The transformative experience of living and studying abroad is characterized by a complete shift in one’s self-perception. While undeniably exposed to the stimuli of an unfamiliar external atmosphere, the individual is more notably subject to deep introspection.
In his book Travels, author and traveler Michael Crichton writes: “Often I feel I go to some distant region of the world to be reminded of who I really am. There is no mystery about why this should be so. Stripped of your ordinary surroundings, your friends, your daily routines … your closet full of clothes – with all this taken away, you are forced into direct experience. Such direct experience inevitably makes you aware of who it is that is having the experience.”
Crichton wonderfully articulates the conditions within which an individual is compelled to retain or release aspects of their identity in the face of new perspectives, which “is not always comfortable, but always invigorating.”
Once the complete sensory overload has subsided –– although rarely is this the case –– the individual is faced with competing values, beliefs, and modes of communication. This experience is one to ultimately shape and strengthen one’s “self-concept clarity.”
A distinct transitional experience
Some transitional experiences can break one’s self-concept, such as a romantic breakup or a career change. In these instances, hallmarks of identity are removed, and we are left with a fragmented sense of self. Yet, in “The Shortest Path to Oneself Leads Around the World: Living Abroad Increases Self-Concept Clarity,” Organizational Psychologist Adam Hajo writes that there is a “provocative possibility that living abroad is a rare kind of transitional experience that may actually increase self-concept clarity.”
The term ‘self-concept clarity’ is defined by the Encyclopedia of Adolescence as “the extent to which the beliefs about the self are clearly and confidently defined, internally consistent, and stable over time.” Furthermore, that self-concept is structured around one’s “values, characteristics, and commitments.”
To differentiate between self identity and self-concept clarity, the latter is an indication of “how well the process of developing an identity is going.” Therefore, this experience is somewhat of a catalyzed chemical reaction in clarifying one’s self perception.
Hajo also writes that, unlike these other transitional experiences, although all similar in “disruptive and unsettling” qualities, living abroad “exposes people to an unfamiliar environment characterized by a novel and oftentimes vastly different set of cultural norms, values, and behaviours.”
Fourth-year visual arts and art history student Karina Makrigiorgos went on academic exchange to the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands last year.
She shares: “Living in the Netherlands definitely changed how I see myself. I became more aware of how much I value a balanced lifestyle, something I didn’t think about as much in Toronto’s fast-paced environment. I also became more independent and open to new experiences; navigating a foreign country pushed me out of my comfort zone in ways I hadn’t expected.”
Makrigiorgos also experienced the phenomena of strengthening her bond to her home: “While I was abroad, I definitely took pride in being Canadian. Experiencing another way of life gave me a new perspective, and for the first time, I could clearly see the distinct habits, values, and pace of life that shape Canadian culture.
“At the same time, being abroad made me recognize certain Canadian qualities in myself. I noticed that I was used to efficiency and convenience: getting a coffee to go, expecting things to be open late, and relying on public transit rather than biking everywhere,” she says.
With this came a newfound appreciation for her new home: “I also started appreciating aspects of Dutch culture, like their emphasis on leisure and enjoying simple moments. Since coming back, I’ve tried to slow down more, whether that’s taking time to enjoy a meal or finding ways to incorporate nature into my routine. These small shifts in perspective have stayed with me, and I think they’ve made me more mindful of how I want to live my life.”
Absorbing as a sponge would
As people are evidently moulded by their socio-cultural environments, a distance from familiarity opens the possibility to discern what is true and what isn’t. In this shockingly new environment, one is able to shed inauthentic aspects of themself. The person that emerges is dynamic, honest, and open — a “true chef” as my friends would call it.
My time in Bologna allowed me to slow my pace of living, to truly appreciate the sights and senses of a once-assumed mundane life: taking the time to people watch, browsing mercatini, and bike around with my headphones on just for the sake of it, free from the fast-paced shuffle I was used to.
I was given the time alone to reflect and feel fully, along a spectrum of loneliness to gratitude and unbridled joy. Relinquishing anxieties of solitude led me on unforgettable solo journeys to places like Istanbul, Budapest, Paris, and Malta.
As Michael Crichton writes, “I realized then that I had defined myself too narrowly.” Time in a shockingly new environment opens one up to new interests and ways of being.
Like a sponge, my objective was to absorb as much as possible. A walk to the market would present perfect settings and subjects in the viewfinder of my film camera, and even more perfect were my unsuspecting friends, captured candidly.
This expanded sense of identity also includes a specially reserved place for one’s city. Within this place are sentimental ties to streets like Via Mascarella, locales like Bar Maggiolino, and apartments where the loveliest of memories were made.
Distance from expectation and familiarity
According to Hajo, the way “in which people develop a clear sense of who they are is through self-perception processes: they make inferences about their traits, values, and beliefs based on the behaviours they see themselves performing.”
Free from the expectations of those who’ve known you your whole life, without the gaze of neighbours watching your every move, you’re uninhibited in ways you’ve never known.
The way one has operated their whole life falls into question, and some of these traits don’t make it out of the screening process. One reflects on the norms and values of the foreign culture, while “no longer immersed in the values and norms that they take for granted.”
Ava Hazerichabok, an Iranian international student getting her BA in psychology, explains that the varying degrees of the contrasting cultures make all the difference:
She says, “A lot of the reflection depends on the culture you come from, and the culture you enter. When you come from a uni-cultural space, there are some social boundaries and roles that were once not a part of your life, but as you enter multi-cultural, first-world countries, you are introduced to new socially-accepted roles that make you reflect on your personality and your beliefs.”
Self-discerning reflections occur, in this way, and one has to decide whether “parts of their identity truly define who they are or merely reflect their cultural upbringing.” One questions what is “known, ordinary, and expected” and leaves the rest behind.
Transfer of ideas and the bonds of friends
This integration of culture is not static or one-dimensional. Hajo explains, “foreign experiences can lead individuals to incorporate multiple cultural identities into the contents of their self-concept.”
With this, another phenomenon is the multinational friend group, one which, above all, fosters empathy. This lasting bond is simultaneously formed while undergoing this profound process where curiosity, openness, and authenticity collaborate.
This is the kind of bond which comes to mind each time the song “Favourite,” an ode to nostalgia, by Irish band Fontaines D.C. plays.
Makrigiorgos shares her thoughts on the exceptional nature of the exchange friend group: “I have found that the friends you make abroad often feel like family because you’re experiencing so many new things together, whether it’s culture shock, language barriers, or just figuring out daily life in a foreign place. You rely on each other in ways you wouldn’t back home, which creates a fast and deep bond.”
She also adds, “Being away from familiar surroundings makes you more open to connection. You don’t have your usual support system, so you naturally lean on the people around you, but they are doing the same with you. And since you’re all in the same boat, there’s a level of understanding that’s hard to replicate in other friendships.”
Therefore, the cultural exchange occurs not only between the individual and their host city, but between their closest friends as well.
In the words of New York Times journalist Thomas Friedman, while the world becomes more “flat” through increase in travel and the transcendence of interpersonal relationships across national borders, the self has the potential to expand.
