One of the most critical issues confronted by immigrant families and their adolescent children is the acculturation processes that arise when they make the decision to transition to a new country. Therefore, acculturation is a process in which different ethnic groups learn to adapt to other group’s beliefs, language, and behavior patterns. The purpose for this assignment is to examine various evidence-based and model programs designed to change the stress of acculturation for adolescents.
The United of America is recognized as the melting pot for which different cultures and customs are joined together to build one nation. Despite the fact that the immigrant population is growing rapidly and making the decision to reside in the United States,
…show more content…
However, the results of the study revealed that this treatment was efficacious in ameliorate the negative impact of acculturation processes, decreasing immigrant children externalizing and internalizing problems, and improving positive parenting among Chinese American families.
According to Berry (2002), acculturation is a one of the most complicated processes of change on multiple levels including family, individuals, and cultural. He maintains that acculturation can be a stressful and complex situation, for many reasons and therefore, acculturation should not be conceptualized as immigrant’s transition into a new culture.
These results maintain that there is a critical need for further research in the parent training intervention program. The future research should focus on facilitating a more positive way of communication between parents and their children at an early stage of development. Again, acculturation is a process in which different ethnic groups learn to adapt to other group’s beliefs, language, education, health, and behavior
Meanwhile, multiculturalism in the United States has been part of their history, considering the fact that almost all its populations, including its founders are immigrants coming from different cultural backgrounds (Citrin, 2001). Due to globalization, there is no reason why other immigrants and new ethnic groups could have difficulty assimilating themselves into American life.
Li, Y., Costanzo, P. R., & Putallaz, M. (2010). Maternal socialization goals, parenting styles, and social-emotional adjustment among chinese and european american young adults: Testing a mediation model. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 171(4), 330-362.
The United States has been known as the “Melting Pot ”and “The Land of Opportunity” for decades, but the title is slowly diminishing as scrutiny has been bombarding immigrants for wanting a better life. As questions arise of what is needed to protect the borders from possible terrorist other factors come into play such as what immigrants have to contribute to the country. Immigration is actually vital to our country since it provides the government more income, it brings the country a positive image, and DACA helps the community come together.
276). Curtin’s Coculturation (2010) combats this hegemonic discourse by stating, “everyone is continually engaged in social and political processes of identification” (p. 283). Thus, one’s identity can consist of multiple cultures and they can in fact coincide. The idea that one group “belongs” in a particular imagined community is a myth, there is no single response or adaption. The theory of Coculturation ultimately accommodates to a more realistic approach to cultural adjustment where a newcomer can adopt some behavior of the host culture while still maintaining the conciliatory and subconscious aspects of their native
The process of acculturation “a social and psychological process of change when one culture comes in contact with another” does not directly affect mental health but the process can be stressful, even if positive over negative, or a mix of the two. If the process is positive such as “improving one’s life” while challenging may not have a negative effect or be as stressful in the next case where … if the process of acculturation is negative, the process may be stressful making for acculturative stress (Tafoya, 2011). And in the case of a latino/a coming into the United States there are several potential factors leading to stress. Those may include discrimination, whether perceived and/or direct and may come in the form of unfair treatment (Among others) and language barriers. Again, many potentially stressful issues that come with one culture coming in contact with another, and the process of becoming accustomed to a new culture (Torres, Driscoll, & Voell, 2012).
Immigrants leave their countries in search for a better life and improvement of their situation. There is no singular reason for immigration; motivations range from better economic prospects to political safety. As of late, the number of immigrants living in the United States is an estimated 11 million. Those who immigrate are expected to contribute to the United States culturally, politically, and economically. Yet, full assimilation becomes difficult to achieve when the immigrant is made into “the other” by the country of reception.
A sudden change in one’s surroundings can result in culture shock. Culture shock refers to the anxiety and surprise a person feels when he or she is discontented with an unfamiliar setting. The majority of practices or customs are different from what a person is used to. One may experience withdrawal, homesickness, or a desire for old friends. For example, when a person goes to live in a different place with unfamiliar surroundings, they may experience culture shock. Sometimes it is the result of losing their identity. In the article “The Phases of Culture Shock”, Pamela J. Brink and Judith Saunders describe four phases of culture shock. They are: Honeymoon Phase, Disenchantment Phase, Beginning Resolution Phase, and Effective Function Phase. These phases denote some of the stages that exemplify culture shock. The four phases are illustrated in the articles “New Immigrants: Portraits in Passage” by Thomas Bentz, “Immigrant America: A Portrait” by Alejandro Portes and Ruben G. Rumbaut, “When I Was Puerto Rican” by Esmeralda Santiago, “Today’s Immigrants, Their Stories” by Thomas Kessner and Betty Boyd Caroli, and lastly, “The New Americans: Immigrant Life in Southern California” by Ulli Steltzer, and are about the experiences of some immigrants. This essay will examine the four phases of culture shock and classify the experiences of these immigrants by the different phases of culture shock identified.
The United States has often been referred to as a global “melting pot” due to its assimilation of diverse cultures, nationalities, and ethnicities. In today’s society, this metaphor may be an understatement. Between 1990 and 2010, the number of foreign born United States residents nearly doubled from 20 million to 40 million, increasing the U.S. population from almost 250 million to 350 million people. With U.S. born children and grandchildren of immigrants, immigration contributed to half of this population growth. These immigrants, consisting of mostly Asian and Hispanic backgrounds, have drastically changed the composition of the U.S. population. In 2010, Asians and Hispanics made up 20 percent of the U.S. population, in contrast to a 6 percent share of Asians and Hispanics in 1970. It is predicted that by 2050, the share of immigrants in the United States will increase to one half of the entire population. With this rapid increase in diversity, many citizens have opposing views on its impact on the United States. In my opinion, an increase in immigration does contain both positive and negatives effects, but in general it provides an overriding positive influence on America’s society (“Population”).
Students attending American schools are taught clearly about the United States’ image as a melting pot; however, there is evidence to support that, while there is not an official federal stance on the matter (Sengupta), the amount of assimilation required to be legitimately considered a “melting pot” is not being reached. Although similar, there is often confusion about the differences between “multicultural” and “assimilated” communities. By definition, assimilation is the complete “merging of cultural traits from previously distinct culture groups” (Dictionary), while multiculturalism is delineated as the “preservation of different cultures or cultural identities within a unified society, as a state or nation” (Dictionary). Early to mid-1900’s America entertained the idea of a melting pot, where people from all parts of the world would join together and assimilate. It seems, however, that the growing trend has been to treat America as more of a “salad bowl” (Porter), in that people are joining together but instead of merging as one unit, are maintaining a majority, if not all, of their primary culture with little attempt to adapt. This underachievement has left America to unintentionally become a multicultural society. The clear differentiation between expectation and reality brings vast amounts of controversy among the nation’s people.
American families are becoming more diverse every day. The merging ethnic diversity in our country is becoming more apparent daily as we see different people of different cultures becoming involved with each other. America is a melting pot. The influx of immigrants and with their varied cultural backgrounds was essential in molding America’s identity. The United States became a refuge for all those suffering persecution for political or personal beliefs. America has become a shelter for a wide variety of faiths and beliefs.
born parents, there are several aspects to look into. In general, Latino immigrant families experience more poverty, loneliness, isolation, language difficulties, fear, and hopelessness (Dettlaff & Johnson, 2011). Other than that, Latino immigrant families also face more difficulties regarding acculturation. This is due to the changing of cultural context (Dettlaff & Johnson, 2011). As Latino families move to the U.S., they face the loss of established support systems; they are under the stress of seeking new support systems while experiencing difficulties to gain access to supportive services in the United States (Dettlaff & Johnson, 2011). On the other hand, children who are born in the families with U.S. born parents faces difference challenges. They tend to experience more discriminations towards them, more segregation, and the minority status in the United states (Dettlaff & Johnson, 2011). Children in U.S. born Latino families have a greater involvement in risky sexual behavior, and also show signs of decreasing in academic performance and increasing in school dropout rates (Dettlaff & Johnson, 2011). At the same time, U.S. born Latino children also encounter higher intergenerational-intercultural conflict (Dettlaff & Johnson, 2011). This could be due to the fact that the parents still hold some traditional values while their children are developing U.S. values from school and their peers. Conflict develops when there are disagreements regarding
In order to children can grow up healthily, parents need to be pay more attention to their children. Teachers’ education mission is teaching children the knowledge they need, but they cannot be with the children all the time. Immigrant family parents and children have a hard time to be in the U.S. education because of the different educational system and language. Spring said that immigrant groups arrive with a variety of educational backgrounds (Spring, 2014). This means teachers not only need to get more information about these educational backgrounds, but also try to communicate with the children and parents. Low academic parents try their best to provide children an education opportunity. They wish teachers could help their children as much as they could on education because they do not have the ability. However, teachers’ abilities are limited. Based on the same expectation of parents and teachers, school-home connection is the best option to help children to work toward their academic goals. teachers and parents need to share valuable information about the children with each other. For example, teachers would have parents know more about the school educational system, children’s school life, and their performance on study. Parents need to talk about their original educational system, culture, and the children’s home behaviors so that teachers can make an appropriate lesson
Several years ago, America was taught to be a 'melting pot,' a place where immigrants of different cultures or races form an integrated society, but now America is more of a 'salad bowl' where instead of forming an incorporated entity the people who make up the bowl are unwilling to unite as one. America started as an immigrant nation and has continued to be so. People all over the world come to America for several reasons. Most people come to America voluntarily, but very few come unwillingly. For whatever reasons they may have for coming they all have to face exposure to American society. When exposed to this 'new' society they choose whether to assimilate or not. Assimilation in any society is complex. Since assimilation is not simple, people will have negative experiences when assimilating into American society.
The age old question that many ask today is “what is an American?” America is continued to be called the “melting pot” of the world. This statement refers to the combination of different cultures and ethnicities throughout the United States. The diversity of America should not take away from the history and foundation it was found upon. ...
Edwards, L. M., & Lopez, S. J. (2006). Perceived family support, acculturation, and life satisfaction in mexican american youth: a mixed-methods exploration. Journal of counseling phychology, 279-285.