二戰後，隨著人口的大量流動，產生了大批的移民，他們從壹個國家移居到壹個新的國家，從壹種文化背景移居到新的文化背景，等待他們的是諸多跨文化的社會心理問題，文化沖擊這個詞就應運而生了。
文化沖擊可以是多方面的，從氣候、飲食、語言、服飾，直至行為舉止、人口密度、政治經濟環境，等等；既有身體的因素，更多的是精神因素。在壹個嶄新的文化環境中，文化沖擊使得受沖擊者無所適從，甚至整個的心理平衡和價值判斷標準完全喪失。
比如說在妳的國家，妳認為很正確的東西，在別的國家的人眼裏不以為然。
文化沖擊的表現是：沮喪，抑郁，困惑，焦慮，孤獨。
Culture shock is an experience a person may have when one moves to a cultural environment which is different from one's own; it is also the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration or a visit to a new country, a move between social environments, or simply transition to another type of life.
One of the most common causes of culture shock involves individuals in a foreign environment. Culture shock can be described as consisting of at least one of four distinct phases: honeymoon, negotiation, adjustment, and adaptation.
Common problems include: information overload, language barrier, generation gap, technology gap, skill interdependence, formulation dependency, homesickness (cultural), infinite regress (homesickness), boredom (job dependency), response ability (cultural skill set).
There is no true way to entirely prevent culture shock, as individuals in any society are personally affected by cultural contrasts differently.