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
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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,
In this article, Eric Liu presents his life as a native immigrant to an Asian American individual. He shares his experience through his reflection of ideas and emotions. Along with his story, it relates to the ideas of people’s journey from adolescence to adulthood. Eric’s inspirational experience is directed towards minority groups who try to adapt to the American culture and lifestyle. His parents emigrated from China to America, before he was born which he later became exposed to the freedom and diverse society. This results in beneficial effects for his individuality, career opportunities, and lifestyle. Although his parents have lived in a different culture than him, his life in America has made him assimilated into the American society
Immigration has existed around the world for centuries, decades, and included hundreds of cultures. Tired of poverty, a lack of opportunities, unequal treatment, political corruption, and lacking any choice, many decided to emigrate from their country of birth to seek new opportunities and a new and better life in another country, to settle a future for their families, to work hard and earn a place in life. As the nation of the opportunities, land of the dreams, and because of its foundation of a better, more equal world for all, the United States of America has been a point of hope for many of those people. A lot of nationals around the world have ended their research for a place to call home in the United States of America. By analyzing primary sources and the secondary sources to back up the information, one could find out about what Chinese, Italians, Swedish, and Vietnamese immigrants have experienced in the United States in different time periods from 1865 to 1990.
Curtin’s “Coculturation: Toward a Critical Theoretical Framework for Cultural Adjustment” explores the many aspects of cultural adaptation. To enhance the conversation and construct a dialogue that counters that of the status quo, Melissa L. Curtin proposes a theory of Coculturation. Curtin (2010) seeks to “underscore the complex and ongoing processes of identification for all members of a community; to challenge any notion of a static, monolithic target culture; and to foreground that macrolevel sociopolitical and sociohistorical contexts, as well as microlevel social interactional processes, are important in understanding cultural adjustment” (p. 271). This work illuminates the conversation of acculturation and assimilation by combating the hegemonic discourse of traditional theoretical frameworks. According to Curtin, the rhetoric surrounding acculturation in the U.S. commonly “presumes an imagined national host community of a white, monolingual, English-speaking America to which immigrants should quickly assimilate.”
Sanders, J., Nee, V., & Sernau, S. (2002). Asian immigrants reliance on social ties in a
Immigration practices, both historical and current, has had various types of impacts on immigration policies and processes, as well as on people who have immigrated. According to Nilsson, Schale and Khamphakdy-Brown (2011) the various issues that face immigrant populations is pre and post immigration trauma, the acculturation process, poverty and low education and training levels. Immigration also impacts family relationships and possible language barriers. Immigration policies have always been exclusionary and biased against various cultural groups (Sue & Sue, 2013). For example, historically, European immigrants were granted citizenship more
A. Economic success is not the only kind of success- for the purpose of this paper, prosperity is being isolated to economic success
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.
Acculturation and assimilation are treated as complex, multifaceted phenomena. The acceptance of new cultural traits or social associations and retention of traditional cultural traits and social associations are viewe...
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.
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.
Audre Lorde once said “Your silence will not protect”. The principle of that quote is based that being silent in a problem will not help you or protect your from the pain, yet only your problem will become worse, till it could cause death just like in the The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Therefore, everyone should speak up just like Calpurnia, and Portia should have did their husbands Caesar, and Brutus. Over the course of the play in some situations the women characters speak up, yet a majority the readers see that “men rule”. Through the actions displayed that the idea of masculinity and feminism is overreached throughout the relationships of the characters in Julius Caesar, yet the women still love and care for their spouse they wed.
Many people come to the United States for change. Change they think will be given to them the moment they step foot on U.S soil, which happens to be incorrect. There is a process to undergo before an individual is able to experience change. A process which occurs once they allow it to begin. Cultural assimilation is “a process by which members of an ethnic minority group lose cultural characteristics that distinguish them from the dominant cultural group or take on the cultural characteristics of another group” (medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com). It is challenging to begin, that is why when deciding on weather or not to assimilate, “people usually weigh the benefits and costs” (Konya 2). For example, parents usually assimilate even if it “imposes very large costs for them, because they want the best for their children” (Konya 2). But, there are still ethnic groups that assimilate into American society at much lower rates than others because they refuse to until they finally decide to later in their lives. To be more specific, there is evidence to support that Mexicans in Los Angeles, CA are assimilating at lower rates than any other race: “Now, a new study lays bare what sociologists and others have long argued: Mexican immigrants are assimilating to life in the United States less successfully than other immigrants” (Schulte 1). The Madonnas of Echo Park by Brando Skyhorse portrays the terrible effects caused by the slow cultural assimilation of Mexicans in Los Angeles compared to other races. These effects such as poor income and daily struggles can be seen through Felicia Esperanza and remarks made by Freddy Blas as well as Efren Mendoza.
As we may all have once experienced, acculturation is one of the most common part of our lives, either by music, language or habits. In many occasions is more noticeable, but they are still a part of our entire lives. Through my own experiences and some of my classmates we were able to identified this topic in our own lives. I being born in USA but raised in Mexico until I was 16 years old, made my acculturation really clear when I came to this country without any previous knowledge of this language or society. Everything was completely different, but I was able to adapt to a new culture in a small period of time, learning a new language and successfully ending High School. Now that I came to college, I feel that I am going to a new acculturation process, not as harsh or obvious. But leaving and having many Asian friends have been acculturated me to their Asian culture little by little. Everything starts when you put in practice small customs as taking your shoes at the door, eating rice with anything and eating specially with chopsticks. I have been presented to this, and in my opinion have become acculturated to this culture. However, not everyone stories are the same. Lizandro Laverman experienced acculturation more indirectly by his parents experiences. His parents, basically, came to the United States to have a better lifestyle. He himself personally considers himself as an American. Although he is actually 75% Guatemalan and 25% German he considers himself to be 100% American. He also speak fluent in both languages, so the English and the Spanish, but speaks English more than anything. He also feels embraced when as Guatemalan dishes. In general, his parents are only used to a lifestyle that comes from Guatemala as train...
Kim’s (2001) integrative theory of communication and cross cultural adaptation is based on the premise that an individual moves in as a temporary resident in a new and culturally unfamiliar environment and a transformation process occurs. This theory is suggesting that individuals search for some sort of stability in a new environment. It is said that individuals look for stability so that they can reduce the uncertainty of the environment and the anxiety that they may have in the new culturally unfamiliar environment. Cross cultural adaptation can occur when interacting with members of a host country. Kim’s (2001) theory defines cross cultural adaptation as “the dynamic process in which individuals, upon relocating to a new, unfamiliar, or changed cultural environments, establish or re-establish and maintain relatively stable, reciprocal, and functional relationships with those environments” (p. 31).
Theoretical Models & Perspectives, the “ABCs of Acculturation” (L5) refers to individual changes during continuous first-hand cultural contact (acculturation). There are 3 main areas of this theory; Affective perspectives, Behavioural perspective and Cognitive perspective, which could all be seen in this story.