Contextual influences on acculturation processes: The roles of family, community and society
TL;DR: This paper outlined the major approaches to the psychological study of acculturation, drawing particular attention to the importance of context, and highlighted three significant contexts: family, ethnic community, and society/nation.
Abstract: The paper outlines the major approaches to the psychological study of acculturation, drawing particular attention to the importance of context. Three significant contexts are highlighted: family, ethnic community, and society/nation. New perspectives from our evolving program of acculturation research are introduced to illustrate contextual influences on acculturation, and future directions for empirical work are recommended.
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors draw on an international program of research and describe four multi-method studies that raise and explore key questions about the process, assessment and context of integration and its relationship to adaptation.
137 citations
TL;DR: This article explored relational patterns of expatriates' social networks and their impact on expatriate change in cultural identity while working abroad, and highlighted the importance of examining cross-cultural relational dynamics on maintenance and change in expatriants' cultural identity.
Abstract: We explore relational patterns of expatriates’ social networks and their impact on expatriates’ change in cultural identity while working abroad. We go beyond mono-cultural assumptions and highlight the importance of examining cross-cultural relational dynamics on maintenance and change in expatriates’ cultural identity. We argue that strong ties in dense networks are most conducive to helping expatriates stay attached to a national culture. Cultural diversity in a social network provides the impetus for cultural identity change. Cross-cultural interconnectedness within an expatriate’s social network contributes to the development of multiculturalism in one’s cultural identity. We also discuss the effect of cultural identity change on expatriation and repatriation adjustment, and provide some practical implications for individuals as well as organizations. Overall, we offer a cross-cultural social network perspective in theorizing about the expatriation experience.
108 citations
Cites background from "Contextual influences on acculturat..."
...Ward et al. (2010) stressed the necessity to include community and society, particularly the perspectives of dominant groups in the host country, when examining individuals’ acculturation processes....
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TL;DR: This article reviewed studies on adaptation in various groups of cross-cultural travelers to identify the social and cultural contextual antecedents that have been overlooked in each of the specialized research areas, revealing three distinct literature fields: on expatriates and their spouses, on international students, and on first-generation migrants.
Abstract: Currently, international mobility is common. Living abroad requires adaptation to the new culture, and adaptation outcomes are influenced by various socio-cultural factors. The literature examining these factors is vast but highly specialized. This article reviews studies on adaptation in various groups of cross-cultural travelers to identify the social and cultural contextual antecedents that have been overlooked in each of the specialized research areas. Our review reveals three distinct literature fields: on expatriates and their spouses, on international students, and on first-generation migrants. Each of them conceptualizes adaptation in a different manner. The literature on expatriates is pragmatically oriented and centered on the work context, which translates into a preference for variables that can be easily linked to expatriate work outcomes (socio-cultural adaptation, work-related antecedents). In contrast, the literature on migrants focuses on psychological outcomes of adaptation and tends to ...
83 citations
Cites background from "Contextual influences on acculturat..."
...…role for international students: On one hand, it may Bierwiaczonek and Waldzus 783 facilitate adaptation by providing social support (see also Ward et al., 2010), and on the other hand, hinder it by rendering students’ functioning excessively dependent on their ties with family members who…...
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...…et al., 2005; Hechanova et al., 2003) and dependent on family dynamics: family members may facilitate adaptation by providing support (see Ward et al., 2010), by facilitating social interaction and culture learning, or even by compensating for one’s deficits in adaptive personality…...
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...Berry (1997, 2005; see also Ward et al., 2010) views adaptation as the product of complex acculturation processes guided by people’s motivation to create ties with the host culture on one hand, and to preserve their ties with the native culture on the other....
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TL;DR: This article developed a model of the migration experience beginning before migrants leave their country of origin and continuing through the acculturation process, which incorporates four stages of migration process: pre-contemplation, contemplation, action and acculture as well as a path for return or onward migration.
63 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that assessing and enhancing family cohesion and resilience may be essential for professionals working with refugees, and that refugees without family support may be at particularly high risk for depression.
Abstract: North Korean refugees in South Korea are at high risk of depression, but there are few studies exploring protective factors in this population. We hypothesized that family functioning (family adaptability and cohesion) and resilience would protect North Korean refugees from developing depressive symptoms. A subsample of 304 adult North Korean refugees drawn from the cross-sectional 2010 Nationwide Survey of Domestic Violence in South Korea was analyzed. Approximately 44% of respondents were identified as having depression, using scores on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. In models capturing the full spectrum of depressive symptoms (continuous), family cohesion was significantly associated with depression, and the relationship was partially mediated by resilience. In models predicting clinical depression (dichotomous), resilience fully mediated the relationship between family cohesion and clinical depression. In contrast, family adaptability was not associated with depression or resilience in this sample. These findings suggest that assessing and enhancing family cohesion and resilience may be essential for professionals working with refugees, and that refugees without family support may be at particularly high risk for depression.
55 citations
Cites background from "Contextual influences on acculturat..."
...Acculturative stress can be still problematic even many years after resettlement depending on their socioeconomic status, family functioning, social support, and community and society context (Dillon et al., 2013; Hovey, 2000; Miranda et al., 2000; Ward et al., 2010)....
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References
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01 Jan 1974
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a detailed theory of psychological stress, building on the concepts of cognitive appraisal and coping, which have become major themes of theory and investigation in psychology.
Abstract: Here is a monumental work that continues in the tradition pioneered by co-author Richard Lazarus in his classic book Psychological Stress and the Coping Process. Dr. Lazarus and his collaborator, Dr. Susan Folkman, present here a detailed theory of psychological stress, building on the concepts of cognitive appraisal and coping which have become major themes of theory and investigation. As an integrative theoretical analysis, this volume pulls together two decades of research and thought on issues in behavioral medicine, emotion, stress management, treatment, and life span development. A selective review of the most pertinent literature is included in each chapter. The total reference listing for the book extends to 60 pages. This work is necessarily multidisciplinary, reflecting the many dimensions of stress-related problems and their situation within a complex social context. While the emphasis is on psychological aspects of stress, the book is oriented towards professionals in various disciplines, as well as advanced students and educated laypersons. The intended audience ranges from psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, nurses, and social workers to sociologists, anthropologists, medical researchers, and physiologists.
37,447 citations
TL;DR: Theories of the self from both psychology and anthropology are integrated to define in detail the difference between a construal of self as independent and a construpal of the Self as interdependent as discussed by the authors, and these divergent construals should have specific consequences for cognition, emotion, and motivation.
Abstract: People in different cultures have strikingly different construals of the self, of others, and of the interdependence of the 2. These construals can influence, and in many cases determine, the very nature of individual experience, including cognition, emotion, and motivation. Many Asian cultures have distinct conceptions of individuality that insist on the fundamental relatedness of individuals to each other. The emphasis is on attending to others, fitting in, and harmonious interdependence with them. American culture neither assumes nor values such an overt connectedness among individuals. In contrast, individuals seek to maintain their independence from others by attending to the self and by discovering and expressing their unique inner attributes. As proposed herein, these construals are even more powerful than previously imagined. Theories of the self from both psychology and anthropology are integrated to define in detail the difference between a construal of the self as independent and a construal of the self as interdependent. Each of these divergent construals should have a set of specific consequences for cognition, emotion, and motivation; these consequences are proposed and relevant empirical literature is reviewed. Focusing on differences in self-construals enables apparently inconsistent empirical findings to be reconciled, and raises questions about what have been thought to be culture-free aspects of cognition, emotion, and motivation.
18,178 citations
"Contextual influences on acculturat..." refers background in this paper
...The degree to which two (or more) groups differ affects the amount of accommodation required of both ( Markus & Kitayama, 1991; Tadmor Tetlock & Peng, 2009)....
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TL;DR: Existing evidence supports the hypothesis that the need to belong is a powerful, fundamental, and extremely pervasive motivation, and people form social attachments readily under most conditions and resist the dissolution of existing bonds.
Abstract: A hypothesized need to form and maintain strong, stable interpersonal relationships is evaluated in light of the empirical literature. The need is for frequent, nonaversive interactions within an ongoing relational bond. Consistent with the belongingness hypothesis, people form social attachments readily under most conditions and resist the dissolution of existing bonds. Belongingness appears to have multiple and strong effects on emotional patterns and on cognitive processes. Lack of attachments is linked to a variety of ill effects on health, adjustment, and well-being. Other evidence, such as that concerning satiation, substitution, and behavioral consequences, is likewise consistent with the hypothesized motivation. Several seeming counterexamples turned out not to disconfirm the hypothesis. Existing evidence supports the hypothesis that the need to belong is a powerful, fundamental, and extremely pervasive motivation.
17,492 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a conceptual framework for cross-cultural psychology has been proposed, and some general findings and conclusions based on a sample of empirical studies have been presented, with a consideration of the social and psychological costs and benefits of adopting a pluralist and integrationist orientation to these issues.
Abstract: La psychologie interculturelle a montre qu'il existait des rapports etroits entre le contexte culturel et le developpement comportemental de l'individu. Cette relation etablie, l'effort des recherches interculturelles a de plus en plus porte sur ce qu'il advenait des individus quand ils tentaient de refaire leur vie dans une culture differente de leur culture d'origine. Les consequences psychologiques a long terme de ce processus d'acculturation sont tres variables, dependant de variables sociales et personnelles qui renvoient a la societe de depart, a la societe d'accueil et a des phenomenes qui existent avant, mais qui emergent pendant la periode d'acculturation. Cet article esquisse un schema conceptuel a partir duquel acculturation et adaptation peuvent ětre etudiees, puis presente quelques conclusions et resultats generaux tires d'un echantillon de travaux empiriques. On envisage des applications possibles a la politique et aux programmes d'insertion en prenant en consideration les couts et les benefices sociaux et psychologiques emanant de l'adoprion d'une orientation pluraliste et integrationniste.
Cross-cultural psychology has demonstrated important links between cultural context and individual behavioural development. Given this relationship, cross-cultural research has increasingly investigated what happens to individuals who have developed in one cultural context when they attempt to re-establish their lives in another one. The long-term psychological consequences of this process of acculturation are highly variable, depending on social and personal variables that reside in the society of origin, the society of settlement. and phenomena that both exist prior to, and arise during, the course of acculturation. This article outlines a conceptual framework within which acculturation and adaptation can be investigated, and then presents some general findings and conclusions based on a sample of empirical studies. Applications to public policy and programmes are proposed. along with a consideration of the social and psychological costs and benefits of adopting a pluralist and integrationist orientation to these issues.
6,705 citations
"Contextual influences on acculturat..." refers background in this paper
...Finally, marginalization is characterized by an absence of both culture maintenance and participation (Berry, 1995; Berry, 1997)....
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...Ethnic communities as a whole acculturate in ways analogous to individual strategies, empirical evidence suggesting that integration is the preferred and most adaptive strategy (Berry, 1997; Neto et al., 2005)....
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01 Jan 1998
3,272 citations
"Contextual influences on acculturat..." refers background or methods in this paper
...When viewing acculturation in an ecological framework ( Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 1998 ), it is in the context of community that many acculturation processes occur and the level at which the “other culture” is potentially encountered (Prilleltensky, 2008; Sabatier, 2008)....
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...The community forms a constant context across lifespan development ( Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 1998 ), and a sense of belonging and meaning within society are considered key to well-being (Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Whitlock, 2007)....
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