Content introduction

2. Features of the culture to which migrants and visitors belong.
Representatives of cultures where the power of traditions is strong and behavior is largely ritualized, such as citizens of Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asian countries, adapt less successfully. For example, the Japanese, while abroad, worry excessively because they behave incorrectly. It seems to them that they do not know the "code of conduct" in the host country. The difficulties of the Japanese living in Europe are evidenced by many data, including statistics of suicides among foreigners.
Representatives of the so-called "great powers" often adapt poorly because of their inherent arrogance and the belief that it is not they who should study, but others. For example, many Americans and Russians believe that they do not need to know any other language than their own. And residents of small states are forced to learn foreign languages, which facilitates their interaction with foreigners. When conducting a survey in the countries of the European Union, it turned out that the smaller the state, the more languages its inhabitants know, which means they have more opportunities for successful intercultural adaptation. Thus, 42% of Luxembourg citizens and only 1% of French, English and Germans indicated that they could explain themselves in four languages.
The peculiarities of the host country, first of all, the way in which the "hosts" influence the newcomers: whether they seek to assimilate them or are more tolerant of cultural diversity. Or – like the Japanese – they are fenced off from them by a hard-to-break wall.
Pluralistic societies are characterized by greater tolerance towards newcomers than monistic ones. It is easier to adapt in countries where a policy of cultural pluralism has been proclaimed at the state level, which presupposes equality, freedom of choice and partnership of representatives of different cultures: the Canadian government has been pursuing such a policy since 1971, and the Swedish government since 1975.
The characteristics of migrants and interacting cultures have an interrelated impact on adaptation. For example, individuals with a willingness to change who find themselves in a multicultural society will have more contact with local residents, and therefore will be less susceptible to cultural shock.
Thus, one of the most important factors favorably influencing the adaptation process is the establishment of friendly relations with local residents. So, visitors who have friends among local residents, learning the unwritten rules of behavior in a new culture, have the opportunity to get more information about how to behave. But informal interpersonal relationships with compatriots can also contribute to successful "survival", since friends from their group perform the function of social support. However, in this case, the limited social interaction with representatives of the host country may increase the feeling of alienation.