WHEN YOU CROSS CULTURES - World Evangelical Alliance

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN RECOGNISING CROSS-CULTURAL STRESS INTRODUCTION 133 Cross-Cultural Stress is an important issue for both labourers going to their new fields of service, and for those who will be supervising and providing pastoral care. “Doing member care” 1 is an issue all mission agencies and mission sending churches must undertake seriously. The mission sending process begins from the preparation and orientation of cross-cultural workers and continues until their re-entry to their home countries. This section on cross-cultural stress was not easy to write. When I first wrote these chapters on sabbatical, my wife was recuperating from physical and emotional fatigue. Specialist physicians had diagnosed the main cause to be stress. As we were in the midst of a sabbatical, I continued to learn new lessons about dealing with stress and making applications prayerfully and specifically to my own situation. WHAT IS STRESS? Briefly defined, stress is the wear and tear caused by the pressures of daily life. Pressure cannot be avoided. It is not always bad. When viewed correctly, pressure can develop the qualities of endurance and perseverance. Stress is a normal feature of everyday living. Every person, whether living in his own culture or in a different one, experiences stress to some degree. Stress becomes dangerous when it is prolonged. It may cause irreparable emotional and physical damage. Illnesses from stress are the most difficult to heal even with continuous treatment. They often continue until the real sources of stress are discovered and dealt with. Some time ago, I conducted seminars on cross-cultural stress for new candidates at the Asian Cross-Cultural Training Institute. I had seen the effects of stress on many of our field workers, having counselled many over the years. Some of them have had to leave the field permanently. In some cases, preventive 1 Refer to Kelly O’Donnell, editor (2002), Doing Member Care Well – Perspectives and Practices from around the World, William Carey Library.
134 WHEN YOU CROSS CULTURES measures could have been taken. Learning to recognise stress symptoms early is especially important for the cross-cultural worker. Working at the prevention of stress is always best. CROSS-CULTURAL STRESS For those living in a different cultural context, stress is inevitable. All cross-cultural workers will face it. Because cross-cultural stress is caused by many factors, it is often difficult to diagnose. One must, however, guard against making dogmatic conclusions about missionary behaviour, such that we attribute every problem to stress. The illustrations given below are to help us understand that cultural stresses are normal and they can be dealt with. Cultural stress is unavoidable. All workers will face the stresses of adjusting to a new culture. Recognising this fact - that “cultural stress” is normal and unavoidable - prepares the worker to be alert to stress symptoms and to learn to deal with them adequately. The intensity of the stress experienced will vary from individual to individual as personalities and temperaments are different. The nature of cross-cultural assignments also may differ widely. Some are in situations where amenities are easily available and others in more remote areas. Case Study for Discussion A Singaporean couple had been on their Asian field for about six months. They were primarily engaged in language study and had also made some friends. When their supervisor visited them, they had a lot to share about their initial experiences. After talking about some positive experiences with their new friendships, they spoke of their cultural stresses. The dusty environment caused constant discomfort. Closing doors and windows did little to prevent fine dust from settling everywhere. Tables were dusty. The floor was dusty. Beds, curtains, furniture were all covered by dust. The house had to be cleaned daily. The floors were mopped every morning. But by evening, there was more dust. The traffic flowed continuously by day and by night, with car horns tooting. The couple had to leave early in the morning to catch their bus to attend language school. If they left a little later, the traffic jams would be too severe.
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WHEN YOU CROSS CULTURES - World Evangelical Alliance

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