Communication and social values in cross‐cultural adjustment

This article describes cross‐cultural adjustment as a communication process. It presents a brief critical review of the various ways that communication researchers have conceptualized the major variables and factors associated with the cultural reprogramming process, known as adjustment. The paper argues that, for better conceptualization and theory construction, more attention should be paid to such macroscopic motivating and contextual factors as the institutional environment, as well as to the variety of sojourning purposes. Suggestions made for reorienting cross‐cultural adjustment or adaptation research include: (a) placing more emphasis on macroscopic sociocultural factors, and (b) placing more emphasis on primary and secondary communication and socialization institutions (e.g., the mass media).

Key terms:

• Cross‐cultural adjustment
• primary and secondary institutions
• mass media.