Can A Chinese Young Lady Become An American Woman?
Environments significantly influence one’s cognition,effect,and behavior.One feels the impact of the different culture especially when one comes into a foreign country.Shen-Lan,who is from Taiwan,was satisfied for her first twenty-five years of life because she was surrounded by the people who have loved her and whom she has loved.Her friends used to ask her why she looked very happy all time.Even though her parents limited her behavior or activities because of social bias,she accepted those controls because she understood her parents really loved her.Also,her parents did everything for her,such as taking care of her,cooking for her and making decisions for her.She complied with what her parents expected.She had never left home before she came to America.When she came to America,culture shock obviously influenced her self-concept,self-esteem,and self-presentation.
In Chinese culture,she was taught to be interdependent.She had to care not only about herself but also about the people who were around her,for example parents,siblings,and friends,even neighbors.However,in American society,she noticed that everyone was very independent,and minded his or her own business,and nobody cared about one another.Because she did not want to get hurt,she knew that she had to make some changes.In her self-concept,she changed her interdependent view to an independent view.
Discussion Questions:
1.What culture shock did Shen-Lan experience?
2.What changes took place in her?How could she have avoided or lessened the culture shock?
3.If you were in her situation,what would you have done?What other suggestions will you give her so that she could enjoy more pleasant and more successful cross-cultural experience?