Acculturation (Psychology)

A term introduced by American anthropologists, as early as the 1880s, to describe the process of culture change occurring when two different cultural groups come into contact with each other. Acculturation was then mainly seen as a group-level phenomenon, while in more recent times, interest has grown in the study of individual-level phenomena, referred to as “psychological acculturation.”

Early research on acculturation focused on the pathological symptoms of so-called culture shock, while more recently, acculturation has been studied from a social-psychological perspective, from which researchers examine its cognitive, affective, and behavioral components. Major influences come from work in stress and coping. A seminal model of acculturation was developed by John Berry in 1980, which can best be understood in the context of migration, where it is most typically put to use in the investigation of first- and second-generation immigrants. The model comprises four different options or strategies that result from combining the dimensions of cultural maintenance and cultural exploration. (1) Assimilation refers to the process of turning away from the original culture (country of origin, familial cultural context) in favor of the host culture. (2) In contrast, a separation focuses on the mainte nance of the original culture and the rejection of the host culture. (3) Individuals high in an integration accul turation orientation strive to maintain their original cul tural identity while exploring and adapting to the new cultural context at the same time. (4) Individuals with a marginalization orientation reject both their original culture and the host culture.

[Page 5]Although the acculturation process has consequences for both the host culture and the minority immigrant group, the latter is usually more affected. While the orig inal model has a categorical design, current approaches focus on the two underlying dimensions of maintenance and commitment. Most recent frameworks differentiate between acculturation conditions, orientations, and out comes and between public and private domains of accul turation orientations. The public domain involves all activities aimed at participation in social life within the host country (e.g., education and job), while the private domain involves personal and value-related issues (e.g., marriage and child-rearing). Such frameworks allow for a better understanding of individual differences in accul turation, in particular in public and private domains of acculturation, and they also provide a better foundation for refinements in the assessment of acculturation. For more information, see Sam and Berry (2006).