What Are International Cultural Differences

2.6 Cultural differences
In the adaptation process, international students become more aware of their own selves and their cultural differences with the host country. According to David (1971), depending on personality characteristics and the (dis)similarities between their home and host culture, the students experience culture shock differently. Research has found that the greater the similarity to international students’ own culture to the U.S. culture, the less intense the culture shock (David, 1971). Furthermore, when students travel to a foreign country where the culture might be almost the same or close to their own, the shock and stress will be less. The culture-distance hypothesis predicts that the greater the cultural gap between

Klineberg (1970a, b) has noted that there is often limited personal contact between foreign students and host nationals. Irrespective of national or international status, it is a universal need of all people around the globe to feel connected to their local surroundings specifically and their society generally. Importantly, this longing has been found to increase in importance over time for sojourners (Lysgaard, 1955).When these bonds are absent, individuals are prone to feelings of depression among others. For newly-arrived international students in the host culture, oftentimes unprepared for and alone in their new home, culture shock-associated symptoms may become overwhelming. On the other hand, Hassan (1961) postulates that not just any social interaction between individuals from different cultures will automatically lead to favorable perceptions of the host culture. Instead, the type of experience is the most essential factor to consider. A research study conducted by Weaver and Uncapher (1981) also found that feelings of social connectedness with members of the host culture were essential to enabling international students to overcome feelings of culture shock. As an example, Severiens and Wolff (2008) reported that those international students who felt at home and were well connected to the host institution (including the faculty staff and students) and who participated in extra-curricular activities were more likely to enjoy academic and social success. Chapdelaine and Alexitch (2004) also found a strong link between the amount of social interaction between international students in their study and members of the host culture and decreased feelings of culture shock. Chung’s (1988) and Wingfield’s (2000) studies offered a different take on the relationship between contact with the host culture and