Contemporary perspectives on intercultural contact
The study of ‘culture shock’ has come to draw more from social psychology and education than
medicine. ‘Culture learning’ and ‘stress and coping’ models have become well established
(Furnham and Bochner 1986), and ‘social identification’ theories have become more prominent.
These three contemporary theories are more comprehensive, considering the different components
of response – affect, behaviour and cognition (ABC) – when people are exposed to a new culture.
Table 2 summarises their differences in theoretical origin, conceptual structure, factors that affect
adjustment and implications for intervention. People in cultural transit are seen as proactively
responding to and resolving problems stemming from change, rather than being passive victims
of trauma stemming from a noxious event. The notion of ‘culture shock’ has been transformed
into contact-induced stress accompanied by skill deficits that can be managed and ameliorated,
and terms such as ‘adaptation’ and ‘acculturation’ have been increasingly used instead.