Newcomers from
different country and culture seem often feel strange to face something
(culture) new. It seems as a battle in their inner selves to know the diversity
of their own culture with new culture. In other words, we can match it with the
term of cross cultural conflict that happens in newcomers. In other
time, newcomers might do adjustment to the new culture. From that background, the
discussion that related with cross cultural communication and adjustment will
be divided into five parts.
First, the terms
of cross cultural conflict itself. ThingToomey and Oetzel said that conflict
style is an integrative combination of traits (cultural background and
personality) and states (William Gudykunst, 2003:133). In this context, we
understand that newcomers who are living in new culture might be has conflict
in their selves, it might be caused by different culture in their origin. To
address it, newcomers in the following time might do cultural adjustment to the
new culture. For example, the students from NTB who decide to learn in the
outside of their island, Bandung, West Java. In the first time, they might
feels strange to know the new culture in Bandung, but in the following time, they
try to adjust their selves to a new culture to do adaptation well. In this
case, sometimes it would be found hard for some newcomers, yet not for others.
According to Levine and Adelman (1993:39), there are at least 10 points to be
considered how the newcomers do the adjustment. They comprise motivation of
newcomers leave their hometown or country, length of newcomers stay in the new
country, the similarities and differences of language and culture (it
correlates with language and cultural aspect), newcomers’ capability and
understanding of language and culture in new country, the personality that
represent their selves (introvert or extrovert, flexible or rigid one), the
relationship with others (it connects with the supporting of newcomers’ family
to go abroad), financial situation, job (it is like a motive to go abroad, what
newcomers’ job have in native country), age, and degree of ethnocentrism (it
would be explained further more). Considering those points above, the
adjustment might be easiest and fastest to be done by newcomers. In some cases,
we can find newcomers in the difficult condition to adjust the new culture if
there are obstacles as unpredictable cultural adjustments. For example, the
newcomers who know -at least- a language in new country, in one point they have
a grasp for supporting him/her to live well there, but for other aspects, they
also need to adjust.
Second, it is
about stages in adjustment process. In the new country, newcomers sometimes
bewildered with the new cultures, so they might hold culture shock as the
typical response when they are immersed on it. Newcomers’ reactions to new
culture vary, but the distinction of stages in adjustments process can be a
parameter to measure the newcomers’ period in adjustment process. According to
Levine and Adelman (1993:41) elaborated that stages in W-shape and divided into
5 parts; honeymoon period, when the newcomers are feel fascinated and
excited with new culture. Culture shock, when the newcomers have problem
in some aspects; housing, transportation, and others. Initial adjustment, here
the newcomers might be not longer for housing and shopping, but they can
express their feeling and ideas by other ways. Mental isolation, when
the newcomers feel lonely caused by the distance and far away from their
family. The last, Acceptance and integration, when all activities
become a habit or routine such as; work, business, and school. From those
stages, not every newcomers feel same stages. In one case, some newcomers might
not feel honeymoon period and skip it to another stage. And those
conditions will be different for each individual (newcomers).
Third, newcomers’
problem in adjusting new cultures, it will be correlated with the personal
condition of newcomers facing the new culture. The types of symptoms overwhelm;
homesickness, inability to work well, to much eating, drinking, sleeping, anger
toward the members of the new culture, glorifying the native culture and
emphasizing the negative the new culture, withdrawal and avoid to do contact
with people from new country, and lack ability to deal with even small problem
(Levine and Adelman: 1993, p.42). Those symptoms
also can be found in the students from outside of Java’s Island. Homesickness
might cause another effect for the newcomers, such as less spirit to learn and
disrupt another activity, even become introvert one. In other case, a student
that learns in Mesir said when he has homesickness and has restrictiveness to
go home (because of accommodation cost), he feels very lazy to learn and doing
another agenda. One of the solutions, he needs to come together with the
newcomers from same country to represent his willingness to have together with
his family. Arch and Carol quote Madison (2006) and Martin and Harrell (2004)
that mentioned feeling of homesickness and depression indicates that
psychological adjustment that incorporated variables of affecting
socio-cultural and psychological adjustment (2009, p.129).
Fourth is about
cultural re-entry adjustment. Levine and Adelman note in their book as process
occurs when newcomers return to their native countries. The stages are usually
shorter than the adjustment to new culture. The pattern is also same with
previous adjustment, W-shape adjustment that indicates five stage; acceptance
and integration is the condition which is the newcomers feel enjoy with the
new culture, return anxiety is the stage when the newcomers feel painful
when they have to go home and leaving the friendship in new country, return
honeymoon is the stage where the newcomers feel re-alive in their native
country, re-entry shock is condition where the country or city may have
changed in the newcomers’ perception, re-integration is the last stage
where newcomers feel integrated with their friends, family, and activities
(1993, p.56-57).
Fifth is about
ethnocentrism and adjustments. Fred defined ethnocentrism as negatively judging
aspect of another culture by the standard of one’s own culture (2010, p.84).
While Levine and Adelman define it in another way as the emotional attitudes
that one’s own ethnic group, nation, or culture is superior to all others
(1993, p.58). Ethnocentrism might be found in many countries; nevertheless no
all people (newcomers) have over fanatic to their own culture. It depends on
the newcomers’ inner feeling and paradigm to consider their own culture
inferior or same with new culture. Larry, Richard, and McDaniel state
ethnocentrism is found in many cultures and it is the basis for judging all
other cultures combined with the belief that one’s own cultures is superior to
others (2010, p.44).
Based on those
explanations above, we can conclude that newcomers that facing new culture in
new country or in non native country can do the adjustment to the new culture.
In doing adjustments, there are stages process that might be reached by
newcomers, when they arrive in new country, even when they back to their native
country. Ethnocentrism also contributes in adjustments process.
References
Books
Gudykunst, William B. 2003. Cross-Cultural
and Intercultural Communication. Thousand Oaks: SAGE.
Jandt, Fred Edmund . 2010.
An Introduction To Intercultural Communication: Identities In A Global
Community. Long Angeles: SAGE.
Levine,
R. Deena and Mara.B.Adelman. 1993. Beyond Language: Cross Cultural Communication.
2nd Ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Regence.
Samovar, Larry A, Richard E Porter, and Edwin R McDaniel. 2010. Communication
between Cultures. Belmont, CA : Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.
Woodside, Arch.
G, Carol M Megehee and Alfred Ogle. 2009. Perspectives on Cross-Cultural, Ethnographic, Brand Image,
Storytelling, Unconscious Needs, and Hospitality Guest Research. Bingley:
Emerald.
Additional Informations
Interview
Interviewee :
a. Students university of
outside Java's Island; Sigit Bayu Anggoro, Tri Kurniawati, M.Rizal Anshar.
b. Students University of
Indonesia in Egypt; Bilal Hadiy Isyhad.
