acculturation Flashcards
acculturation definition
“those phenomena which result when
groups of individuals having different
cultures come into continuous first-hand
contact, with subsequent changes in the
original cultural patterns of either or both
groups.”
mainstream culture group
AKA the dominant group, the receiving society, the host
culture, the “new” culture
Mainstream culture is the dominant culture where one
currently lives
heritage culture group
AKA the non-dominant group, the acculturating group,
the migrant group, the “old” culture
Heritage culture is the culture of one’s birth or
upbringing (if 1st generation immigrant), or the culture
that had a significant impact on previous generations of
one’s family (if 2nd or later generation immigrant)
continuous contact
Must spend
a substantial amount of time in
another culture
first hand contact
Must live in
another culture, rather than
remote contact
allport contact hypothesis
Contact between dominant
and non-dominant groups
reduces stereotyping,
prejudice, and discrimination
bidirectional change
Contact often results in
changes in both the mainstream group and the
migrant group
Non-dominant group usually changes
more than the dominant group
Dominant group has more power
(e.g., larger number and resources)
Dominant group changes in terms of
diversity, possible prejudice, policies
Superficial changes rather than
changes to values and beliefs
individual level acculturation
changes in psychological
variables as a result of cultural contact
E.g., identity, values, attitudes
group level acculturaltion
changes in the non-
dominant or dominant group as a result
of cultural contact
uni-dimensional acculturation model
People can identify with their heritage culture
OR the mainstream culture, but not both
Heritage and mainstream identification are
assumed to be negatively correlated
bi-dimensional acculturation model
Heritage and mainstream culture
identifications are uncorrelated (or weakly
positively correlated)
Empirically supported
Vancouver index of acculturation measures
identification with heritage/mainstream culture
4 acculturation strategies berry
INTEGRATION ASSIMILATION
SEPARATION MARGINALIZATION
integration
Maintain heritage culture and seek
contact/participation with mainstream
culture (= bicultural identity)
Most optimal acculturation strategy
Mainstream society must be open
and inclusive towards cultural
diversity
frame switiching cultural priming study
Expose bicultural people (Hong Kong Chinese) to symbols
associated with one culture
* These symbols activate the network of cultural
knowledge associated with that symbol
showed internal vs external attribution stimulus
primed with american choose typical american response
primed with chinese choose typical chinese response
seperation is
Maintain heritage culture ties and identity; avoid
contact/participation with the mainstream culture
* May results in ethnic enclaves (e.g., Chinatown)
* Positively associated with acculturative stress
* Maintain cultural traditions for years/generations
assimilation is
Focus on developing relationships
with host culture members at
expense of heritage culture
maintenance
Melting pot ideology
marginalization is
Little contact and identification with
mainstream culture or maintenance of
heritage culture Unable to fully
participate in either culture, stuck
between two worlds
Result of:
* Discrimination and exclusion by
dominant culture
* Colonization stripped heritage culture
acculturative stress
intergroup marginalization is
Intragroup marginalization: perceived
exclusion by heritage culture members
May face accusations of betraying their
heritage culture by assimilating into the
mainstream culture
third culture kids are
Spent most of the time outside of their heritage
culture because of their expatriate parents
* Not identifying with heritage culture or dominant
culture Marginalization
* Identify with expatriate community
* Open to different cultures, high in intercultural
competence, less
ethnocentric, low in
prejudice
individual predictors:age
acculturation less likeley for older immigrants
individual predictors:gender
More difficult for women who
immigrate from a more traditional
culture to a less traditional one
individual predictors:education
Higher education correlated with
lower stress
individual predictors:big 5
Mainstream identification: greater
conscientiousness, extraversion, and
openness, and lower neuroticism
Heritage identification:
greater conscientiousness
and lower neuroticism
individual predictors:attachment style
Secure attachment linked with greater mainstream
and heritage identification
Insecure attachment (high in anxiety and avoidance)
linked with intragroup marginalization
insecure attachment and marginalization may lead to
Insecurely-attached individuals
may compensate for feelings of
rejection by heritage culture
members by endorsing extreme
pro-group behaviour
group predictors: cultural distance
Larger perceived cultural
distance between heritage and
mainstream culture associated
with poorer migrant adjustment
group predictors: Presence of vibrant ethnocultural
community
Larger community eases adaptation
group predictors:Dominant Group’s Sense of Threat
Realistic threat: may think migrants may steal jobs
from natives or overuse health care or benefits
Symbolic threat: sense of threat to national values
and identity
scapegoating
Sense of threats and frustration (e.g., economic
despair) leads to increases in prejudice and
violence towards weaker outgroups such as
ethnic minorities.
group predictors: multicultural ideology
Dominant group members’ views about how
their society should accommodate
multiculturalism
Unidimensional construct:assimilation-multiculturalism
Dominant group members who favour
assimilation also tend to be higher in prejudice,
ethnocentrism and intergroup bias
psychological adaption
Refers to physical, psychological, and emotional
well-being of migrants
sociocultural adaption
Culture learning and competence; managing daily
life in new culture and “fitting in”
type of acculturating group depends on
Mobility: migrant or sedentary?
Voluntariness of contact
Permanence
refugee acullturating group
Involuntary, migrant, and temporary
Psychopathological adjustment
Post-traumatic stress
Poorer adjustment in:
Elderly: lower general adaptability
Youths: double-transition
Integration strategy, social support,
and welcoming expectations from
dominant group help buffer against
acculturative stress
