An Integrated Acculturation Model of Immigrants' Social Identity (original) (raw)
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Human Development, 2006
The present paper advances theoretical propositions regarding the relationship between acculturation and identity. The most central thesis argued is that acculturation represents changes in cultural identity and that personal identity has the potential to 'anchor' immigrant people during their transition to a new society. The article emphasizes the experiences of nonwhite, non-Western immigrant people moving to Western nations. The article also calls for research on heretofore unexplored aspects of the relationship of acculturation to personal and social identity. Ideas are proposed for interventions to promote cultural identity change and personal identity coherence.
European Journal of Social Psychology, 2003
The study examines how a sample of 210 high-school immigrant students (ages 14-15) from Ethiopia and the former USSR socially represent their notion of what klitat aliyah (successful adaptation to Israel) means. Prevalent relevant theories-Berry's model of Acculturation Tendencies (BAT), Social Identity Theory (SIT) and Social Comparison Theory (SCT)-suggest three kinds of patterns by which minority or socially weak groups deal with these kinds of situations. These underlying patterns were tested by a 47-item questionnaire (with a 4-point Likert-like scale), constructed from immigrant narratives regarding their klitat aliyah according to SIT, SCT and BAT categories of adaptation strategies. A Guttman non-parametric Similarity Structure Analysis (SSA) revealed four-facet organization of items for both males and females in both sub-samples. These facets, which reflected social representations of Israeli society, were dubbed: Extended Identity, Rivalry Identity, Secluded Identity and Identity Loss. Results did not confirm the underlying categorization of strategies suggested by SIT and SCT, and partially replicated those suggested by BAT.
Toward an Interdisciplinary Study of Acculturation, Identity, and Culture
Human Development, 2006
The present paper advances theoretical propositions regarding the relationship between acculturation and identity. The most central thesis argued is that acculturation represents changes in cultural identity and that personal identity has the potential to 'anchor' immigrant people during their transition to a new society. The article emphasizes the experiences of nonwhite, non-Western immigrant people moving to Western nations. The article also calls for research on heretofore unexplored aspects of the relationship of acculturation to personal and social identity. Ideas are proposed for interventions to promote cultural identity change and personal identity coherence.
The present paper supplements quantitative and qualitative researches and theoretical propositions regarding the relationship between acculturation and identity. The purpose of this research is to explore and explain the determinative role of social identity, particularly its sub-structure: ethic and national identities to the acculturation process of the people from immigrant backgrounds in Germany and hence the intercultural interaction. The study sample consisted of 306 native German undergraduates and workers in Passau and 84 Russian-speaking immigrant's undergraduates and workers in Passau, Cologne and Hamburg. The age of the interviewed people lies between 18 and 55 (M = 25.53; SD=9.56 and the median is MD=23.5 years). Results indicated that immigrants who have more identified themselves with dominant society have expressed the strong preference to integration strategies. The immigrants that had a high degree of ethnic identification have expressed the low preference to th...
Acculturation, social identity, and social cognition: A new perspective
Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 2003
The authors argue in this article that new approaches are needed in the study of psychological acculturation. They posit that a new model of psychological acculturation should incorporate contemporary work in social and cognitive psychology. The model they present builds on previous research in the areas of social cognition, cultural competence, social identity, and social stigma. Each of these perspectives is discussed in accordance with its relevance to the acculturative processes operating in immigrants. They hypothesize that acculturation is more difficult for those persons who must cope with the stigma of being different because of skin color, language, ethnicity, and so forth. Finally, the authors believe that the theoretical framework present here will lead to more productive insights into the adaptation process of immigrants than has heretofore been the case.
Negotiating cultural Identities: A narrative study into identity formation of adolescent immigrants
2015
Building upon Berry's model of acculturation (Berry, 1990) this research aimed to gain an understanding of the acculturation strategies used by adolescent immigrants to negotiate their identity. Previous research suggests integration strategy to be the most successful strategy in producing the best psychosocial outcomes (Benet-Martinez & Haritatos, 2005); the present research aimed to explore the extent to which this claim is true. The study used a qualitative design; six semi-structured interviews were conducted. Narrative analysis was used to analyse the data. This method of analysis was employed as it is 'concerned with how human life is storied' (Miller, 2000: 310). Four themes emerged from the data; these were negotiating identity through religion, barriers to identity development, role of discrimination and a bit of both. The themes are discussed, a model was developed and implications for further research are considered.
In this study we investigate the contents and organisational principles through which immigrant adolescents from Ethiopia and Russian and their host peers construct their identity strategies leading to "successful adaptation" of immigrants in Israel. The research question was tested within a representative sample of 854 (495 girls) high school students from the host society, 531 (326 girls) students who were born in Russia and 241 (148 girls) students from the Ethiopian community. The questionnaire consisted of identity strategies from social identity theory and from Berry's model of acculturation tendencies. The results from non-Linear Small-Space Analysis revealed four representations shared by immigrants and non immigrants regarding successful immigrant adaptation: extended, rivalry, secluded and assimilative. Extended adaptation was represented by all as dominant, whereas assimilative adaptation was stronger among nonimmigrants; the longer the time since immigration, that of the immigrants' representations of "successful adaptation" became more similar to that of non immigrants. The discussion focuses on the contribution of the theory of social representations and the findings of our study to a better understanding of immigration in the Israeli context.
Immigrant Youth: Acculturation, Identity, and Adaptation
Applied Psychology, 2006
Cet article présente plusieurs des principaux résultats d’une grande étude internationale sur l’acculturation et l’adaptation de jeunes immigrés (âgés de 13 à 18 ans) qui se sont implantés dans treize pays (N = 5,366); il y est adjoint un échantillon de jeunes nationaux (N = 2,631). La recherche s’appuyait sur trois questions centrales: comment les jeunes migrants gèrent‐ils le processus d’acculturation? Comment parviennent‐ils à s’adapter? Et y a‐t‐il un lien manifeste entre la forme d’acculturation et le succès de l’adaptation? L’analyse en clusters déboucha sur quatre profils d’acculturation: intégrateur, ethnique, national et diffus. L’analyse factorielle de cinq variables d’adaptation mit en évidence deux types d’adaptation: psychologique et socioculturel. Il existe une forte relation entre la façon dont les jeunes s’acculturent et leur adaptation: ceux qui présentent un profil intégrateur bénéficient des meilleurs indicateurs d’adaptations psychologique et socioculturelle alor...