Identity Change &
Intercultural Adaptation
INTERCULTURAL
ADAPTATION
ANTECEDENT FACTORS: ROLES AS VISITORS, SOJOURNERS, REFUGEES,
OR IMMIGRANTS
Definition
The intercultural adaptation process is defined as the degree
of change that occurs when individuals move from a familiar
environment to an unfamiliar one.
REFUGEES/
VISITORS SOJOURNERS
IMMIGRANTS
Span of stay Short Medium Long
Intention Voluntary (In)voluntary
Term Adjustment Acculturation
Political, Religious,
Study abroad
Reason Travel Economic
Work
Oppression
System-Level factor
Antecedent
Factors Individual-Level factor
Interpersonal-Level
factor
System-Level
factor
Socio-economic conditions
• The massive economic development of Malaysia that began after the
implementation of the New Economy Policy (NEP) in the 1970s provided wide
opportunities for employment for local and foreign workers (Chin, 2003).
Host’s culture members appear to be more tolerant and hospitable
toward newcomers.
• Estimated 12 million illegal immigrants from Mexico in California became the
scapegoats for scarce jobs and promotion opportunities, as well as for social
crimes and for the host members’ poor living conditions during the Great
Recession in the U.S. from the end of 2007 to the mid-2009.
System-Level
factor
Multicultural Stance & Policies
The cultural assimilationist stance demands The cultural pluralist stance
high conformity in adapting to the host encourages a diversity of values.
environment. • Are given more leeway to acquire the
• Are expected to conform quickly to the local fund of knowledge and skills needed
cultural practices. in adapting to the new culture.
• Societies tend to be intolerant of newcomers' • Societies often display more tolerant
retention of traditions and customs of their attitudes and acceptance toward
own heritage. immigrants' ethnic traditions and
Example practices.
• The Britain: requirements regarding English
language competency.
• France: banning French Muslim women from
wearing “niqab.”
System-Level
factor
Degree of Institutional Support
Schools, place of work, social services, and mass media
• Whether the attitudes of local children in the classroom are favorable or
unfavorable can also produce a pleasant or hostile climate for these
immigrant children during their vulnerable adaptive stages.
Example
Indian government established separate Tibetan communities and schools that
facilitated the adaptation process of the Tibetan refugees and preservation of
their cultural heritage.
System-Level
factor
In-group/Out-group Definitions
• How members of the host culture perceive strangers greatly influence their
attitudes and behaviors.
Viewed as intruders: likely to be hostile to them, display sentiments toward
them.
• Some cultures make greater distinctions between insiders and outsiders,
they often need help and coaching to learn the inner working of a culture.
Example
• In the U.S., permanent residents are officially issued a card identifying
them as “Resident Aliens.”
• The third-generation Asian Americans are treated as outsiders
(in America).
System-Level
factor
Degree of Cultural Distance
• Definition: Refer to the degree of psychological adjustment that is needed
to bridge the dissimilarities between the culture of origin and the culture of
entry.
• Cultural dimensions: differences in political, economic, social class,
religious systems, as well as cultural values distinctions, self-conceptions
variations, language, communication styles discrepancies.
Individual-Level
factor
Newcomers’ Motivation
Sojourner Immigrants
self-contained, instrumental
Social status
goal is clear and specific.
Opportunity for cross- Opportunity for better chances
Reasons for staying cultural or personal growth for jobs, education, life’s
experiences. quality.
Individual-Level
factor
Individual Expectations
Accuracy-based
Realistic Positive Expectation
Expectation
Better prepared Ease adaptation stress.
psychologically to deal with
actual adaptation problems.
Individual-Level
factor
Cultural Knowledge
Cultural Knowledge Interaction-based Knowledge
Information on cultural and ethnic Language, verbal and non-verbal styles,
diversity history, geography, diversity-related communication issues,
political and economic systems, problem-solving, and decision-making styles.
religious…
- Language Competence has a strong impacts on
sociocultural adaptation.
Individual-Level
factor
Personality Attributes
• Positive psychological functions:
- High tolerance for ambiguity.
- Interal locus of control.
- Personal flexibility and openness.
• Youngsters have an easier time of adapting to the new culture but
easily suffer from stress and confusion in reentry culture shock stage.
• People with high level education tend to adapt more effectively.
Interpersonal-
Level factor
Contact Network Support
• Affective resources: the exchange of identity support and relational empathic
messages (it must be difficult for you, especially without your parents and friends
here.)
• Instrumental resources: task-related goal support, practical assistance (offering
rides), and tangible resource exchange (finding jobs, providing assistance such as
helping someone to move).
• Informational resources: sharing knowledge and keeping the other person
informed of important news.
Interpersonal-
Ethnic Media Level factor
• Immigrants tend to reach out for ethnic newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV =>
ease the loneliness, and adaptive stress.
Saigon TV, Vietbao Daily, radio and multimedia stores.
• Host media (radio, TV) provides a safe environment for newcomers to learn the
host language and socialization skills.
=> the mass media's influence on newcomers' adaptation process is broad but not
deep. The influence of personal relationship networks, in comparison, is deep but not
broad.
Interpersonal-
Level factor
Adaptive Interpersonal Skills
Critical skills for business people working abroad:
+ maintenance of psychological well-being
+ appropriate awareness of host values and attitudes
+ interpersonal interactions with the host nationals.
Abilities for intercultural skills:
+ manage psychological stress
+ communicate effectively
+ establish meaningful interpersonal relationships
2.
THE IDENTITY
CHANGE PROCESS
Presenter: Khanh Linh
What is Culture shock?
Is the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an
unfamiliar way of life due to immigration or a visit to a new country, a
move between social environments, or simply travel to another type of
life.
Symptoms
Anxiety Homesickness
Depression
Boredom
Self-doubt
Fatigue
Insufficiency
Physical Ailments
HONEYMOON PERIOD|TOURIST STAGE
Honeymoon
Period
Everything is exciting and new
The new culture is ideal [is much
better than your culture]
Everything is quite positive
CULTURE SHOCK PERIOD
All the little problems and frustrations appear
much bigger.
You feel confused and lonely
If you find someone from your own culture, you
may become dependent on them.
You will make stereotypes of the people.
Culture Shock
You miss your own culture and country.
This is the most critical stage and it is possible
try to go back home, it is a stage too hard.
RECOVERY STAGE
You eventually learn to deal with the differences.
You will try to integrate the new culture with your
own beliefs.
You begin to learn the language and make more
friends.
You have the occasional crisis but you develop a
positive attitude towards it.
This period can be slow.
Recovery
o
It is always possible to go back a
stage into Shock again.
ADJUSTMENT STAGE
You can now live with the new culture.
Your behavior is stable.
Adjustment
Although it is difficult to be completely
Stage assimilated, you have got important personal
changes and growth in order to be able to
integrate into the new culture.
You have developed a bicultural identity.
Example
The story begins when King Henry VIII sends
Gilbert Giles as the delegation of England to
compete in the chess tournament. Giles is
accompanied
While enteringbythefive
cityother people including
of Istanbul, young
young Elizabeth
Elizabeth
who raisedandinherwestern
remarkable teacher
culture hasRoger Ascham.
difficulties to
accept new culture which is eastern culture that
influence by Islamic power at that time. This
powerful Islamic empire has strong culture that later
influence queen Elizabeth point of view. The binary
opposition cultures
She experienced between
all stages western shock
of culture and eastern
which
culture causes some
are Honeymoon stageinteractions thatCulture
(Excitement), shows shock
queen
Elizabeth experience culture
stage (Depression), Recoveryshock.
stage (Learning
process) and Adjustment stage (Accepting).
Honeymoon Stage
“I imagine that I travelled with a permanent expression of wonder on my face everyday of our
journey brought new sights, new peoples, new cultures.” (Reilly, 2013, p38)
-> Young Elizabeth shows her excitement about traveling to new country
-> Positive attitude toward new culture
“I felt like I was walking into a fabulous and exotic world.
England, with its grey skies, muddy streets, feuding dukes and
disputed successions, seemed completely and wholly backward
compared to this.” (Reilly, 2013, p76)
-> Soon after arriving to Turks land, Elizabeth’s attitude still
remains the same - positive and excited about the land.
Culture shock Stage
“Sign in the local language were everywhere. I had always
considered myself rather adapt at the acquisition of foreign tongues
but the language of the Turks in Constantinople baffled me. Not
only was it a strange guttural form of speech but it was also written
in a script that was entirely unlike the Roman script I was used to in
England. Rather, it was series of curves, slashes and dots that made
no apparent sense whatsoever. My teacher told me that while the
=> Negative
script attitude
was Arabic, theis language
shown byityoung Elizabeth
conveyed when she
was actually has
Turkish,
difficult time
confusing to communicate
me even with 2013,
further.” (Reilly, peoplep84)
from the host country.
-> cannot understand the language of host
country.
-> start to feel strange to live in the host
country
Recovery Stage
“The events in the slaughter room and the visit to the brothel had shaken me. I wasn’t
sure what to make of them. On the one hand, I most certainly didn’t like to see such
things. But then, on the other, I didn’t want to be a naive king’s daughter who knew
nothing on the real. That world might be unpleasant, it might even be dangerous, but it
was real, and I found myself wanting to know about it, no matter how terrible its secrets
might be.” (Reilly, 2013, p198-199)
-> young Elizabeth having a bad time when she accidentally comes to slaughter
room and brothel.
-> That accident, scare and motivate her at the same time. She has an eager and
motivation to learn more about people in the host country. Her curiosity and
tendency to collect interesting experiences and impressions is higher.
=> still have difficulties to face a new culture - but not show negative attitudes to
people - tend to be more calm to face host culture - take the difficulties as a part of
the journey and as learning process.
Adjustment Stage
“Although I would never have admitted it to my teacher, I must confess that he was
right: travel was the finest form of education and I was experiencing a tremendous
thrill from our journey. Traveling abroad, and so very far from England had shown
me how cloistered my life back home was.” (Reilly, 2013, p62-63).
-> slowly accept the new culture and slowly learn about the culture
of host country.
-> avoid all negative attitude that she shows during crisis stage.
Entry to host culture Entry to home culture
Minority and Immigrants’
Identity Change Models
1. The Process of
Acculturation
2. Ethnic–Racial Identity
Change Process
1. THE PROCESS OF ACCULTURATION
Acculturation is the degree identity change that occurs when an individual
moves from a familiar environment to an unfamiliar one from a long-term
perspective.
Ex : Indonesian as immigrant in Canada
Acculturation is a multidimensional multifaceted process that involves both
systems- level and individual level change processes.
A. Cultural–Ethnic
2. Identity Typological
ETHNIC–
RACIAL
Model
IDENTITY
CHANGE B. Racial–Ethnic
PROCESS Identity Development
Model
• Ethnic identity - enduring aspect of self
that includes:
sense of membership in ethnic group
attitudes and feelings related to
ETHNIC membership
IDENTITY • During adolescence and emerging
adulthood ethnic minority individuals
consciously confront their ethnic identity
• Many ethnic minority individuals have a
bicultural identity
A. Cultural–Ethnic Identity Typological
Model
Ethnic/cultural identity salience
can be viewed as a fourfold model
that emphasized an individual’s
orientation toward issues of ethnic
identity maintenance and larger
cultural identity maintenance.
CULTURAL–ETHNIC IDENTITY
TYPOLOGICAL MODEL
1. Ethnic-oriented
identity or Identifies strongly with ethnic traditions and values, identifies
traditional option:
weakly with dominant culture’s values.
2. Assimilated
Identifies weakly with ethnic traditions and values; identifies
identity:
strongly with larger culture’s values, norms.
3. Bicultural
identity or Identifies strongly with ethnic traditions and also with the
integrative option:
values and practices of larger society.
4. Marginal
identity state: Disconnected ties with both ethnic group and larger society,
often experiences alienation, invisibility.
B. Racial–
Ethnic
Identity
Developmen
t Model
Helms’ model of ethnic identity development:
1. Stage 1 - pre-encounter (high cultural identity salience phase) - ethnic minority
group members ' self concepts are influenced by the values and norms of the larger
culture
2. Stage 2 - encounter (the marginal identity phase) - realize they will never belong to
mainstream
3. Stage 3 - immersion/emersion (the strong racial/ethnic identity salience phase) -
when individuals withdraw to the safe confines of their own racial/ethnic groups and
become ethnically conscious.
4. Stage 4 - internalization/commitment (individuals develop a secure racial/ethnic
identity that is internally defined and at the same time are able to establish genuine
interpersonal contacts with members of the dominant group)
EFFECTIVE OUTCOMES
EFFECTIVE OUTCOMES
• This section is developed in two parts:
The costs and rewards of system– and interpersonal-level change
The costs and rewards of immigrants’ adaptive outcomes
System-Level &
Interpersonal-Level Outcomes
• Workforce 2020 report (Judy & Amico, 1997):
- In the 1980s:
+ new immigrants: ¼ ( in the U.S workforce)
- In the 1990s:
+ new immigrants: ½ ( in the U.S workforce)
• 500,000 legal immigrants + 250,000 illegal entrants are added to
the U.S workforce each year.
System-Level &
Interpersonal-Level Outcomes
• Computer and engineering service industries in the U.S:
+ Skilled and highly educated immigrants play a vital role
• According to Judy & Amico(1997):
+ the payroll of leading IT companies ( Intel, Microsoft) include many
highly skilled, foreign-born employees.
In their absence it would be difficult for America to regain its global lead in IT
Many U.S immigrants have contributed positively to the social and economic
development of the nation
System-Level &
Interpersonal-Level Outcomes
• Inattention to diversity issues can lead to:
Low morale due to culture clash
High absenteeism due to psychic stress
Substantial dollars that must be spent due to high employee turnover
Much time wasted due to miscommunication between diverse
employees
The enormous waste of personal energy and creativity expended in active
resistance to inevitable change
(Loden & Rosener, 1991, p.12)
System-Level &
Interpersonal-Level Outcomes
The long – term advantages of managing diversity effectively at the system or
organizational level:
Full utilization of the organization’s human capital
Increased knowledge and enhanced mutual respect among diverse employees
Increased commitment among diverse employees at all organizational levels
and across all functions
Greater innovation and flexibility as participate more fully in problem-solving
groups
Improved productivity as more employee effort is directed at achieving the
system’s missions and goals and less energy is wasted with culture clash
issues
Personal Identity Change Outcomes
• Systems-level and interpersonal-level factor are consistently hostile:
- Newcomers:
+ lose motivation to pursue adaptive tasks + socioemotional goals
+ mental & physical health is affected
Confusion & identity loss
Personal Identity Change Outcomes
• Systems-level and interpersonal-level factor are consistently hostile:
- Newcomers:
+ lose motivation to pursue adaptive tasks + socioemotional goals
+ mental & physical health is affected
Confusion & identity loss
Personal Identity Change Outcomes
• In such situations:
- Friends & networks: provide them with timely identity support
- Institution: might well convey more attention and empathy to buffer the
psychological stressors
- New arrivals:
+ put themselves into situations in which they can maintain some
degree of success & self-esteem.
+ learn to ask for help when things become too overwhelming and
exhausting in the new culture
Personal Identity Change Outcomes
• Furthermore,
- New arrivals: realize that their sense of “identity in betweeness” may
stay with them for a long while
- Their sense of rootlessness may provide them with the advantage off
seeing ideas and practices in their adopted homeland with great clarity.
- Their sense of developmental rootedness may propel many immigrants
and immigrant children to be more committed t social change and
correcting social; injustice in their adopted society
Personal Identity Change Outcomes
• Some sojourners and immigrants may arrive at a stage of utilizing a “third
culture perspective” ( Gudykunst, Wiseman & Hammer, 1977) in viewing the
pros & cons of their culture of origin and new culture.
• Such a perspective enables an individual to integrate the best practices and
approaches of the two cultures and work out the task and relational issues
synergistically and creatively.
Personal Identity Change Outcomes
• Alternatively, J. Bennett (1993) terms some of these individuals
“constructive marginal, “ meaning that they are inclined to interpret and
evaluate behavior from a variety of cultural frames of reference and
engage in “contextual evaluation” of people’s dissimilar actions
• They tend to take responsibilities for generating synergistic solutions
and help to evaluate alternative outcomes.
Personal Identity Change Outcomes
• In sum, to be a resourceful communicator in a new culture, individuals have to:
Constantly walk a narrow path while balancing different identity acts
Forgo stability in order to regain stability
Risk losing trust in order to regain trust
Be willing to “become” an anonymity in the unknown territory in
order to “be” a full – fledged, recognized member of the new culture.
Personal Identity Change Outcomes
While some travelers view the journey as difficult and hazardous, others
take advantage of traversing the hills and valleys along the way as part of a
long – term learning process.
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Here are some recommendations for managing newcomers’ culture shock
effectively:
RECOMMENDATIONS
RECOMMENDATIONS
3. Sojourners and immigrants should realize that part of the culture
stress is due to their sense of acute disorientation which respect to
unfamiliar norms and scripts in the new culture.
Making an effort to establish contacts with member of the host culture and learning
to communicate local knowledge & feelings of vulnerability
RECOMMENDATIONS
4. Culture shock is induced partly by an intense feeling of incompetence.
By seeking out positive role models or mentors, newcomers may be able to find reliable and
competent cultural translators in easing the initial and developmental phases of their adaptation
RECOMMENDATIONS
5.
• Realizing culture shock is a transitional affective phase of stress
Hang onto a resilient sense of humor & emphasize the positive aspects of
the environment
Do not engage in prolonged concentration on its negative aspects
• Realizing that these “growing pains” long-term personal and
professional growth and development
RECOMMENDATIONS
6. Addressing the sense of insecurity and vulnerability.
The more competent newcomers are at managing their identity
threat level, the more they are able to induce effective adaptation
outcomes.
RECOMMENDATIONS
6. Defusing their identity threats by:
Working on their tolerance for
Increasing motivations to learn
ambiguity and other flexible personal
about the new cultures attributes
Keep expectations realistic & their
Developing strong and weak ties to
familiarity concerning the diverse manage identity stress and loneliness
facets of the new culture
Their linguistic fluency and learning Using a wide range of mass media to
why, how and under what situations understand the symbolic complexity of
certain phrases or appropriate gestures the host culture
Being mindful of their interpersonal
Understanding the core cultural behaviors and suspend snap evaluations
values linked to specific behaviors of the host or newly adopted culture
