Acculturation Among Immigrants

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Acculturation
Migration influences the life cycle of individuals as well as families in multiple ways. Most immigrants endure several expected or unexpected transitions in the midst of a changed physical, social, and cultural landscape (Carter & McGoldrick, 2011); and immigrants often experience disadvantages when they try to become involved in mainstream cultures. A disadvantaged position can negatively influence all stages of the life cycle, such as overall behavior, health behaviors, health outcomes, social performance, and family stability (Carter & McGoldrick, 2011). Furthermore, ethnic minority populations such as immigrants usually have great pressure caused by social, economic, and political contexts while they are adjusting to the transitions and norms in mainstream culture (Zane & Mak, 2003). As the number of Asian …show more content…

He argued that response to a new culture depends on the combination of an individual’s situations or environments as well as psychological adaptation. Individuals’ diverse situations or environments shape and determine behavior, cognition, and affect of individuals differently (Trimble, 2003). Also, individuals’ aspects of cultural identity can influence a different level of acculturation across individuals (i.e., potential for absolute adaptation in mainstream culture vs. backtracking to heritage culture; Gordon, 1964). In other words, acculturation does not take place along a single way (Berry, 2003). If an individual’s acculturation status is explained with the sense of how long people have lived together or maintained the intensity of their relationships, the linearity assumption can be applied to describe individual’s acculturation process. However, if one is referring to the cultural (based on their environment, etc.) and psychological processes and consequences of this contact, it could be more complicated to explain his/her acculturation status (Berry,

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