Variations in the assessment of acculturation attitudes: Their relationships with psychological wellbeing

The concept of acculturation attitudes refers to the various ways that acculturating individuals prefer to live with the two cultures that they are in contact with. In the original acculturation attitudes framework, Berry proposed a two-dimensional structure. The two dimensions were: to what extent do acculturating individuals prefer to maintain their heritage culture and identity; and to what extent do people wish to have contact with others outside their own group, and participate in the larger society. When these two dimensions are crossed, four ways of acculturating can be distinguished: assimilation, integration, separation, marginalisation. The first goal of this paper is to use other ways of operationalising these two dimensions to discover the resultant variations in the classification of individuals into the four ways of acculturating. The second goal is to see whether these variations in classifying ways of acculturation lead to different relationships with immigrants’ psychological wellbeing. We examine both questions using data from immigrant youth in Montreal and Paris, and conclude that different operationalisations of these two dimensions do yield some important variations in classification. There are also variations across these ways of assessing acculturation attitudes in their relationships with the psychological wellbeing of immigrant youth. Moreover, these variations are amplified when taking into account the society into which immigrant youth have settled. The general conclusions are that it does matter how and where acculturation attitudes are assessed, and that these variations impact the degree of psychological adaptation of immigrant youth.     

Expectations and acculturation: Further unpacking of adjustment mechanisms within the Russian-speaking community in Montreal

Recent years have witnessed a significant growth in the Russian-speaking community in Montreal, Canada. However, little is currently known about the predictors of psychological adjustment in immigrants from the Former Soviet Union (FSU). In this study we explored the expectations that this group of immigrants (N = 271) hoped to fulfill in their adopted society, the extent to which these expectations have been fulfilled, and the impact of fulfilled expectations on psychological adjustment. We found that the degree of fulfilled expectations was significantly associated with better psychological adjustment independent of personality traits, language proficiency, and acculturation. These findings contribute to the literature on cross-cultural adaptation of immigrants from the FSU and highlight the potential importance of expectations for the study of acculturation more generally.     

Ethnic categorization of immigrants: The role of prejudice, perceived acculturation strategies and group size

People usually perceive immigrants from different national origins as similar to each other, and thus as belonging to a limited number of ethnic out-groups [Sporer, S. L. (2001a). Recognizing faces of other ethnic groups: An integration of theories. Psychology, Public and Law, 7, 36–97, Sporer, S. L. (2001b). The cross-race effect: Beyond recognition of faces in the laboratory. Psychology, Public Policy and Law, 7, 170–200.]. In this study, we examine how host nationals (i.e., Italians) categorize immigrants and how prejudice and perceived acculturation strategies influence this process. In our research, photographs of male faces of members of 16 immigrant groups were shown to the participants (N=305). They were asked to identify the national origin of each person on the photographs. In line with the expected over-inclusion into more numerous and more devalued out-groups, the researchers found that (a) participants who perceived Albanians or Moroccans to be the most numerous, were most likely to categorize immigrants as belonging to these groups; and (b) this over-inclusion effect was most pronounced when participants were prejudiced toward these groups and when they perceived them as wanting to maintain their cultures of origin.     

Living with others: Mapping the routes to acculturation in a multicultural society

This study investigated attitudes towards multiculturalism and their influence on acculturation strategies of both Anglo-Australians and Asian immigrants residing in the city of Brisbane, the third largest city of Australia. Data was obtained via a survey administered to 133 Asian immigrants and 108 Anglo-Australians, a total of 241 respondents. Results revealed discordance in attitudes towards multiculturalism between Asians and Australians, with Asians rating it higher as a benefit and lower as a threat as compared to Australians. While higher ratings on multiculturalism as a threat tended to be positively related to separation strategy, this linear association did not hold true for the minority group (Asians). For Asian respondents, those who perceived a moderate threat in multiculturalism were more likely supporters for separation. Our findings supported the assumption that multiculturalism is viewed as differentially beneficial for minority and majority groups.     

Personal reactions to ‘strange’ situations: Attachment styles and acculturation attitudes of immigrants and majority members

A growing number of studies examine the influence of individual factors on acculturation attitudes of immigrants, but few studies focus on majority members’ attitudes. In this paper, two studies are reported on the relation between attachment styles and acculturation attitudes of both immigrants (N=177) and majority members (N=243) in the Netherlands. Until now very few studies have associated cultural adjustment with attachment styles. This is remarkable, because attachment theory refers to interaction with others in new situations. Four different styles of attachment (the secure, dismissing, preoccupied and fearful attachment styles) are related to Berry's classification of acculturation attitudes. People, both immigrants and majority members, with a secure attachment style were positive towards integration, whereas people with a dismissing attachment style were not. Dismissing immigrants were more positive towards separation. Whereas both immigrants and majority members with a secure attachment style showed a similar pattern of correlations between attachment and acculturation, they seem to react quite differently, and even in opposite ways, when they have a preoccupied attachment style. Yet, the different reactions may be caused by the same psychological process: The existential ambivalence of preoccupied people may lead to diverse reactions.     

Identity and linguistic acculturation expectations. The attitudes of Western Catalan high-school students towards Moroccans and Romanians

This study analyzes the influence of identity complexity on the linguistic acculturation expectations that Catalan high-school students hold towards their peers of Moroccan and Romanian origin. It also takes into account social status and cultural proximity, expecting higher expectations of linguistic integration towards Romanians. Using a 5-point Likert scale, 345 autochthonous high-school students were asked about their degree of self-identification with Spain and Catalonia. Then, they responded to several questions concerning linguistic acculturation expectations regarding Romanians and Moroccans. While integration is the most popular profile for all three groups, the bicultural identity group scored the highest, followed by the Catalan identity group and the Spanish identity group ranking last. Bicultural identification was also a significant predictor for all integration measures, as was Catalan identification for ‘integration to Catalan’ and ‘integration to Spanish and Catalan’. However, the distinctions between answers regarding Romanians and Moroccans were scant. We conclude that incorporating the languages of immigration into a bilingual host society is not only possible, this type of community may even be more welcoming. The potential of working with the concept of identity complexity to decrease black and white thinking and foster tolerance is also discussed.     

Acculturation orientations of competing host communities toward valued and devalued immigrants

This study explored how members of competing host communities may endorse different acculturation orientations towards valued and devalued immigrants settled in the bilingual city of Montreal. Francophone (N=422) and Anglophone (N=401) host community students from low-, medium- and high-ethnic diversity colleges completed the host community acculturation scale (HCAS) along with a questionnaire monitoring a range of social psychological correlates of acculturation orientations. Results showed that Anglophones were more integrationist and individualist and less assimilationist than Francophones. Both Francophones and Anglophones were more integrationist and individualist and less assimilationist, segregationist and exclusionist toward valued than devalued immigrants. Attending a multiethnic college had no influence on respondents’ acculturation orientations. The more welcoming acculturation orientations of Anglophones compared to Francophones was corroborated by results obtained with immigrants attending the French and the English colleges. Social psychological profiles of the respective acculturation orientations were similar across both host communities thus supporting the construct validity of the HCAS. Attitude toward co-national outgroup was a significant determinant of each acculturation orientations, suggesting that intergroup relations between rival host communities has an impact on acculturation orientations toward immigrants.     

Social axioms and acculturation orientations of English Canadians toward British and Arab Muslim immigrants

The goal of this study was to examine the role of Social Axioms in the endorsement of acculturation orientations held by members of the receiving society toward immigrants. Acculturation orientations of English Canadian undergraduates toward immigrants from Britain and immigrants of Arab Muslim background were measured. Respondents also completed the Social Axioms Survey (SAS) measuring five basic dimensions of social beliefs. A total of 349 undergraduate students (278 female, 71 male) attending a Southern Ontario University in Canada participated in the study. Results showed that participants endorsed the welcoming acculturation orientations, Individualism, Integrationism, and Intergrationism-transformation, more toward culturally close (British) than culturally distant (Arab Muslim) immigrants. Participants also endorsed the unwelcoming acculturation orientations, Assimilationism, Segregationism, and Exclusionism, more toward Arab Muslim than British immigrants. Additionally, social beliefs were related to the acculturation orientations held by English Canadian undergraduates toward immigrants of both British and Arab Muslim origin. More specifically, Religiosity beliefs were associated with the endorsement of Assimilationist, Segregationist and Exclusionist acculturation orientations toward culturally distant and not toward culturally close immigrants.     

Relationship between perceived acculturation expectations and Muslim minority youth's acculturation and adaptation

Acculturation strategies have frequently been used to describe how members of ethnic minorities reconcile their heritage culture with the culture of their society of residence. Recently, studies have started to pay increased attention to the fact that the choice of acculturation strategy does not take place in a social vacuum. In the present study, we test whether the perception of assimilation expectations held by the societal majority (PSAE) as well as separation expectations held by ethnic peers (PESE) may be related to individuals’ own acculturation strategy. Furthermore, we investigate whether these perceived expectations are directly related to stress and indirectly to adaptation, mediated by acculturation strategies. All relationships were investigated using multi-group structural equation modeling with members from three Muslim minority groups: 301 German-Turks, 302 French-Maghrebis and 262 British-Pakistanis. Across the samples, PSAE was associated with higher degrees of stress. PESE was negatively related to integration, while it was positively related to separation. In addition, PESE was indirectly and negatively related with self-esteem and/or socio-cultural adaptation in all samples. The impact of societal assimilation expectation appears to be limited in this regard. In all, the present study suggests that perceived acculturation expectations may influence ethnic minorities’ acculturation strategy. The results also suggest that perceived expectations that contrast with individuals’ personal acculturation preference could result in higher levels of stress and lower levels of psychological and socio-cultural adaptation, mediated by acculturation strategies.     

Bringing together acculturation theory and intergroup contact theory: Predictors of Flemings’ expectations of Turks’ acculturation behavior

The present paper explores Flemish majority members’ expectations concerning the acculturation of Turkish minorities. We studied two kinds of antecedents: majority members’ perceptions of Turkish minorities’ acculturation behavior and their experiences of intergroup contact. The possible mediating role of outgroup affect was also investigated. 247 Flemish high school students completed a survey. Data were analyzed using path analyses. Results show that positive contact experiences and perceiving that Turkish immigrants make efforts to engage in contact with the host group and/or to adopt the host culture are associated with less negative affective reactions towards Turkish migrants. Perceiving that Turkish immigrants maintain their heritage culture is associated with more negative affective reactions. Our results further revealed that increased negative affective reactions are associated with less support for culture maintenance and for contact with the host group but with a higher demand for host culture adoption. The present results also show that expectations of contact engagement and expectations of host culture adoption cannot be considered as equivalent. This implies that results from studies using Berry's conceptualization of acculturation expectations (Berry, 2001) and results from studies using Bourhis’ conceptualization of acculturation expectations (Bourhis, Moïse, Perreault, & Senécal, 1997) are not directly comparable. Our data also clearly disconfirm the orthogonal structure of the fourfold acculturation model for majority members’ acculturation expectations, suggesting that relying on the specific dimensions defining acculturation expectations may constitute a more valid approach to understand ongoing acculturation processes.     

Perceived discrimination and acculturation among Iranian refugees in the Netherlands

The relations between perceived discrimination, perceived acceptance of immigrants, acculturation orientations, and acculturation outcomes (psychological and sociocultural adjustment) were investigated in a sample of 232 Iranian refugees in the Netherlands. A good fit was found for a path model with perceived discrimination and perceived acceptance as correlated antecedent variables, acculturation orientations as intervening conditions, and measures of psychological and sociocultural adjustment as outcome variables. Perceived discrimination was the most salient variable in the model and showed significant associations with all outcome measures. Acculturation orientations (partially) mediated the relations between antecedent variables and outcomes. Gender differences were found. Women reported significantly less discrimination, more positive and fewer negative acculturation outcomes than did men. It is concluded that despite the high levels of sociocultural adjustment of Iranian refugees in the Netherlands, perceived discrimination plays an essential role in their acculturation.     

Modern health worries in Pakistani immigrant women in Oslo,Norway

BackgroundThe main study objective was to investigate modern health worries (MHW) in a group of Pakistani immigrant women in Norway, and to compare it with a group of ethnic Norwegian women. A further aim was to examine differences in MHW with level of education and acculturation in this immigrant group.MethodsThe Pakistani women (N = 101) completed a questionnaire to assess MHW and sociodemographic variables. MHW data were obtained via telephone interviews for the subsample of Norwegian women (N = 344).ResultsThe Pakistani women generally showed lower levels of MHW than did the ethnic Norwegian women. However, when stratified on education, the difference was mainly apparent in the low and middle educational groups. The Pakistani women with high levels of education tended to report higher levels of MHW than those with lower education levels. They reported significantly higher levels of worries about avian flu, radiation from computer screens, and vaccination programmes than did the ethnic Norwegian women on the same high educational level. Their different degrees of acculturation in the Norwegian society appeared to influence their levels of MHW, as the assimilated women showed the highest levels of MHW, whereas the separated women showed the lowest levels.ConclusionsThe group of Pakistani immigrant women was very heterogeneous in terms of MHW, and health authorities and health care workers should therefor adapt health and risk information according to different levels of integration and education.     

Acculturation: Living successfully in two cultures

The theme of this conference focusses attention on conflict and negotiation. In this paper, I take one example of these issues, and examine the cultural and psychological aspects of these phenomena that take place during the process of acculturation. During acculturation, groups of people and their individual members engage in intercultural contact, producing a potential for conflict, and the need for negotiation in order to achieve outcomes that are adaptive for both parties. Research on aculturation, including acculturation strategies, changes in behaviours, and acculturative stress are reviewed. There are large group and individual differences in how people (in both groups in contact) go about their acculturation (described in terms of the integration, assimilation, separation and marginalisation strategies), in how much stress they experience, and how well they adapt psychologically and socioculturally. Generally, those pursuing the integration strategy experience less stress, and achieve better adaptations than those pursuing marginalisation; the outcomes for those pursuing assimilation and separation experience intermediate levels of stress and adaptation. Implications for public policy and personal orientations towards acculturation are proposed. With respect to the conference theme, since integration requires substantial negotiation, but results in the least conflict, the concepts and findings reviewed here can provide some guidance for the betterment of intercultural relations.     

Bridging the gap between theory and applied research in acculturation

This study aims to obtain the scoping map of scientific production in the acculturation field since the 1980 s and overview the applications of the acculturation framework in the last five years. Using Biblioshiny, Phase 1 employs bibliometrics techniques to depict how the scholarship in acculturation has been produced, disseminated, and communicated across different academic fields. A series of research questions are asked to investigate the topic trends, the contributions of the countries and journals, and the impact and productivity of authorship and articles. Phase 2, then, uses a systematic review method to investigate how empirical studies have applied and operationalized the acculturation framework. The results of Phases 1 and 2 indicate that there are discrepancies between theoretical directions and applications in terms of dimensions and acculturation indicators.     

Probing identity,integration and adaptation: Big questions,little answers

In 0035 and 0040 acculturation typology integration is defined by two core components – maintenance of traditional heritage culture and participation in the wider society. These components, underpinned by attitudes, behaviors and identities, are believed to contribute in an additive fashion to the psychological and sociocultural adaptation of immigrants and ethnic minorities, and international research has shown that integration generally leads to more positive outcomes than separation, assimilation or marginalization. This paper draws on an international program of research and describes four multi-method studies that raise and explore key questions about the process, assessment and context of integration and its relationship to adaptation. Three questions are posed for consideration: (1) How is the dynamic process of integration experienced and articulated by immigrants? (2) How do our conceptualization and measurement of identity as an aspect of heritage culture maintenance impact the additive model of integration and adaptation? and (3) Under what conditions does integration fail to be adaptive? Tentative answers are offered, and recommendations are made for future studies to guide the development of acculturation theory and research.     

The double-edged sword of identification. The divergent effects of identification on acculturation stress among Ukrainian immigrants in Poland

Research on the ‘social cure’ points to the many positive outcomes of having strong social identifications for minority and immigrant groups. At the same time, identification is a multi-faceted psychological phenomenon, combining three dimensions: ingroup centrality, ingroup affect, and ingroup ties. The main aim of the present study was to assess the divergent effects of these three facets of social identification on acculturation stress experienced by the members of two ethnolinguistic communities of Ukrainian immigrants in Poland. The study found that ingroup centrality was related to higher levels of acculturation stress, whereas positive ingroup affect and strong ingroup ties were related to lower acculturation stress. Additionally, the immigrant community who speak Ukrainian as their mother tongue reported stronger Ukrainian identification than those declaring Russian as their mother tongue, leading to lower levels of acculturation stress among members of this community. The present study suggests that those aspects of identification that promote exclusivity (ingroup centrality) can be maladaptive in the process of acculturation, whereas the more binding ones (ingroup ties and affect) facilitate acculturation.     

Measuring globalization-based acculturation in Ladakh: Investigating possible advantages of a tridimensional acculturation scale

Theories and methodologies within acculturation psychology have been advanced in order to capture the complex process of intercultural contact in various contexts. Differentiating globalization-based acculturation from immigrant-based acculturation has broadened the field of acculturation psychology to include groups who are exposed to global cultural streams without international migration. The globalization-based acculturation process in the North Indian region of Ladakh appears to be a tricultural encounter, suggesting an addendum to the bidimensional acculturation model for this group (and perhaps for others as well). This study explores the development, usability, and validity of a tridimensional acculturation measure aiming to capture the multicultural orientations initiated by the process of globalization in Ladakh. The tridimensional acculturation scale was found to fit the data significantly better compared to the bidimensional scale. Implications for the study of globalization-based acculturation are discussed.     

A review of the acculturation experiences of international students

Universities in Western countries host a substantial number of international students. These students bring a range of benefits to the host country and in return the students gain higher education. However, the choice to study overseas in Western countries may present many challenges for the international student including the experience of acculturative stress and difficulties with adjustment to the environment of the host country. The present paper provides a review of current acculturation models as applied to international students. Given that these models have typically been empirically tested on migrant and refugee populations only, the review aims to determine the extent to which these models characterise the acculturation experience of international students. Literature pertaining to salient variables from acculturation models was explored including acculturative stressors encountered frequently by international students (e.g., language barriers, educational difficulties, loneliness, discrimination, and practical problems associated with changing environments). Further discussed was the subsequent impact of social support and coping strategies on acculturative stress experienced by international students, and the psychological and sociocultural adaptation of this student group. This review found that the international student literature provides support for some aspects of the acculturation models discussed; however, further investigation of these models is needed to determine their accuracy in describing the acculturation of international students. Additionally, prominent acculturation models portray the host society as an important factor influencing international students’ acculturation, which suggests the need for future intervention.     

Travels in hyper-diversity: Multiculturalism and the contextual assessment of acculturation

We argue that current acculturation research offers an incomplete picture of the psychological changes taking place in contemporary multicultural societies. Several characteristics of the Canadian multicultural context highlight the limitations in current acculturation research: namely, themes of hyper-diversity, hybridity, dimensionality and the importance of local context. Canada is a case in point, but these themes are generalizable to other contemporary multicultural contexts. To address the limitations of the traditional psychological acculturation paradigm, we propose an innovative research approach to study acculturation: the Cultural Day Reconstruction Method (C-DRM). We report on two studies that implemented this diary method, to demonstrate that this research tool (1) addresses theoretical critiques of current acculturation research and (2) captures some of the complexity of acculturation in contemporary multicultural contexts. The C-DRM was constructed in response to the local research environment but we hope it will become part of a new generation of tools for the contextual assessment of acculturation.     

Values and acculturation: A Native Canadian exploration

The cultural context for Native Canadians is unique compared to Canadians of other descent as they are Indigenous peoples and the historical inhabitants of this country; however, much literature describing Aboriginal culture and values is non-empirical. Acculturation literature primarily examines cognitive and psychosocial phenomena relative to immigration-based and globalization-based acculturation; yet, little research examines the relationship between acculturation and values, especially in relation to colonized peoples. The present research addresses these gaps in the literature by empirically examining the relationship between values and acculturation (cultural attachment) from the context of indigenous inhabitants subsumed in a non-indigenous society.Exploring values in combination with acculturation moves beyond anecdotes and assumptions and paves the way toward a deeper understanding of a rich culture and value system which constitutes an important part of Canada’s cultural mosaic. Not surprisingly, these data revealed that heritage acculturation was strongly endorsed; however, a strong connection to the mainstream culture was also found. Exploratory cluster analyses revealed a four cluster solution with clusters falling along a continuum from relatively higher attachment with both cultures to comparatively lower attachment to both. This finding is consistent with bidimensional theories of acculturation. Value endorsements for each cluster are discussed.