Low self-esteem (Wielkiewicz,2010).”
The cultural shocks sometimes create a role conflict in the mind of a person and he feels that
he is a misfit for the place. In the current article, they mentioned that frequent episodes of
anger can be an outcome of a cultural shock. However, in my personal observations, I found