Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

Physical Effects of Stress503CULTURE AND HUMAN BEHAVIORThe Stress of Adapting to a New CultureRefugees, immigrants, and even international students are oftenunprepared for the dramatically different values, language, food,customs, and climate that await them in their new land. Copingwith a new culture can be extremely stress-producing (Johnson &Sandhu, 2007). The process of changing one’s values and customsas a result of contact with another culture is referred to asacculturation. Thus, the term acculturative stress describes thestress that results from the pressure of adapting to a new culture(Berry, 1994, 2003, 2006).Many factors can influence the degree of acculturative stressthat a person experiences. For example, when the new societyis one that accepts ethnic and cultural diversity, acculturativestress is reduced (Berry, 2006; Suarez-Morales & others, 2007).The ease of transition is also enhanced when the person hassome familiarity with the new language and customs, advancededucation, and social support from friends, family members,and cultural associations (Finch & Vega, 2003).Cross-cultural psychologist John Berry has found that a person’sattitudes are important in determining how much acculturativestress is experienced. When people encounter a new culturalenvironment, they are faced with two fundamentalquestions: (1) Should I seek positive relations with the dominantsociety? (2) Is my original cultural identity of value to me, andshould I try to maintain it?The answers to these questions result in one of four possiblepatterns of acculturation: integration, assimilation, separation,or marginalization (see the diagram). Each pattern represents adifferent way of coping with the stress of adapting to a new culture(Berry, 1994, 2003).Integrated individuals continue to value their original culturalcustoms but also seek to become part of the dominant society.Ideally, the integrated individual feels comfortable in both herculture of origin and the culture of the dominant society, movingeasily from one to the other (LaFromboise & others, 1993a).The successfully integrated individual’s level of acculturativestress will be low (Ward & Rana-Deuba, 1999).Assimilated individuals give up their old cultural identity andtry to become part of the new society. They may adopt the newclothing, religion, and social values of the new environment andabandon their old customs and language.Assimilation usually involves a moderate level of stress, partlybecause it involves a psychological loss—one’s previous culturalidentity. People who follow this pattern also face the possibilityof being rejected either by members of the majority culture or bymembers of their original culture (LaFromboise & others, 1993a).Acculturative Stress Adapting to a new culture is a stressful pro -cess. However, acculturative stress can be reduced when immigrantslearn the language and customs of their newly adoptedhome. Here, two friends, one from China, one from Cuba, helpone another in an English language class in Miami, Florida.The process of learning new behaviors and suppressing oldbehaviors can also be moderately stressful.Individuals who follow the pattern of separation maintaintheir cultural identity and avoid contact with the new culture.They may refuse to learn the new language, live in a neighborhoodthat is primarily populated by others of the same ethnicbackground, and socialize only with members of their own ethnicgroup.In some instances, such withdrawal from the larger society isself-imposed. However, separation can also be the result of discriminationby the dominant society, as when people of a particularethnic group are discouraged from fully participating in thedominant society. Not surprisingly, the level of acculturativestress associated with separation is likely to be very high.Finally, the marginalized person lacks cultural and psychologicalcontact with both his traditional cultural group and theculture of his new society. By taking the path of marginalization,he has lost the important features of his traditional culture buthas not replaced them with a new cultural identity.Marginalized individuals are likely to experience the greatestdegree of acculturative stress, feeling as if they don’t reallybelong anywhere. Essentially, they are stuck in an unresolved conflictbetween the traditional culture and the new social environment.They are also likely to experience feelings of alienation anda loss of identity (Berry & Kim, 1988; Castillo & others, 2007).Question 2:Is my original cultural identityof value to me, and should Itry to maintain it?YesNoQuestion 1:Should I seek positive relationswith the dominant society?YesIntegrationAssimilationNoSeparationMarginalizationPatterns of Adapting to a NewCulture According to cross-culturalpsychologist John Berry (1994,2003), there are four basic patternsof adapting to a new culture.Which pattern is followed dependson how the person responds tothe two key questions shown.