Module 2: Acculturation Processes: How and when?

Introduction: Module 2 consists of explaining acculturation processes and how (and when) it takes place.

Objective:  The objective of this module is to determine the acculturation expected to find in parents with brokering experience.

International business, international investment, or just looking for a better life are several reasons that make people migrate to other countries. These good reasons to migrate may come at a cost and fail without a good understanding of differences between cultures (Routamaa & Hautala, 2008).

Acculturation is one of the important factors that affect immigrants in the U.S. In their studies, John, Phipps, Davis, & Koo (2005) affirm that the traditional concept of acculturation implies the replacement of the original culture by a new one. This is the meaning of the American ‘melting-pot’. This conceptualization was replaced by models of biculturalism (Caetano, Ramisetty-Mikler, Wallisch, McGrath, & Spence, 2008). However Gallo, Penedo, Espinosa de los Monteros and Arguelles (2009) state that acculturation is best described as a normal process between both cultures. This process requires a timeline in various places through the whole migration process.

Acculturation can be defined as “the process of cultural and psychological change that follows when a group of individuals having different cultures comes in contact with a new culture” (Mahmud & Schölmerich, 2011, p. 278). There are three strategies for this adjustment process: foreigners can psychologically adjust their behaviors to the environment, they may change the environment, or they may move to a better environment (Berry, Kim, & Boski, 1988)