Date of Award

1-1-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Heather Crandall

Second Advisor

Dr. John Captuo

Abstract

With a growing number of multinational corporations sending workers into new locations, the need for knowledge about how individuals and families successfully integrate and connect to their host country is paramount. This study focuses on the phenomenological communication strategies used for cross cultural adjustment and adaptation of longterm sojourners in a new culture. Longterm sojourners who have lived for three years or longer in two host countries were interviewed to explore their communication strategies of adaptation for meaning making for themselves and for their families. Specifically, perspectives around the experience of cross culture adjustment, language acquisition, and identity shift were explored. Findings show that individuals who approach the experience with openness and non-judgmentalism find greater satisfaction with the host country. Also, those who seek to integrate and deeply embrace the new culture experience acceptance and stay for longer periods. Humor, humility, and perseverance are character traits that predict for satisfactory adjustment. The stresses on marriage and family provide a dialectic experience of strain and closeness. Implications from this study indicate that satisfied longterm sojourners have discovered ways of contending with difficulties that provide knowledge for managing this stressful adjustment. Their experience can inform the expectations of future sojourners. This study emphasizes the need for sojourners to be prepared for the challenges ahead and to engage the process with flexibility.

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