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Psychosocial aspect of going abroad

As you know, we are offering internship opportunities for young people to travel abroad to improve themselves in challenging environments. This comes with strong emotional impacts on an individual, thus the piece of information in this blog is focused on the experience of dealing with other cultures and the psychological factors involved.

Also, we are here to discover personal experiences by recommendations based on journal articles in order that students may better be prepared for their adventure.

So why travel abroad? Evidence exists supporting the claim that travel abroad is beneficial. Michael H. Stitsworth has studied a group of students who had spent time in Japan and writes that, in comparison with a control group, the overseas group increased in flexibility and independence and became less conventional overall. It also benefits such as personal growth, increased tolerance, improved self-understanding, greater openness, greater independence, and increased sophistication.

In addition, travel abroad has been said to be a way to increase creativity. At work, you are an “automatic pilot” a lot of the time. But when you go to France for instance, and although you’re struggling with the language, the hotel, transportation, you do experience leisure. The telephone isn’t ringing and there aren’t people hounding you, thus you have time to think.

But there are many psychological aspects in encountering other cultures, as being immersed in another culture often has tremendous emotional effects. This phenomenon has been negatively termed “culture shock,” but such terms don’t have to be viewed as negative. Culture shock generally moves through four different phases: honeymoon, frustration, adjustment, and acceptance. Of course, individuals experience these stages differently, and the impact and order of each stage vary widely.

As the first, travelers become infatuated with the language, people, and food in their new surroundings. At this stage, the trip or move seems like the greatest decision ever made, an exciting adventure to stay on forever.

At the next stage, the fatigue of not understanding gestures, signs and the language sets in and miscommunications may be happening frequently. Small things — losing keys, missing the bus or not being able to easily order food in a restaurant — may trigger frustration. And while frustration comes and goes, it’s a natural reaction for people spending extended time in new countries.

As the adjustment phase, frustrations are often overcome as travelers begin to feel more familiar and comfortable with the cultures, people, food and languages of new environments. Navigation becomes easier, friends and communities of support are established and details of local languages may become more recognizable during the adjustment stage.

And finally, we have arrived to the last step, which is the Acceptance Stage

Generally — though sometimes weeks, months, or years after wrestling with the emotional stages outlined above — the final stage of culture shock is acceptance. Acceptance doesn’t mean that new cultures or environments are completely understood, rather it signifies realization that complete understanding isn’t necessary to function and thrive in the new surroundings. Acceptance doesn’t mean that new cultures or environments are completely understood, rather it signifies realization that complete understanding isn’t necessary to function and thrive in the new surroundings. During the acceptance stage, travelers have the familiarity and are able to draw together the resources they need to feel at ease.