paper 1 soc ERQ

Question 1

Lyons-Padilla et al. (2015)

Answer 1

AIM
- To investigate the effect of acculturation strategies of Muslim immigrants on mental health
- To investigate the effects of globalisation promoting Pakistani Muslim immigration to more globally dominant cultures such as US on mental health of immigrants

STUDY
- Correlational survey

PARTICIPANTS
- Over 200 Muslim immigrants from Pakistan in US between 18-35

METHOD
- Survey consisted of questions about acculturation strategies, significance loss (feeling purposelessness in life), and support of islamic extremism

RESULTS
- The integrated immigrants had better mental health and cultural identity outcomes
- The immigrants with radical/extremist Islamic views correlated with significance loss which comes from the marginalisation component of acculturation
- Marginalised immigrants experienced loss of personal and cultural identity, and excluded themselves from cultural gatherings as well
- The immigrants who experienced more significance loss were correlated to be more likely sympathetic towards radical Islamic beliefs potentially due to the purposelessness of significance loss which is caused by marginalisation acculturation strategy

IMPLICATIONS
- Increasing immigration to Western countries due to globalisation affects mental health by creating significance loss in the immigrants whose acculturation strategies consist of marginalisation ,
- As globalisation increases immigration of local cultures to more globally dominant cultures such as US, the globalised immigration affects the mental health of immigrants due to their acculturation strategies
- Acculturation, promoted by globalisation, if consists of marginalisation strategy may cause significance loss which is a risk factor of radicalisation of Muslim immigrants (Kruglanski et al, 2014), as immigrants who feel disconnected to local and global cultures, and thus often also experience prejudice or discrimination, may potentially seek connection in extremism
- As globalisation has coincided with Islamic extremism and terrorism (Lutz and Lutz, 2015), the significance loss resulting from marginalisation acculturation strategies and prejudice and discrimination against increasing immigrants due to globalisation, may possibly cause radicalisation and extremism

Question 2

Ogihara and Uchida (2014)

Answer 2

AIM
- To investigate the relationship between growing individualism, discordance to local collectivist culture, in Japanese students, due to globalisation, and their subjective wellbeing

STUDY
- Correlational survey

PARTICIPANTS
- 114 Japanese students
- 62 US students (control group with individualistic culture)

METHOD
- Survey measured levels of individualism, wellbeing, and number of close friends

RESULTS
- The more individualistic Japanese students rated lower subjective wellbeing levels, as their globalised cultural value of individualism potentially made it harder for them to fit into their local collectivist culture
- The individualistic Japanese students had less friends due to cultural discordance potentially causing less contentment
- No correlation between individualism and wellbeing was found in the Americans, as the individualistic value did not hinder cultural connection

IMPLICATIONS
- The Japanese students, and young people, who adopt globalised cultural values of individualism may have poorer wellbeing and mental health outcomes as they fit less into their local culture of collectivism due to globalisation
- Spread of western values through globalisation could have a negative effect on people in collectivist cultures

Question 3

Novotny and Polonsky (2011)

Answer 3

AIM
- To investigate the effect of globalisation of Western TV in altering Fijian attitudes, and body image ideals in becoming more globalised or Westernised

STUDY
- Naturalistic experiment
- Prospective multi-wave cross sectional design
- Independent groups design
- Semi-structured interviews
Survey / Questionnaire

PARTICIPANTS
- Adolescent Fijian girls
- 1st sample: 63 Fijian girls examined in 1995 before introduction of globalisation through Western TV
- 2nd sample: 65 Different Fijian girls examined in 1998 after introduction of TV

METHOD
- Both samples completed an Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) which is a survey which measures propensity to develop an eating disorder quantitatively. A score of 20 = high risk for an eating disorder
- Separate survey measured the
Western TV exposure of the participants
- Afterwards qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews (open ended questions) which consisted of questions about body image, dieting, and their perspectives of their parents views (local culture)

RESULTS
- EAT scores above 20 had increased from 1st sample to 2nd sample by 16% after the globalisation of Western body ideals
- Girls with TVs in their homes were 3x likely to have EAT above 20
- Over 70% stated TV influenced their body image, and stated they felt too fat
- Vomiting after eating went from 0% to 11%

IMPLICATIONS
- The globalisation of Western TVs in local cultures causes those cultures, and specifically adolescents to absorb Western cultural body ideals, which could change behaviour in local cultures by increasing the likelihood of developing an eating disorder