Cultural Difference in France

Disclaimer: Transparency/Confidentiality – all participate

Opening Question – differences?
Cultural sensitivity GREETINGS: French men allow women to initiate in greetings, re-bonjour, may assume you are English – shake hands, expectations on people speaking English, you have some extra latitude by being American, DIFFERENCES: French high outer walls and American low outer walls, COMMUNICATION: volume level, don’t like the phone, off limits to French are questions about your job and maybe what is deemed as too personal questions, off limits to Americans are how much you paid for things, religion and politics, INVITATIONS: more comfortable initially at cafes, aparo great way to start

EXPECTATIONS (blocked goals leads to depression)
Observations

Symptoms

Qustions – how would you define culture shock?
Give definition later: “Psychological disorientation most people experience when they move for an extended period of time to a different culture.”
“Short termers” will experience all of the same symptoms potentially but in a shorter time period.
Chart

Choices chart
Fog----------------------------------------------------------------------------deal
Loss/Gain:

Loss: Support (family,friends,school,church)
Familiar ways of communicating /relating to people
Knowing how to act/what is expected
Familiar setting that provides security/self-worth
Gains: New setting (sights,smells,tastes)
New acquaintances
New language,pattern of speech,nonverbal cues
New roll/identity
Coping Mechanisms

Questions: What helps you deal?
“We cannot underscore the power of adjusting well. Cross cultural adaptation will “squeeze” issues out of you. If you “deal” with them you will grow, if you don’t you really are missing a real growth opportunity and putting yourself at risk of lasting psychological and emotional problems..”

Sources: Andi