ABSTRACT
In this chapter I will be arguing that instead of just sending people off to interact in cultures other than their own and letting them sink or swim, there is a better alternative. Professors, trainers, and human resource specialists who have knowledge concerning people’s adjustment to other cultures can offer assistance to sojourners so that they are better prepared to benefit from their intercultural experiences (Cushner & Brislin, 1996). Further, theory in cross-cultural research and cultural psychology (in the rest of the chapter I’ll use the phrase theory in cross-cultural research for both approaches) can assist both helpers and sojourners in their quest to increase the chances of enriching intercultural experiences. Finally, I will argue that a good way to prepare materials for sojourners is to develop critical incidents that capture experiences that are likely to be common to many sojourners. Common emotional challenges that sojourners often experience will be discussed. Further, the critical incident method can be adapted to serve a number of purposes that cross-cultural researchers have in communicating concepts among themselves, to their students, and to the general public (Brislin, 2008).
