Culture learning theory and globalization: Reconceptualizing culture shock for modern cross-cultural sojourners

Culture shock has long been of great concern regarding the wellbeing and mental-health of international sojourners. Over the last three decades, the world has experienced rapid globalization and the introduction of various technologies which have been found to ‘buffer’ the effects of culture shock, yet the conceptualizations concerning the nature, prevalence, and effects of this phenomenon have not been explicitly modernized to suit such a contemporary social landscape. Based on an extensive literature review, particularly concerning the research conducted with international student populations, this paper offers conceptual insight on how the experience of culture shock has evolved in the present information age, and argues modern sojourner experiences are increasingly reflective of culture learning. Specifically, this paper considers exactly how technological advancements have facilitated change in the subjective experience of the psychosocial processes during a cross-cultural immersion. A foundation for future research to explore the mechanisms of culture learning theory is also contributed.