Acculturation Strategies

Acculturation is the process of cultural and behavioral change resulting from contact between groups and individuals from different cultural backgrounds. Acculturation strategies refer to the varying pathways people take when adapting to a new or unfamiliar culture. Canadian psychologist John Berry identified four primary acculturation strategies that emerge depending upon the extent to which the acculturating groups/individuals maintain their heritage culture (i.e., high or low heritage culture maintenance) and the extent to which they have contact and participate meaningfully with the host society (i.e., high or low contact participation): assimilation (low-high), integration (high-high), separation (high-low), and marginalization (low-low). Different paths toward acculturation result in different sociopsychological outcomes. This entry provides an overview of acculturation and acculturation strategies, addresses two relevant models of acculturation (Berry's acculturation model and Richard Bourhis and colleagues' interactive acculturation model), considers the role of communication in acculturation, and offers future directions in research.