Migrant acculturation and adaptation

Abstract

The migration of peoples around the world has initiated the process of acculturation. This phenomenon includes changes at both cultural (group) and psychological (individual) levels. Acculturation takes place in various ways, including integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization. The process results in various forms of adaptation, including psychological, sociocultural, and intercultural. The conceptual and empirical relationships between how acculturation takes place, and how well people adapt, are reviewed. International studies of immigrants’ acculturation strategies and their adaptation reveal a general pattern: those who acculturate using the integration strategy, being engaged in both their heritage culture and in the society of settlement, achieve higher levels of adaptation. Implications of these findings for the development of public policy and practice are discussed.