The social and psychological factors which affect one person's acquisition of a second language are described in journal format. The psychological factors discussed are: (1) language shock, (2) culture shock, and (3) culture stress. The two social factors examined are both grouped under the term "social distance" but include (1) types of integration patterns of the learner toward the target group, (2) the attitudes of the learner toward the target group, and (3) the perceived attitude of the target group toward the learner. Language shock is manifested in the fear of appearing comic and in the frustration at the inability to express an idea in the target language. Culture shock caused the learner to reject speakers of the target language and the language program itself. However, her test scores indicated increased proficiency. Larsen and Smalley's theory that the second language learner needs a small community of sympathetic people who will help when she is a linguistic and cultural child was borne out in this single experience. (PMJ)