Reverse Culture Shock
Abstract
The concept of "reverse culture shock" was introduced in 1963, only three years after the introduction of the term "culture shock." While many scholars and individuals have addressed the fact that reverse culture shock is considerably harder to deal with, not much attention has been given to the issue. Reverse culture shock is often an unexpected phenomenon. All the trainers had experiences living abroad and had tremendous difficulty re-adjusting to their home cultures upon their return. They all received lengthy preparation for "culture shock", but none of them received more than a days training to prepare them for their return home. Whether it was traveling within the same country or internationally, reverse culture shock was something that all the trainers experienced one way or another. The purpose of this training was to familiarize participants with the concept of reverse culture shock and prepare each participant for future reverse culture shock. The more one develops a better understanding about the concept and factors that contribute to reverse culture shock, the better one can prepare for re-adjusting to life in one's home culture.