Which term describes the difference between a person’s native culture and a new culture, including the difficulty of adjusting?

Which term describes the difference between a person’s native culture and a new culture, including the difficulty of adjusting?

• A. Culture
• B. Cultural intelligence
• C. Culture shock
• D. Cultural novelty

Answer: (D)

The main concept being tested is the experience of adjusting to a different culture and the distress that can come with that. The best term for this is culture shock. It captures both the clear differences between one’s native culture and a new environment and the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral strain that often accompanies trying to adapt. People commonly move through stages as they acclimate: initial excitement and curiosity, followed by frustration and confusion as norms, language, and social expectations clash with what they’re used to, then gradual adjustment and eventual comfort as new routines and understandings form. This term specifically addresses the discomfort and difficulty of the transition, not just the existence of differences or the ability to cope in the future. Cultural intelligence describes how well someone can function across cultures, which is about capability rather than the experience of adjustment. Cultural novelty would imply simply something new culturally, not the process of adjusting to it. Culture, in contrast, is the broad system of shared beliefs and practices, not the lived adjustment experience.

The main concept being tested is the experience of adjusting to a different culture and the distress that can come with that.

The best term for this is culture shock. It captures both the clear differences between one’s native culture and a new environment and the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral strain that often accompanies trying to adapt. People commonly move through stages as they acclimate: initial excitement and curiosity, followed by frustration and confusion as norms, language, and social expectations clash with what they’re used to, then gradual adjustment and eventual comfort as new routines and understandings form. This term specifically addresses the discomfort and difficulty of the transition, not just the existence of differences or the ability to cope in the future.

Cultural intelligence describes how well someone can function across cultures, which is about capability rather than the experience of adjustment. Cultural novelty would imply simply something new culturally, not the process of adjusting to it. Culture, in contrast, is the broad system of shared beliefs and practices, not the lived adjustment experience.