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what is acculturation in psychology

by Helena Powlowski Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Acculturation

Acculturation

Acculturation explains the process of cultural change and psychological change that results following meeting between cultures. The effects of acculturation can be seen at multiple levels in both interacting cultures. At the group level, acculturation often results in changes to culture, …

is the process of interacting with a new culture and adjust to life in that new culture. How we acculturate can affect our behaviour, including our mental health. In IB Psychology, we’re required to study how this process of interacting with new culture can affect our behaviour.

Acculturation can be defined as the 'process of learning and incorporating the values, beliefs, language, customs and mannerisms of the new country immigrants and their families are living in, including behaviors that affect health such as dietary habits, activity levels and substance use.

Full Answer

What are the four types of acculturation?

  • Enthusiastic Acceptance. When you first arrived, everything was new, and you were experiencing a great deal of novelty.
  • Doubt and Reservation.
  • Resentment and Criticism.
  • Adjustment.
  • Accommodation and Evaluation.

What is acculturation mean?

Acculturation Defined. Acculturation is a process of cultural contact and exchange through which a person or group comes to adopt certain values and practices of a culture that is not originally their own, to a greater or lesser extent. The result is that the original culture of the person or group remains, but it is changed by this process.

What is the example of acculturation?

Main examples of acculturation are related to religious beliefs, the loss of the native language or the intervention of foreign elements in the original culture. The most palpable examples are found in immigrant families who have to adapt to the culture of the country where they emigrate. As a result, they must acquire new customs or norms of social behavior, even though they retain their own cultural traits such as language, dress, religion, gastronomy, among others.

What does the process of acculturation involve?

Acculturation involves a process where an individual learns and adjusts to a new cultural environment to adapt to the new culture better. In most cases, individuals belonging to a different culture will attempt to participate in various traditions and cultural activities of the new culture whilst still retaining aspects of the culture where the ...

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What is an example of acculturation?

The definition of acculturation is the transfer of values and customs from one group to another. Japanese people dressing in Western clothing is an example of acculturation. A process by which the culture of an isolated society changes on contact with a different one.

What are the 4 types of acculturation?

When these two dimensions are crossed, four acculturation strategies are defined: assimilation, separation, integration, and marginalization.

What process is acculturation?

Acculturation refers to the process that occurs when groups of individuals of different cultures come into continuous first-hand contact, which changes the original culture patterns of either or both groups.

What is an example of acculturation today?

For example, the embrace of Mexican, Chinese, and Indian cuisines within the U.S. This includes the simultaneous adoption of mainstream American foods and meals by immigrant populations. Acculturation at the group level can also entail the cultural exchange of clothing and fashions, and of language.

What is acculturation in simple words?

Acculturation can be defined as the 'process of learning and incorporating the values, beliefs, language, customs and mannerisms of the new country immigrants and their families are living in, including behaviors that affect health such as dietary habits, activity levels and substance use.

What factors affect acculturation?

Important factors that have an impact on acculturation include immigrants' attitude towards acculturation, social support, age, length of residence in the host country, level of education, fluency in the English language and gender (Berry, 2003; Bhugra, 2003; Oh et al., 2002; Yeh, 2003).

Which word best describes the term acculturation?

Which of the following best describes acculturation? It is the process of adjusting and adapting to a specific culture other than one's own.

What is the importance of acculturation?

Acculturation leads to different kinds of adaptation outcomes, which can be categorised into the following adaptation aspects: Psychological adaptation involves psychological well-being, physical health, and life-satisfaction; socio-cultural adaptation emphasises acquiring the social skills needed to “fit in” with the ...

What is the effects of acculturation?

At this group level, acculturation often results in changes to culture, religious practices, health care, and other social institutions. There are also significant ramifications on the food, clothing, and language of those becoming introduced to the overarching culture.

Is acculturation good or bad?

Literature has shown that acculturating immigrants or ethnic minorities not only have an increased risk of substance use [17] and poor mental health outcomes [18], but also display positive help-seeking attitudes and behaviours [19, 20].

How acculturation happen in the society?

Acculturation is a process whereby an individual or group acquires the cultural characteristics of another through direct or indirect contact and interaction. So, the term acculturation includes two processes: (a) The process of contacts between different cultures.

What's the difference between assimilation and acculturation?

Assimilation is a two-way process, and the majority culture is changed as well as the minority culture. Acculturation occurs when the minority culture changes but is still able to retain unique cultural markers of language, food and customs. Acculturation is also a two way process as both cultures are changed.

What is acculturation and its types?

So, the term acculturation includes two processes: (a) The process of contacts between different cultures. (b) The process which includes the outcome of such contacts. The process of contact among different cultures may take place through two methods: (i) Direct method. (ii) Indirect method.

What are the four acculturation strategies quizlet?

According to psychologist Berry: four different acculturative strategies: assimilation, integration, separation and marginalization.

What are four concepts associated with the theory of acculturation?

There are four major strategies of acculturation. Each of them is used in different situations, and each has a different outcome. They are assimilation, integration, separation, and marginalization.

What is the first step in acculturation?

4 Stages: 1) Euphoria. 2) Culture Shock/ Alienation. 3) Anomie. 4) Assimilation or Adaptation.

How do people acculturate?

The cross-cultural psychologist John Berry has identified four different ways people acculturate in a new culture. They are: 1 Assimilation: This is when someone loses their home culture and completely adopts their new culture’s values and norms. 2 Integration: This is when someone has a foot in both camps, so to speak: they participate in their new culture and adopt some of the norms and values, while still maintaining strong relationships with their home culture. 3 Separation: This is when someone rejects the new culture and doesn’t participate in it. They prefer instead to stick with their home culture. 4 Marginalization: This is when someone rejects their new culture and their home culture. They do not belong to either group.

What is it called when someone loses their home culture and completely adopts their new culture's values and norms?

Assimilation: This is when someone loses their home culture and completely adopts their new culture’s values and norms.

What is it called when someone rejects their new culture and doesn't participate in it?

Separation: This is when someone rejects the new culture and doesn’t participate in it. They prefer instead to stick with their home culture. Marginalization : This is when someone rejects their new culture and their home culture. They do not belong to either group.

What is acculturation in psychology?

In the first formulation, acculturation is seen as one aspect of the broader concept of culture change (that which results from intercultural contact), is considered to generate change in “either or both groups,” and is distinguished from assim ilation (which may be “at times a phase”). These are important distinctions for psychological work and are pursued later in this article. In the second definition, a few extra features are added, including change that is indirect (not cultural but rather “ecological”), is delayed (internal adjustments, presumably of both a cultural and a psychological character, take time), and can be “reactive” (i.e., rejecting the cultural influence and changing toward a more “traditional” way of life rather than inevitably toward greater similarity with the dominant culture).

What is psychological acculturation?

In 1967, Graves introduced the concept of psychological acculturation, which refers to changes in an individual who is a participant in a culture contact situation, being influenced both by the external culture and by the changing culture of which the individual is a member. There are two reasons for keeping these two levels distinct. The first is that in cross-cultural psychology, we view individual human behavior as interacting with the cultural context within which it occurs; hence, separate conceptions and measurements are required at the two levels. The second is that not every individual enters into, and participates in, a culture in the same way, nor does every individual change in the same way; there are vast individual differences in psychological acculturation, even among individuals who live in the same acculturative arena.

Why are enculturation and acculturation important?

Acculturation and enculturation levels have been found to be important predictors of the therapeutic alliance and for treatment outcomes for minorities engaging in the addictive behaviors, and are critical variables to account for when developing effective treatment plans.

How does acculturation affect a culture?

Acculturation is a multidimensional process of how one culture adopts aspects of another culture's values and behaviors such as attitudes , language, and beliefs . It is generally defined as a change in cultural attitudes, values, and behaviors due to contact of one culture with another, typically between dominant and minority cultures. In the United States, the dominant culture is a Western European culture. There are multiple ways to measure the degree to which an ethnic minority individual has acculturated to the dominant culture. One study that examined fluency in English found that psychological stress was increased in youth with limited English proficiency compared to those who were more proficient in English. In a national study of European American, African American, Latino, and Asian adolescents in the United States, acculturation was defined as the language spoken at home. Results indicated that across all races, adolescents from homes in which English was not the primary language spoken experienced more vulnerability, exclusion, and lack of confidence compared to adolescents in which English was the primary language at home.

What is the process of learning and incorporating the values, beliefs, language, customs and mannerisms of?

Acculturation can be defined as the ‘process of learning and incorporating the values, beliefs, language, customs and mannerisms of the new country immigrants and their families are living in, including behaviors that affect health such as dietary habits, activity levels and substance use.

What is the definition of acculturation?

The first, from Redfield and colleagues in a 1936 article, is as follows: Acculturation comprehends those phenomena which result when groups of individuals having different cultures come into continuous first-hand contact, with subsequent changes in the original culture patterns of either or both groups. ….

How does an adolescent develop an ethnic identity?

Developmentally, more mature ethnic identity is generally achieved over time from early to late adolescence for immigrant youth, beginning with an unexamined sense of identity and passing through an exploratory phase before achieving a commitment to a particular identity. As key socializing agents, parents can play an important role in the development of adolescents’ ethnic identity. For example, by discussing their cultural history, teaching about cultural traditions, speaking the language from the country of origin, and instilling ethnic pride, parents can increase adolescents’ sense of ethnic identity. Some of these processes, such as early exploration followed by commitment to a particular identity, are not unique to immigrant adolescents but rather are shared by most adolescents. Other processes, such as identifying with a group that is not the cultural majority, are shared by immigrant adolescents and nonimmigrant ethnic minorities. Other processes, such as a redefinition of identity that might occur as a result of moving from one country to another, are likely unique to immigrant adolescents.

What are the theories of acculturation?

Theories of Acculturation. The theory of acculturation can be broken down to include a few different topics; these include learning a new language, immersion, assimilation, and integration. Let's take a look at each of these terms more closely.

What is the meaning of integration in acculturation?

Similarly, integration is often used in acculturation theory and includes participating socially in an environment to be considered an equal among the society.

How to acculturate a native?

A great way to acculturate is to move from your native country into the new country, and live with and learn directly from the natives. When you immerse yourself, you learn first-hand what that new culture is all about. Immersion doesn't only include practicing the language directly with native speakers, but also includes coming to understand the customs, traditions, acceptable behaviors, and so on.

What is the most important part of acculturation?

Language and immersion can be some of the most important parts of the acculturation process. In fact, social theorist John Schumann proposed that language is the largest factor in successfully acculturating. For example, if you are a Hispanic or South American native and you move to the United States, you would have to learn to speak English in order to fully understand and even feel comfortable living and communicating in the American culture.

What is the process of integrating into a culture?

Acculturation is the process of integrating into a culture, particularly a dominant one. Learn how to define acculturation, explore theories of acculturation, and consider examples of how this process works in the real world. Updated: 10/09/2021

How to integrate into society?

To integrate into society, you might want to participate in social events, community events, and perhaps engage in local clubs or groups. The processes of assimilation and integration take time and are often experienced as part of the entire acculturation process. Examples of Acculturation.

What is the process of assimilation?

Assimilation involves the accumulation of information about a new culture and resulting adaptations to match the new culture. Generating new knowledge about a culture might include learning how food is prepared, understanding types of acceptable clothing worn in the new culture, or picking up new habits. A person who fully assimilates has picked up all the habits and traits of their non-native culture.

How does acculturation work?

Acculturation can take different forms and have different outcomes, depending on the strategy adopted by the people or groups involved in the exchange of culture . The strategy used will be determined by whether the person or group believes it is important to maintain their original culture, and how important it is to them to establish and maintain relationships with the greater community and society whose culture differs from their own. The four different combinations of answers to these questions lead to five different strategies and outcomes of acculturation.

What is acculturation at the group level?

Acculturation at the group level can also entail the cultural exchange of clothing and fashions, and of language. This happens when immigrant groups learn and adopt the language of their new home, or when certain phrases and words from a foreign language make their way into common usage. Sometimes, leaders within a culture make a conscious decision ...

What is the process of a person from one culture coming to adopt the practices and values of another culture?

Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D. Updated November 08, 2019. Acculturation is a process through which a person or group from one culture comes to adopt the practices and values of another culture, while still retaining their own distinct culture. This process is most commonly discussed regarding a minority culture adopting elements of the majority culture, ...

What are the outcomes of acculturation?

Assimilation can be an eventual outcome of the acculturation process, but the process can have other outcomes as well, including rejection, integration, marginalization, and transmutation.

What did Powell observe about acculturation?

Powell observed that, while they exchange cultural elements, each retains its own unique culture. Later, in the early 20th century, acculturation became a focus of American sociologists who used ethnography to study the lives of immigrants and the extent to which they integrated into U.S. society.

Why do first generation immigrants acculturate?

Similarly, first-generation immigrants often consciously engage in the process of acculturation as they settle into their new community in order to succeed socially and economically. In fact, immigrants are often compelled by law to acculturate in many places, with requirements to learn the language and the laws of society, and in some cases, with new laws that govern dress and covering of the body. People who move between social classes and the separate and different spaces they inhabit also often experience acculturation on both voluntary and required basis. This is the case for many first-generation college students who suddenly find themselves among peers who have been socialized already to understand the norms and culture of higher education, or for students from poor and working-class families who find themselves surrounded by wealthy peers at well-funded private colleges and universities.

What happens when the original culture is wholly abandoned and the new culture adopted in its place?

When the process is at its most extreme, assimilation occurs wherein the original culture is wholly abandoned and the new culture adopted in its place.

Which acculturation strategy has the most positive psychological outcomes?

Some acculturation research suggests that the integrated acculturation strategy has the most favorable psychological outcomes (Nguyuen, et al., 2007; Okasaki, et al., 2009) for individuals adjusting to a host culture and marginalization has the least favorable outcomes (Berry, et al., 2006). Additionally, marginalization has been described as a maladaptive acculturation and coping strategy (Knust et al., 2013). Other researchers have argued that the four strategies have very little predictive validity because people do not always fall neatly into the four categories (Kunst et al., 2013; Schwartz et al., 2010). Situational determinants (e.g., traveling with family, familiarity with language) and environment factors also impact the availability, advantage, and selection of different acculturation strategies (Zhou, 1997).

What is the first dimension of acculturation?

The first dimension concerns the retention or rejection of an individual’s native culture (i.e. “Is it considered to be of value to maintain one’s identity and characteristics?”). The second dimension concerns the adoption or rejection of the host culture. (“Is it considered to be of value to maintain relationships with the larger society?”) From these two questions four acculturation strategies emerge:

What is culture shock?

Culture shock and the stages of culture shock are part of the acculturation process. Scholars in different disciplines have developed more than 100 different theories of acculturation (Rudiman, 2003); however contemporary research has primarily focused on different strategies and how acculturation affects individuals, as well as interventions to make the process easier (Berry, 1992).

What is the term for the process of a person adopting the norms of a dominant or host culture over?

Assimilation occurs when individuals adopt the cultural norms of a dominant or host culture, over their original culture.

When does marginalization occur?

Marginalization occurs when individuals reject both their culture of origin and the dominant host culture.

What is the definition of acculturation?

Definition of acculturation. 1 : cultural modification of an individual, group, or people by adapting to or borrowing traits from another culture the acculturation of immigrants to American life also : a merging of cultures as a result of prolonged contact. 2 : the process by which a human being acquires the culture of a particular society ...

Who invented the word "acculturation"?

History and Etymology for acculturation. Note: Word introduced by the American soldier, geologist, and explorer John Wesley Powell (1834-1902) in Introduction to the Study of Indian Languages (Smithsonian Institution, 1880), and used by him subsequently in a number of essays.

What is the difference between acculturation, assimilation, and amalgamation?

Acculturation is often tied to political conquest or expansion, and is applied to the process of change in beliefs or traditional practices that occurs when the cultural system of one group displaces that of another. Assimilation refers to the process through which individuals and groups of differing heritages acquire the basic habits, attitudes, and mode of life of an embracing culture . Amalgamation refers to a blending of cultures, rather than one group eliminating another ( acculturation) or one group mixing itself into another ( assimilation ).

What is the process of change in beliefs or traditional practices that occurs when the cultural system of one group displaces that?

Acculturation is often tied to political conquest or expansion, and is applied to the process of change in beliefs or traditional practices that occurs when the cultural system of one group displaces that of another.

What is the term for blending cultures?

Amalgamation refers to a blending of cultures, rather than one group eliminating another ( acculturation) or one group mixing itself into another ( assimilation ).

What is the difference between acculturation and culture?

The term “culture” implies that only one culture is involved, whereas the term “acculturation” draws our attention to the fact that two cultures are interacting with, and producing, the phenomena. Hence, for both reasons, the author prefers the notion of acculturative stress to that of culture shock.

Why is acculturation stressful?

Acculturation can be a stressful experience for a variety of reasons. The unique stressors that immigrants experience during the acculturation process are referred to as acculturative stress ( Berry, 2006 ). Immigrant families experience these acculturative stressors as they navigate and negotiate different cultures and environments ( Staudenmeyer, Macciomei, Del Cid, & Patel, 2016 ). Sources of acculturative stress can come from a number of changes, such as the experience of taking on a minority status for the first time, learning a new language, navigating through novel institutional systems (e.g., schools), and creating new social supports and networks ( Kia-Keating, Capous, Juang, & Bacio, 2016 ). Further, the antiimmigrant sentiment manifested in threats of deportation, separation from families, and documentation status also contribute to acculturative stress ( Bekteshi & Kang, 2018; Suarez-Orozco & Suarez-Orozco, 2001 ). Acculturative stress can also be experienced through negative attitudes, stereotypes, and discrimination ( Rogers-Sirin, Ryce, & Sirin, 2014 ). Thus, immigrant families experience unique challenges and acculturative stress as their acculturation experiences unfold in the host country.

What are the three approaches to acculturation?

Relating these three approaches to acculturation strategies, some consistent empirical findings allow the following generalizations. For behavioral shifts, the fewest behavioral changes result from the separation strategy, whereas most result from the assimilation strategy. Integration involves the selective adoption of new behaviors from the larger society and retention of valued features of one's heritage culture. Marginalization is often associated with major heritage culture loss and the appearance of a number of dysfunctional and deviant behaviors (e.g., delinquency, substance abuse, familial abuse). For acculturative stress, there is a clear picture that the pursuit of integration is least stressful (at least where it is accommodated by the larger society, whereas marginalization is the most stressful. In between are the assimilation and separation strategies, with sometimes one and sometimes the other being the less stressful. This pattern of findings holds for various indicators of mental health.

How does acculturation affect Asian Americans?

Recent Asian American acculturation research has emphasized the positive versus pathological consequences of acculturation. This research suggests that Asian Americans who successfully balance both American and Asian cultures report positive well-being, personal growth, life purpose, interpersonal functioning, and environmental mastery ( Baker et al., 2012 ). This research speculates that adopting both cultures helped bicultural individuals experience less conflict and stress than their mono-acculturated counterparts. Furthermore, a recent study of nonimmigrant Asian Americans revealed that acculturation to US values reduced psychological distress. The researchers proposed that adopting US values buffered students from psychological distress by promoting heightened cognitive flexibility and self-efficacy ( Ruzek, Nguyen, & Herzog, 2011 ). An earlier study suggested that these positive factors resulted from feelings of increased self-competence in coping with novel situations ( Kim & Omizo, 2005 ). Numerous studies of Asian immigrants suggest that US acculturation positively predicts subjective well-being and self-esteem, and negatively predicts acculturative stress, depression, and psychological stress ( Nguyen, Messe, & Stallock, 1999; Oh et al., 2002; Yoon, Lee, & Goh, 2008 ). In turn, lower US acculturation, higher traditional values acculturation, and lower length of time living in the United States has predicted heightened psychological distress ( Nguyen et al., 1999; Shim & Schwartz, 2008 ).

How does intergenerational conflict affect acculturation?

Portes and Rumbaut (2001) conducted a longitudinal study of second-generation immigrants that demonstrated that dissonant acculturation (when compared to parents children master the language and cultural norms of the host country and disconnect from ethnic culture faster than their parents ) diminishes parents’ ability to act as protectors and authorities in their children’s lives , and this in turn is linked to increased mental health risk . The selective pattern, or when both parents and children maintain healthy connections to both cultures, has the most positive outcomes, in part because immigrant families in this pattern were better able to cope with discrimination by maintaining support within their families and ethnic communities. These findings demonstrate the importance of examining dynamics between immigrant parents and children.

What are the implications of acculturative stress?

A key contributor to immigrants and their families’ acculturative stress is forced separation, which has negative implications for children’s development and family functioning.

What are the factors that contribute to acculturative stress?

Multiple factors can contribute to children experiencing acculturative stress. Factors such as the family’s legal status, forced versus voluntary migration, and perceived discrimination contribute to acculturative stress which in turn can contribute to child anxiety ( Potochnick & Perreira, 2010 ).

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1.Acculturation – Culture and Psychology - Maricopa

Url:https://open.maricopa.edu/culturepsychology/chapter/acculturation/

18 hours ago  · Acculturation is the process of social, psychological, and cultural change that occurs as a result of blending between cultures (see Chapter 2). Immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and sojourners are typically the people we think of having to adapt to a new culture (Schwartz et al., 2010) but can happen to anyone who enters a new culture and must adjust to …

2.Acculturation - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

Url:https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/acculturation

30 hours ago What is acculturation in psychology quizlet? PSYCHOLOGICAL ACCULTURATION. The process by which people change their psychological characteristics, change their surrounding context , or change the amount of contact in order to achieve a better fit (outcome) with other features of the system in which they carry out their life.

3.Acculturation Overview, Theory & Examples - Study.com

Url:https://study.com/academy/lesson/acculturation-definition-theory-examples.html

5 hours ago  · Psychology Definition of ACCULTURATION: the method by which parties may combine the community ideals, thoughts, and attitudinal viewpoints of their own way of

4.Understanding Acculturation and Why It Happens

Url:https://www.thoughtco.com/acculturation-definition-3026039

6 hours ago Acculturation is defined as the “process that individuals undergo in response to a changing cultural context” [25: 349]. Problems with the acculturation process were cited as reasons for gambling among migrants.

5.Berry’s Model of Acculturation – Culture and Psychology

Url:https://open.maricopa.edu/culturepsychology/chapter/berrys-model-of-acculturation/

30 hours ago Integration occurs when individuals are able to adopt the cultural norms of the dominant or host culture while maintaining their culture of origin. Integration leads to, and is often synonymous with biculturalism. Marginalization occurs when individuals reject both their culture of origin and the dominant host culture.

6.Acculturation Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Url:https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acculturation

19 hours ago The meaning of ACCULTURATION is cultural modification of an individual, group, or people by adapting to or borrowing traits from another culture; also : a merging of cultures as a result of prolonged contact.

7.Acculturative Stress - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

Url:https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/acculturative-stress

4 hours ago  · Acculturative stress, the strain that is associated with navigating away from one's culture of origin to another culture (Berry, 2006) has relevance for people of African descent in the US, including those whose family of origin seems to be tied to the US for as long as one can trace. A thoughtful review of historical text reveals that persons of African descent were subjected to …

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