Core Concepts & Processes
This term describes the stress and anxiety felt when familiar cultural cues stop working.
Culture Shock
The stage of excitement and optimism when first entering a new culture.
the excitement (honeymoon) stage
The ability to cope with uncertainty and unclear cultural situations.
tolerance for ambiguity
Giving up one’s original culture to adopt the host culture completely.
assimilation
A temporary visitor living in a culture for a limited time.
sojourner
It is the long‑term cultural and psychological adaptation process.
Acculturation
The stage marked by frustration, confusion, and homesickness.
the disenchantment (crisis) stage
The anxiety or vulnerability felt when using a second language.
language ego
Maintaining one’s original culture while participating in the host culture.
integration
Judging another culture using one’s own cultural standards.
ethnocentrism
The idea that learning a language also involves learning cultural values and behaviors.
second culture learning
This stage involves learning coping strategies and predicting social behavior more accurately.
the beginning resolution stage
The feeling of not fully belonging to either the home or host culture.
anomie
Avoiding the host culture while strongly maintaining one’s original culture.
separation
The emotional and cognitive distance between cultural groups.
social distance
This model views cultural adjustment as cyclical rather than linear.
the stress–adaptation–growth dynamic
The stage in which individuals feel comfortable and function successfully in the host culture.
the effective functioning stage
This emotional state often peaks when learners begin to think in the new language.
anomie
Losing connection with both the host and original cultures.
marginalization
This concept emphasizes personal perception rather than objective difference.
perceived social distance
This process explains why repeated stress can eventually lead to intercultural competence.
stress–adaptation–growth
This model visually represents emotional highs, lows, and recovery during adaptation.
the U‑curve of culture shock
This term explains why language learners may feel less competent than they actually are.
language ego
Which acculturation strategy is usually not chosen voluntarily?
marginalization
This factor often predicts difficulty in language learning more than actual cultural difference.
perceived social distance