Acculturation expectations of German majority members in relation to their intercultural competence and identifications

Abstract

Economic internationalisation and refugee movements entail that many Western societies are characterised by ethnocultural diversity to an increasing degree. For the relationship between ethnocultural minority groups and the respective societal majority, acculturation strategies and preferences are of high pertinence. Since following a specific acculturation strategy is not only at the discretion of ethnocultural minorities, but also depends on the opportunities granted by the respective society majority, the expectations of the majority for a specific acculturation strategy is a central limiting factor. In the present study, we examined associations of intercultural competence dimensions and group identifications with the acceptance of multiculturalism by German majority members. We found that two intercultural competence dimensions – cultural empathy and flexibility – are associated with the acceptance of multiculturalism. Thus, the ability to understand other cultures and the ability to adapt to unfamiliar situations might be beneficial for the acceptance of lived cultural diversity. We also observed that European identification was associated with the acceptance of multiculturalism. European identification is likely to function as a superordinate identification which embraces a variety of ethnocultural groups, so that these ethnocultural groups are part of the wider, superordinate ingroup. While common group memberships tend to foster positive attitudes towards ingroup members, a high European identification also appears to be an indication of a generalized acceptance of cultural diversity or multiculturalism. Our demonstration that superordinate identification and both dimensions of intercultural competence are associated with the acceptance of multiculturalism suggests possibilities of fostering multiculturalism via intercultural trainings and international encounters.