Acculturation In America

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Since the founding of our nation, the United States has been a melting pot for a growing mass of individuals. Along with the mass growth of the population comes an astonishing sense of diversity and cultural value. Immigrants who come to America are accompanied by their traditional customs, language, values, and beliefs, thus resulting in many individuals who live in a multicultural world. As a result, we see a variety of cultures everywhere, whether it be on the bus, in the super market, or in our schools. However, as more and more immigrants integrate into American society, original cultures and traditions are lost. This process is called acculturation and lends the question of why. Why is culture lost? Why is it difficult to incorporate …show more content…

As previously stated, religion is a large influencer in the acculturation process. This is evidently seen in certain cultures such as in the Catholic community. The Catholic faith teaches women’s primary role as mothers and caregivers. This may lead to women under the Catholic faith to avoid being active in public or non-family tasks and activities (Koeske). The restrictions set on certain individuals, by religion, limits them from fusing the new culture with their traditions from home, ultimately disallowing the individual from growing and learning. Now that we know that the acculturation process affects all members in an immigrant family, we can see that the youth in these families struggle to become independent. These feelings are brought on by the youth feeling obligated to help their families while the American society is pushing for independence. This can lead to confusion among the youth in every family and can cause issues relating to their self-identity. While the youth continue to feel obligated to care for their families, they will find it more difficult to become independent and much harder to integrate the new culture into their lives when their family is promoting old

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