Some correlates of culture shock among American tourists in Africa

Abstract

The effects on culture shock of prior travel experience, feelings of internal/external control, and intolerance of ambiguity were examined in American tourists to Africa. Participants, 42 members of a university sponsored six week tour of East Africa, ranged widely in age and prior travel experience. Hostility toward Africans, withdrawal from cross cultural contact, and overidentification with America were assessed with ratings by tour leaders and by participant self reports. Prior travel experience does not correlate significantly with culture shock, a finding confounded in this study by age. Older tourists had more prior travel but also experienced greater culture shock. Those less tolerant of ambiguity experienced greater culture shock. Internal/external control feelings did not correlate significantly with culture shock. Combining personality and prior travel in multiple regression did not significantly improve prediction of any of the culture shock manifestations over that of the best single predictor. Results are discussed primarily in terms of differences between the cross cultural experience of tourists and that of other groups in which culture shock has been studied.