A review explanatory effects of self & group-orientations on acculturative stress and belongingness

Abstract

The problem of being accepted in a cognitively culturally distant setting at a new institute presents difficulties for the person, both mentally and socially, with the experience of acculturation or subsequent adaptation to the new atmosphere being the most prominent. This research adds to the acculturation literature by integrating components that are important for people who are severely to moderately stressed when they meet a new institutional culture and therefore need to find a reference group to deal with the acculturative stress levels. The impact of self-verification, state self-esteem, or group-related variables like resemblance to others and reliance on others on the desire for reference group belongingness during acculturation is thoroughly investigated. The findings show that for stressed people, the desire to belong to a group is heightened as a consequence of a decrease in present self-esteem and a concurrent need to self-verify. Individuals also consider resemblance to other members of the reference group to be unimportant, while reliance on the reference group is crucial.