| Stage | What people experience | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| Honeymoon | Excitement and fascination on arrival, with positive feelings dominating early on | Use the good-mood window to learn simple phrases and build a few support contacts before it fades. |
| Rejection and regression | Frustration and anxiety grow, and negative feelings toward the host culture appear | Expect this dip rather than reading it as a mistake. Talk to peers and advisers early. |
| Adjustment | Frustrations and anxieties begin to decrease; one overview places the start of coping at six to twelve months | Keep language practice and routines going. Difficulties remain but feel less negative. |
| Acceptance | The local culture is accepted as simply the way of life | Treat this as an outcome to work toward, not a deadline. |
The four stages follow Glion’s student wellbeing guidance on culture shock, and the six-to-twelve-month timing comes from an overview of culture shock examples.
To define culture shock, treat it as a temporary reaction to losing familiar social cues in an unfamiliar place. It brings anxiety, frustration and isolation, and it usually eases with adjustment, though not in a straight line.
Language is a big part of how belonging is signalled, which the Slang and Culture hub explores when it asks where does gen z slang come from.
How culture shock shows up in daily life
Culture shock affects mood, confidence and everyday decisions more than it affects any single event. Knowing the usual patterns helps you separate a normal dip from a problem that needs a different response.
- Isolation and missing the familiar. A person in culture shock feels isolated and misses the familiar symbols, attitudes and habits of home. This is why small comforts, such as a routine or a regular call, matter more than they seem to.
- Frustration after early excitement. Once the honeymoon stage wears off, people may suddenly become frustrated or annoyed by things they found charming at first. If this happens to you, it is a recognised phase, not evidence that the move was wrong.
- Harder communication and lower confidence. When a new language has to be learned, communicating becomes very hard and self-confidence may suffer. The confidence effect is the part people tend to underestimate, and it can lead to avoiding conversations altogether.
The practical decision is to treat these reactions as a common process or set of feelings, not a fixed trait. That framing lets you plan around them instead of waiting for them to pass.
Language barriers as a central trigger
Language problems are one of the most direct links between culture shock and everyday life. One overview lists language problems among the top causes of culture shock, and another counts the shock of adapting to a foreign language as part of the experience. A separate list of triggers places the language barrier under unfamiliar social interaction rules.
Language also shapes how far adjustment goes. The degree of acculturation depends on factors such as personality, motivation to adapt, language skills and support. Of these, language skills are the one you can work on directly from the first week.
- Start with simple local phrases. Glion advises students to learn some simple French phrases for the towns where they live and study. Phrases for errands and greetings suit newcomers who feel overwhelmed, because they bring quick, visible wins.
- Treat slang as a later layer. Everyday slang carries local history, as an explainer on Why Is “12” Slang for Police? Origins, Meaning, and Cultural Use (2026 Guide) – Slanguagestudio shows for one term. Current vocabulary is collected in Top Gen Z Slang: 50+ Words and Phrases You Need to Know in 2026 – Slanguagestudio. Both suit learners who already manage daily tasks and want to follow casual conversation.
Coping choices that fit each stage
Coping works best when you match the step to how you feel, and the study abroad guidance gives several options that need little time or money. Not every step suits every person, so choose the ones that address your biggest gap.
- Share what you feel. Glion recommends you share your feelings with the people around you, including friends and advisers. This suits anyone in the frustration dip, when withdrawing feels easier than talking.
- Shrink big tasks. Divide large projects into smaller steps and concentrate on one small step at a time. This helps most when paperwork, study or job demands feel unmanageable.
- Stay connected to home. The same guidance says to keep close contact with family and friends from home. Use it as support, and balance it with local engagement so it does not replace building a life where you are.
- Engage with local culture. The guidance encourages involvement with local life, not only the international student or expat bubble.
- Set a future goal. Making holiday plans is one example, and Glion notes that a future goal helps you get through difficult times.
Preparing before you move
Preparation will not remove culture shock, but it can soften it. One psychology-based review states that although culture shock cannot be avoided completely, it can be decreased significantly through appropriate preparation.
For expats sent abroad by employers, the same review points to an effective selection process and adequate intercultural training as ways to reduce negative outcomes. If you are choosing between self-study and a structured programme, training suits people moving for work, where the cost of a failed placement is high. Individual students can get much of the benefit by learning phrases and talking to peers who have made the same move.
Why culture shock happens
Culture shock happens because familiar cues stop working. Kalervo Oberg’s definition, as quoted in one review, says culture shock is precipitated by the anxiety that results from losing all our familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse, a definition that dates to 1960. Everyday behaviours such as greetings, queuing and tone of voice stop being automatic.
One overview groups the causes into three categories: social interaction, physical environment, and attitudes and expectations. The language barrier sits under social interaction, which explains why it can intensify the other two. When you cannot ask for help or follow a joke, an unfamiliar environment feels harder and unmet expectations sting more.
The stages in practice
The stages describe a typical emotional path, but real experience is messier than the table suggests. Glion notes that the progression of feelings is not linear. Initial positive feelings dip before becoming more positive again.
The honeymoon stage can feel like nothing but positive feelings, viewed through rose-tinted glasses. Its end is where planning matters: the frustration that follows is expected, not a sign of failure. In the adjustment stage, frustrations and anxieties begin to decrease, though difficulties remain. Another overview notes that you may return to the distress stage several times before fully adapting, so a bad week during adjustment does not undo earlier progress.
Treat the stage model as a guide, not a schedule. One review cautions that every person reacts differently, so the model is not generally valid for every individual. Use the stages to name what you feel, not to judge whether you are on track.
Frequently asked questions
What is culture shock?
Culture shock is the anxiety and disorientation that follow the loss of familiar social cues in a new cultural setting. It affects students, travellers and expats alike, and it is temporary.
Who first described the stages of culture shock?
Kalervo Oberg is credited with the model. He proposed a four-phase version while addressing the Women’s Club of Rio de Janeiro in 1954.
Is culture shock permanent?
No. Glion describes it as a common process or set of feelings, and feelings of frustration and anxiety decrease as adjustment begins.
Does everyone react to culture shock the same way?
No. Reactions differ by personality, motivation to adapt, language skills and available support, so two people in the same place can have very different experiences.
