Culture shock is precipitated by the anxiety that results from losing all
our familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse. These signs or cues
include the thousand and one ways in which we orient ourselves to the
situations of daily life: when to shake hands and what to say when we meet
people, when and how to give tips, how to give orders to servants, how to
make purchases, when to accept and when to refuse invitations, when to take
statements seriously and when not. Now these cues which may be words,
gestures, facial expressions, customs, or norms are acquired by all of us in the
course of growing up and are as much a part of our culture as the language we
speak or the beliefs we accept. All of us depend for our peace of mind and our
efficiency on hundreds of these cues, most of which we do not carry on the
level of conscious awareness