DOCSLIB.ORG

Commentary on Furnham's Culture Shock, Berry's Acculturation Theory

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Commentary on Furnham's Culture Shock, Berry's Acculturation Theory Commentary on Furnham’s Culture Shock, Berry’s Acculturation Theory, and Marsella and Yamada’s Indigenous Psychopathology: Being a Call to Action for Pacific Rim Psychology James H. Liu Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand he three articles in this special edition of the Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology encompass a range Tof approaches within cross-cultural psychology. Adrian Furnham’s (2011) culture shock shows how academic psychology can be applied to, and helps to inform a popular concept. John Berry’s (2011) acculturation theory demonstrates how focused theory and empirical data can align with a national agenda. Anthony J. Marsella and Ann Marie Yamada’s (2011) socioconstructionist critique of main- stream clinical psychology and psychiatric practices illustrate how epistemology and indigenous psychology can challenge institutional practices. They are united in rejecting a culture-blind psychology of the mainstream. They differ by referencing largely separate but nonetheless complementary litera- tures on cultures of relevance to the Pacific Rim region. Taken together, these three articles combine meaningfully to illustrate how Pacific Rim psychology might benefit from having (1) a definition of itself with Hawaii and the Pacific Island Nations as the centre and hub for the broader Pacific Rim that includes East Asia and the Western American seaboard; (2) a focus on action, particularly action research and its cyclical communication process of planning, action, evaluation and feedback; and (3) an interdisciplinary orientation where interconnectedness with such institutions as mass media, govern- ment, and clinical and psychiatric practices, as well as within psychology itself, underpin and inform research practice and policy. Keywords: culture shock, acculturation, psycho-pathology, culture, pacific rim psychology, action research, indigenous psychology Context Yamada (2011) provides a sociocultural constructionist critique of mainstream practices in clinical psychology. The three articles in this special edition of the Journal While taking different approaches, the three are united of Pacific Rim Psychology encompass a range of by a commitment to culture as a subject of social scien- approaches within cross-cultural psychology. The tific analysis. Marsella and Yamada (2011) provide a article by Adrian Furnham (2011) on culture shock definition of culture as ‘shared learned behaviour and shows how academic psychology can be applied to a meanings that are socially transmitted for purposes of popular concept. The second article by John Berry adjustment and adaptation … represented externally in (2011) presents a summary of the author’s eco-cultural artefacts … represented internally by values, attitudes, framework and his integration theory of acculturation. beliefs. … and notions of personhood’ (p. 105). The The third article by Anthony Marsella and Anne Marie focus of this commentary will be to consider some of Address for correspondence: James H. Liu, President-Elect, Asian Association of Social Psychology, Centre for Applied Cross-Cultural Research, School of Psychology, PO Box 600, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. E-mail: [email protected] JOURNAL OF PACIFIC RIM PSYCHOLOGY Volume 5, Issue 2 pp. 75–80 75 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.226, on 01 Oct 2021 at 12:29:51, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S183449090000060X James H. Liu the major points of emphasis developed by the three from the perspective of both educational institutions and authors, analyse where they overlap and where they individuals. Advice follows for such common ailments as depart from one another and provide a forward- homesickness and how educational institutions can help looking statement of what might be some strengths foreign students adapt to problems of crossing cultural and weaknesses of the cross-cultural approach that boundaries. The writing is very accessible and engages may be of utility in developing a cultural psychology with issues at the coalface of education experiences for for the Pacific Rim. international students. It serves as a practically organised and useful guide on how to deal with culture shock. The Adrian Furnham’s Culture Shock practical review provides a useful complement to a more The opening article by Furnham (2011) observes that traditional scholarly presentation in the same area by while the term culture shock ‘may have originated in the Ward (2001); her ABC taxonomy of reactions to accultur- academic literature it very quickly took root in the ation — with A being affect (indexed by such measures as popular imagination. The popular media has been full of subjective wellbeing or lack of depression), B being behav- references to culture shock for 50 years’ (2011, p. 87). iour (culture learning to survive in daily life), and C being Such is the popularity of the term that a Google™ search cognition (including beliefs and social identities) — pro- yielded 97 million hits, with some of top ranked items vides a systematic structuring framework for research in including practical guides for immigration from govern- this area. ment and commercial agencies, sites for international John Berry’s Acculturation Theory and exchange students, a children’s health organisation and a Eco-cultural Framework radio program. Furnham describes six aspects of it (based on Oberg’s classic, 1960, definition), including John Berry’s (2011) approach is different from psychological strain; a sense of loss and feelings of depri- Furnham’s. He has a particular theory and he pushes this vation; being rejected or rejecting; confusion; and theory as hard as possible (for a critique of this, see feelings of surprise, anxiety, indignation, and impotence. Rudmin, 2006). The eco-cultural framework that he pre- Furnham’s book Culture Shock has attracted more than sents is ‘a kind of map that lays out the categories of 700 academic references and is the most cited of this variables that need to be examined in studies seeking to prolific author’s work. This reaffirms what culture-ori- understand human behavioural diversity, both in their ented psychologists already know: in today’s globalising local contexts and comparatively’ (p. 96). The map pro- world, adapting to different cultures is important and vides academics with a system to navigate their research marketable to ordinary people and to organisations in between universalism (‘basic psychological processes are both private and not-for-profit sectors. shared, species common characteristics’ p. 96) and par- Furnham (2011) attributes the concept’s resonance ticularistic behaviours (‘behaviour is considered to be with people and groups to the fact that it provide[s] differentially developed and expressed in response to ‘some theoretical framework through which to under- ecological, socio-political and cultural contexts’ p. 96). stand the phenomenon’, that it ‘include[s] salient Within this framework, literature from many disciplines’ and that it focuses the issue of differences need not be seen as one of deficiency upon ‘practical implications’ (p. 93). With further regard or superiority. Psychological differences can be viewed as cul- turally adaptive expressions of underlying psychological to connectivity, he identifies three further stakeholder universals that are guided by differential social and cultural groups as invested audiences for the work: international contexts … The basic idea is that the more differentiated is a students, migrants and refugees. This is a powerful state- person’s psychological and social life, the better able they are ment and identifies the good reasons for the to engage in intercultural and acculturation processes, and the international standing of his work. more likely they are to have more positive outcomes. (p. 97) The article is richly descriptive about mental health Given that ‘no society is made up of people having one issues. It contains several useful taxonomies about phe- culture, one language, and one identity’, Berry moves on nomena related to culture shock and is full of references to theorise about acculturation, which is defined as ‘the to a wide variety of authors providing numerous recom- process of cultural and psychological change following mendations about how to identify and deal with different contact between cultural groups and their individual aspects of culture shock. Perhaps the most substantial members’ (p. 97) from this eco-cultural frame. section deals with international students’ experiences, Foregrounding the longer-term personal and organisa- where ‘much of this research suggests that many students tional management of culture shock, Berry argues that feel classic alienation especially feelings of powerlessness, across cultures, individuals of different cultural back- meaninglessness, and social estrangement while being grounds need to share some basic psychological features surrounded by the ‘superficial pleasantries’ of their hosts’ (commonalities) to interact with and adapt to one (p. 89). Rich nuggets of wisdom about easing the diffi- another in an accommodative manner, but at the same culty of cross-cultural adjustment abound, providing the time maintain elements of their different heritage cul- reader with a primer on how to manage culture shock tures. At the societal level, he describes two prevailing 76 JOURNAL OF PACIFIC RIM PSYCHOLOGY Downloaded
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Teaching Expatriate Adaptation While Dealing with Reality: the Impact of a Tragedy on the Study-Abroad Experience
    342 Journal of International Students Peer Reviewed Article ISSN: 2162-3104 Print/ ISSN: 2166-3750 Online Volume 4, Issue 4 (2014), pp. 342-350 ©Journal of International Students http://jistudents.org/ Teaching Expatriate Adaptation While Dealing With Reality: The Impact of a Tragedy on the Study-Abroad Experience Kenneth J. Levine, PhD University of Tennessee at Knoxville (USA) Sally L. Levine, MArch Case Western Reserve University (USA) Abstract This paper explores the relevance of the accepted U-shaped models of expatriate adaptation to students engaged in an international educational experience when they are faced with a tragedy. In this study-abroad course, an examination of the existing adaptation models and how they provide a set of expectations for the process of cultural adjustment is presented as course material. During a particular four-week summer program, one of the nineteen students who went abroad died in an accident at the end of the first week. It became clear after the tragedy that the models studied failed to explain the impact of a personal tragedy of this magnitude on the students’ adjustment process. This unfortunate event provided an opportunity to conduct a quasi-experiment to consider the impact of personal tragedy for students to question a body of research through their own personal experience and for scholars to re-examine and update the existing models to incorporate these findings. Keywords: International education; expatriate adaptation; tragedy; U-shaped models _____________________________________________________________________________ According to the 2012 Open Doors survey, 273,996 U.S. students received academic credit for study abroad in 2010/11, a 1.3% increase over the previous year.
    [Show full text]
  • Culture Shock-One of Common Problems in Intercultural Communication
    ISSN 1712-8358[Print] Cross-Cultural Communication ISSN 1923-6700[Online] Vol. 11, No. 8, 2015, pp. 72-75 www.cscanada.net DOI:10.3968/7399 www.cscanada.org Culture Shock-One of Common Problems in Intercultural Communication WANG Mingli[a]* [a]Associate Professor, English Department, North-East Petroleum body language such as messages on hand, face and body University, Daqing, China. movements etc.. All these can create confusion and *Corresponding author. emotional stress, dealing with the differences can be very Received 10 May 2015; accepted 12 July 2015 unsettling from which you may suffer from a feeling of Published online 26 August 2015 anxiety, everyone experiences the symptoms of culture shock somewhat differently, but there are real physical Abstract and psychological impacts to those people who just arrive Communicating successfully with people from different in a new culture. cultures can be a real challenge. Cultural differences may lead to tensions, arguments, and even wars between peoples and nations. This paper deals with one of the most 1. WHAT IS CULTURE SHOCK common problems in intercultural communication- As culture is the guidelines for our behaviors, we depend cultural shock, it introduces its concepts and basic traits, on our cultures. It gives us stability and security because causes and symptoms, stages of adjustment and strategies we know how to understand and respond to what is of overcoming culture shock with the aim of improving happening. However, if we move to another culture or intercultural communication competence for smoothing encounter people from an alien culture, our views may intercultural communication. clash with the different beliefs, norms, values and Key words: Cultural shock; Intercultural traditions that exist in those countries.
    [Show full text]
  • Immigration and Acculturation
    T h i r d E d i t i o n Shuang Liu, Zala VolČiČ & Cindy Gallois INTRODUCING Intercultural Communication • GLOBAL CULTURES AND CONTEXTS • LIU_aw.indd 6 00_LIU ET AL_FM.indd 3 05/06/2018 13:18 10/11/2018 12:50:50 PM 9 Immigration and Acculturation LEARNING OBJECTIVES At the end of this chapter, you should be able to: • Understand immigration as a major contributor to cultural diversity. • Explain culture shock and reverse culture shock. • Critically review acculturation models. • Identify the communication strategies that facilitate cross-cultural adaptation. 09_LIU ET AL_CH-09.indd 213 13/11/2018 4:02:17 PM 214 Introducing Intercultural Communication INTRODUCTION It goes without saying that our society is becoming more culturally and linguistically diverse by the day. An important contributor to cultural diversity is the migration of people. Some undertake voluntary migration and others are forced to do so: immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, businesspeople, international students and so on. Globalization and communication technologies not only redefine the mobility of people in contemporary societies, they also delineate new parameters for interpreting immigration. Historically, immigration referred to the restricted cross-border movements of people, emphasizing the permanent relocation and settlement of usually unskilled, often indentured or contracted labourers who were displaced by political turmoil and thus had little option other than resettlement in a new country. Today, growing affluence and the emergence of a new group of skilled and educated people have fuelled a new global movement of migrants who are in search of better economic opportunities, an enhanced quality of life, greater political freedom and higher expectations.
    [Show full text]
  • The Social and Cultural Contingencies to Class Marginality1
    Sociological Forum, Vol. 29, No. 2, June 2014 DOI: 10.1111/socf.12092 © 2014 Eastern Sociological Society Culture Shock Revisited: The Social and Cultural Contingencies to Class Marginality1 Anthony Abraham Jack2 Existing explanations of class marginality predict similar social experiences for all lower-income undergrad- uates. This article extends this literature by presenting data highlighting the cultural and social contingencies that account for differences in experiences of class marginality. The degree of cultural and social dissimilar- ity between one’s life before and during college helps explain variation in experiences. I contrast the experi- ences of two groups of lower-income, black undergraduates—the Doubly Disadvantaged and Privileged Poor. Although from comparable disadvantaged households and neighborhoods, they travel along divergent paths to college. Unlike the Doubly Disadvantaged, whose precollege experiences are localized, the Privi- leged Poor cross social boundaries for school. In college, the Doubly Disadvantaged report negative interac- tions with peers and professors and adopt isolationist strategies, while the Privileged Poor generally report positive interactions and adopt integrationist strategies. In addition to extending present conceptualizations of class marginality, this study advances our understanding of how and when class and culture matter in stratification processes in college. KEY WORDS: cultural capital; education; marginality; race; sense of belonging; social class. INTRODUCTION Discussing how well she fits in at her elite college, Sarah extols her sense of belonging: “I am infected by privilege.... I fit in based on my qualifications.”3 In con- trast, Nicole paints a portrait of deep isolation: “Can’t relate. No identification with these people.” Elite undergraduate institutions have recently implemented measures to become more economically diverse by recruiting students from disadvantaged back- grounds (Rimer 2007), making socioeconomic diversity a priority for admissions (Karabel 2005; Marx 2004; Stevens 2007; Summers 2004).
    [Show full text]
  • Culture Shock Cover 9/28/10 5:56 PM Page 1
    Culture shock cover 9/28/10 5:56 PM Page 1 This essay is part of a joint Demos and CASE (Culture and ShockCulture | Sport Evidence Programme) fellowship examining the “For cultural policy, the evidence currently available in relation to public participation in culture and sport. It addresses the question: why should the state get involved in culture, and if it should, how? end of public sector At the moment, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is among the smallest of government Samuel Jones departments, both in terms of budget and the importance growth must be seen as attached to it. Cuts will make it smaller still and threaten to hollow out what power and influence it has. However, culture has a bearing on areas of policy far beyond what is currently a starting point for thought of as DCMS’ domain and its importance must be reflected. By distinguishing two concepts – the cultural realm change…” as a basic and inalienable continuum of human life and society, and the forms that provide the manifestations of beliefs and opinions about culture – this pamphlet puts in place a new rationale for government intervention in these areas of social life. CULTURE SHOCK Culture Shock argues that cultural policy must focus on the equitable distribution of individuals’ cultural capabilities, indicating that this will require thinking anew about what Samuel Jones form the structures take, and how they are run. Social, political and economic developments have combined in ways that pose new challenges for policy-makers and the cultural sector alike. This pamphlet describes one way to meet those challenges.
    [Show full text]
  • CHAPTER 12 Acculturation, Culture Shock, Intercultural Competence
    WRLD 302, Chapter 12 Presentaon 1 CHAPTER 12 Acculturation, Culture Shock, Intercultural Competence 2 Intercultural contact • Contact with another culture can happen at home or abroad • Ranges from colonization to tourist industry • In some cases out of religious convictions, economic reasons or geo-political concerns • Reaction to new culture depends on context • Ability to communicate depends on… – Knowledge – Motivation – Skills • Language ability by itself not enough – …but only way to get inside a culture 3 Acculturation • The process whereby you adapt to a new culture by adopting its values, attitudes, and practices • Applies to medium to long range stay, not to tourists • Acculturative stress – The anxiety and stress associated with acculturation – Varies with similarity to home culture, sex, age – Young people not yet acculturated into their native culture – Environment => extent to which host culture is receptive – Individual’s predisposition => how prepared for new culture 4 Modes of Acculturation • Assimilation – The degree to which an individual takes on the behaviors and language of the host culture while relinquishing ties with the native culture (melting pot) • Integration – Development of a kind of bicultural orientation that blends cultural dimensions from both groups while maintaining an identity in each group (multiculturalism) • Separation – Voluntary segregation in ethnic group from dominant culture (Chinatown) 1 • Marginalization – Not accepted into dominant group and not deeply attached to original culture (Native
    [Show full text]
  • Learning Culture Shock" in Multicultural Authentic E-Learning
    University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities January 2013 Dealing with "learning culture shock" in multicultural authentic e-learning Hanna M. Teras University Of Wollongong, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/sspapers Recommended Citation Teras, Hanna M., "Dealing with "learning culture shock" in multicultural authentic e-learning" (2013). Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers. 869. https://ro.uow.edu.au/sspapers/869 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] Dealing with "learning culture shock" in multicultural authentic e-learning Abstract Abstract: With international e-learning becoming increasingly widespread, questions of cultural considerations and accommodating for learners with different cultural backgrounds have become ever more important. This paper discusses the cultural aspects in a fully online, authentic e-learning based professional development program for international teaching faculty. Instead of attempting to customize the learning environment for individual learners, the aim has been to develop an environment that promotes cultural sensitivity, appreciation for diversity and dialogue, based on the principles of authentic e-learning. As this approach differs from traditional teaching and learning methods, it may feel unfamiliar for the students. Therefore the paper concentrates especially on the concept of learning culture shock and examines the factors that may cause it, or on the other hand, help learners deal with it. It also discusses the suitability of authentic e-learning as the design framework for multicultural contexts.
    [Show full text]
  • By Dr. Kalervo Oberg, Anthropologist Health, Welfare and Housing
    TALK GIVEN AT THE WOMEN'S CLUB OF RIO DE JANE mo By Dr . Kalervo Oberg, Anthropologist Health, Welfare and Housing Division, United States Operations Mission to Brazil August 3, 1954 CULTURE SHOCK AND THE PROBLEM OF ADJUSTMENT TO NEW CULTURAL ENVIRONMENTS I would like to make a few remarks about culture shock, a malady which I am sure has afflicted most of us here in varying degree. We might almost call culture shock an occupational disease of people who have been suddenly transplanted abroad. Like most ailrnents it has its own etiology, symptoms, and cure. Culture shock is precipitated by the anxiety that r esults from losing all our familiar signs and symbols of social intercourseo These signs or cues include the thousand and one ways in which we orient ourselves to the situations of daily life: when to shake hands and what to say when we meet people, when and how to give tips, how to give orders to servants$ how to make purchases, when to accept and when to refuse invitations, when to take statements seriously and when not. Now these cues which may be words, ges- tures, facial expressions, customs, or norms are acquired by all of us in the course of growing up and are as much a part of our culture as the lan- guage we speak or the beliefs we accepte All of us depend for our peace of mind and our efficiency on hundreds of these cues, most of which we do not carry on the level of conscious awareness. Now when an individual enters a strange culture, all or most of these familiar cues are removed.
    [Show full text]
  • Culture Shock
    It’s Your World. Get Acquainted. glimpse study abroad acclimation guides SAMPLE Editors Hilary Costa Kerala Goodkin Design Nicholas Fitzhugh PHOTO by Daphne Hollinger PHOTO culture SHOCK CULTURE SHOCK faux pas! hough all the clichés associated with the study abroad experience usually end up being true—“enriching,” he doors in my host family’s apart- “exhilarating,” even “life-changing”—the experience ment have to be closed very gently can also be a difficult one, jarring you from the life- Tor they will rattle the doorframes. Tstyle and norms to which you are accustomed. Of course, culture I constantly forgot this, and one night, shock manifests itself differently in different people, but research I shut the door to my room a little has detected general patterns of emotional highs and lows expe- too hard. I started changing into my rienced by international travelers. These phases vary in duration pajamas, and when I had just gotten completely undressed, my host mom and severity, and are not necessarily linear. walked right in and proceeded to give me a lesson on the finer points of door EUPHORIA – The first few hours, days or weeks abroad are often charac- * closing. I just stood there, totally naked terized by the excitement of sensory overload. Both adrenaline and expec- and absolutely shocked. Nakedness just tations are running high, and everything seems new and intriguing. isn’t such a big deal in Spain, I guess. IRRITABILITY AND HOSTILITY – Once the initial “honeymoon” phase * Jacqui Goldman subsides, dissonances between native and host cultures begin to seem Studied in Spain more pronounced, and a sense of alienation can set in.
    [Show full text]
  • Personality Traits As Indicators of the Development of Intercultural Communication Competence
    Available online at ijci.wcci-international.org IJCI International Journal of International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 12(1) Curriculum and Instruction (2020) 17–32 Personality traits as indicators of the development of intercultural communication competence Guido Ringsa *, Faris Allehyanib a Professor of Postcolonial Studies, Director of the Research Unit for Intercultural and Transcultural Studies (RUITS), Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK b PhD researcher in Intercultural Communication, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK Abstract This paper draws on a PhD thesis that investigates the relationship between personality traits and Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC). This research explores if specific personality traits of international students can enhance the success/failure of ICC development and in how far can specific personality traits influence the ability of international students to communicate effectively in an intercultural context. It presents a case study on 95 international undergraduates studying in Saudi Arabia. Based on the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of Personality, Assessment of Intercultural Competence (AIC) to measure participants’ ICC and the International Personality Item Pool IPIP-NEO-120 to identify their personality traits of Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness and Agreeableness, were administered to explore the relationship between personality traits and ICC. It found that Openness and Conscientiousness had a positive correlation with ICC with while Neuroticism negatively correlated with ICC. It also found no correlation between Extroversion and Agreeableness and the development of ICC. © 2017 IJCI & the Authors. Published by International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction (IJCI). This is an open- access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY-NC-ND) (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
    [Show full text]
  • Adjustment and Culture Shock Map
    Adjustment and Culture Shock Map Introduction - Deciding to study abroad in the United States can be one of the biggest decisions of an international student’s collegiate experience. From the moment a student decides to study abroad, pre-conceived notions as to how the experience will be start to form. These pre-arrival thoughts tend to romanticize a student’s perception of study abroad, their host institution, and the United States in general. While studying in the United States can be an incredibly exciting and transformative experience, it is important to keep in mind that there will be periods of adjustment and cultural differences that can affect an international student’s time in their host country. The International Center hopes to provide helpful information for not simply coping with, but embracing the adjustment period, and recognizing signs of culture shock. Adjusting to Flagler’s Campus - The fact of the matter is that everyone placed in a new environment goes through an adjustment period. This includes international and exchange students studying in the United States. Regardless, of whether you have been to – or even studied in – the United States before, you will experience differences of culture, language, and environment towards the beginning of your time on Flagler’s campus. However, it is important to remember that you have resources on campus that can help you adjust to these cultural differences. One of the major sentiments students experience in a new setting is a feeling of being overwhelmed. From orientation, new roommates, new cultural landscape (both at Flagler and in the United States), a different language, different money system, different transportation systems, different classroom environments, different forms of communication (and that is just the beginning), students have a myriad of influencers competing for their attention.
    [Show full text]
  • 3 Host Conformity Pressure
    EXPLORING THE PHENOMENON OF HOST CONFORMITY PRESSURE Immigrants’ experiences of host conformity pressure in Finland in relation to their acculturation processes Master’s Thesis Mélodine Sommier Intercultural Communication Department of Communication Autumn 2012 University of Jyväskylä UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ Author: Mélodine Sommier Title: EXPLORING THE PHENOMENON OF HOST CONFORMITY PRESSURE Immigrants’ experiences of host conformity pressure in Finland in relation to their acculturation processes Subject: Intercultural Communication Type of work: Master’s Thesis Time (Month/Year): September 2012 Number of pages: 103 + 2 appendices Abstract: The present study investigates the phenomenon of host conformity pressure and its possible consequences on acculturation from immigrants’ perspective. The research is motivated by the discrepancies between results of previous studies on the topic, the relatively small amount of research about immigration in Finland, and the will to examine adaptation issues from an intercultural communication perspective. The study uses different adaptation theories, notably Berry’s (1997) model of acculturative strategies. It also builds on Kim’s (2001) definition of host conformity pressure and Emerson’s (1968) theory of structural power. This research aims at examining (1) what immigrants identify as host conformity pressure, (2) the ways it can affect them, and (3) how they may react to it. Underlying these aims is the intention to identify possible factors for immigrants’ identification of host conformity pressure. Five immigrants living in Finland participated in this qualitative study. In depth theme interviews were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed. Results indicated the existence of host conformity pressure and its absence on both the macro- and micro-levels in 11 different contexts out of which five were related to both phenomena.
    [Show full text]