Culture shock: The four phases of emigration

Moving abroad is an exciting but often challenging experience. Many emigrants experience different phases between culture shock and assimilation. When you emigrate, you leave family, friends and the familiar behind without knowing what your new everyday life will look like. “This inevitably leads to a transition phase in which the old is missing and the new is not yet tangible,” says Rahel Siegenthaler, intercultural communication expert and coach. Despite careful preparation for your new life abroad, culture shock can occur – a psychological and emotional reaction to life in a new, unfamiliar place. In our Guide to Moving Abroad you will find further tips for emigrating from Switzerland and the life abroad. Individuals can go through different stages in the assimilation process. Anthropologist Kalervo Oberg described these four phases, which Siegenthaler summarises as follows: 1. The honeymoon phase “In this initial phase, the new culture is fascinating and exciting. Everything ...