The Intercultural Reentry Process; Reentry Shock; Locus of Control; Satisfaction; and Interpersonal Uses of Communication

Abstract

A study examined American college and university students' successful reentry, hypothesized to be influenced by their locus of control for affiliation, interpersonal uses for communication, and relational satisfaction. The subjects, 54 returned sojourners (i.e., students who had studied abroad), filled out a questionnaire to measure reentry shock and relational satisfaction. Subjects were also given questionnaires measuring their locus of control for affiliation beliefs and their interpersonal uses for communication. Correlations among the data indicated that: (1) reentry shock was not associated with internal or external locus of control; (2) locus of control beliefs for affiliation was moderately associated with uses for communication; and (3) internal and external locus of control were associated with various uses of communication. A negative correlation was found between reentry shock and relational satisfaction. Results indicated that reentry was not associated with either internal or external locus of control in this study and that reentry shock can lead to improved interpersonal skills, improved relationships with family members, and even increased intrapersonal knowledge.