Fitting In: Assimilation, Integration and Acculturation

The topic Cultural influences on individual behaviour from the Sociocultural Approach requires you to investigate one effect of assimilation and acculturation. This article focuses on assimilation. A detailed description of Lueck & Wilson (2010) is offered. You were first introduced to these investigators in the article A model of Acculturation: Berry (2005) and Section 5.1 of Chapter 6 of your text.

A recap of Berry’s model:

Berry (2005) proposed that people experiencing acculturation behave in one of four ways:

Assimilation: adapting to the new culture and leaving the original culture behind.

Separation: Avoiding interactions with the new culture and holding on to the original culture.

Integration: Becoming bi-cultural. Integrating with the new culture whilst still maintaining the original culture.

Marginalisation: Leaving the original culture behind but struggling to integrate in the new culture due to discrimination.

If you were required to write about assimilation in an SAQ, you would explain that it is one of the four strategies first identified by Berry. One study you could use to illustrate your explanation is Lueck & Wilson (2010).

Aim: This study aimed to investigate which linguistic and social factors predict acculturation stress in a nationally representative sample of Asian immigrants and Asian Americans.

Type of Study: Qualitative Study: Structured Interview method

Participants: 2095 Asian Americans

Procedures:

Participants were interviewed to gather information about the following:

Acculturation Stress, e.g. Do you find it hard interacting with others because of difficulties you have with the English language?

Native Language Proficiency: How well do you speak in your native language?

English Language Proficiency: How well do you speak in English?

Language Preference: What language do you speak with most of your friends?

Discrimination: How often do people dislike you because of your ethnicity?

Family cohesion: Do you have arguments with other members of your

family because of different customs?

Membership of Social Networks: How often do you talk on the phone or get together with family or relatives who do not live with you?

Results:

The investigators found that 70% of the participants experienced acculturation stress. However, bilingual language preference contributed to lower stress. Perceived discrimination was highly likely to lead to stress.

Sharing similar values and beliefs as a family, trust, closeness, and togetherness as a family significantly contributed to lower acculturation stress

Conclusion

A key finding was that English and native language skills and bilingual language preferences significantly decreased the likelihood of acculturation stress. On the other hand, losing the native language and links to one’s first culture contributed to higher acculturation stress.

How does the study illustrate assimilation?

This study questions the value of assimilation in dealing with acculturation.

The study offers evidence that acculturation stress can be reduced by learning and using one’s first language and maintaining existing cultural links. In other words, adopting a strategy of integration rather than assimilation is more likely to reduce acculturation stress rather than

You will have realised that the study can be used to illustrate both the process of acculturation and assimilation.

Lueck, Kerstin & Wilson, Machelle. (2010). Acculturative Stress in Asian Immigrants: The Impact of Social and Linguistic Factors. International Journal of Intercultural Relations - INT J INTERCULT RELAT. 34. 47-57. 10.1016/j.ijintrel.2009.10.004.