Title: Navigating Intercultural Adaptation challenges: Key Strategies for Sojourners
Authors: Pamphile BIGIRINDAVYI
Volume: 9
Issue: 5
Pages: 40-47
Publication Date: 2025/05/28
Abstract:
This study explores various intercultural adaptation challenges (from the perspective of culture shock) faced by sojourners and examines strategies to overcome these obstacles. It highlights the importance of empathy, op enness, and continuous learning in fostering successful intercultural interactions. The study is theoretically guided by the framework for the study of intercultural adaptation developed by Furnham and Bochner (1986). They outline eight theoretical foundations for the study of intercultural adaptation: movement as loss, fatalism, selective migration, appropriate expectation, negative life events, social support, clash of values, and social skills deficit. Methodologically, this study used a documentary research method based on secondary sources. The findings underscore that sojourners face various intercultural adaptation challenges, such as culture shock, loss of familiar symbols and personal relationships due to geographical movement, as well as communication challenges. The study suggests two main models to guide sojourners in coping with these challenges: the dialectical model and the transformative learning model.