Adjustment is about learning to bridge the differences. Cultural learning perspective.

Even if we are fabulous stress managers, if we go on breaching the same taboos, shocking and getting shocked over and over again with the same behaviours, we’ll waist lots of energy on coping and feeling ashamed. Indeed it seems dull not to try to adapt to the behaviour of the locals. Long before our scientists came to talk about stress, old wisdom already phrased the prescription: ‘when in Rome…’ Furthermore, ignoring behaviour adaptation would be really awkward, as it often happens automatically, effortlessly. Four times you’ll be greeted with four kisses; it is likely that the fifths time you’ll be used to it. At the same time ‘behavioural adaptation’ is a shaky ground, as it recalls that practice of intercultural training, which is based on sketches of stereotyped behaviour. Are we adjusted when we bow exactly the same way as Japanese? Or play karaoke the same way? That would be a lifelong learning experience.

Then, how to conceive adaptation?
Socio-cultural adjustment occurs, when we are able to participate in the new environment: interact, make friends, but also work, get entertained, do whatever is needed for a full functional life. No wonder, many models were drawn up with the ambition to summarize the complexity of behaviours into a couple of basic dimensions.