The Acculturation Experience: Attitudes, Identities, and Behaviors of Immigrant Youth

Abstract

This chapter examines the experiences, attitudes, and behaviors of adolescents from immigrant families in diverse societies as they move toward adulthood in the context of two or more cultural frameworks. It presents conceptual and empirical background on the acculturation experience, focusing on what psychologists term intercultural variables, specifically, acculturation attitudes, cultural identities, language proficiency and usage, peer contacts, family relationship values, and perceived discrimination. The chapter presents results from psychologists' study that address the general question: How do immigrant adolescents experience the acculturation process? The results are presented in two ways. The chapter first describes specific acculturation variables, their correlates, and their interrelationships. Second, using a person-oriented approach based on cluster analysis, the chapter identifies profiles of acculturation that reflect individual differences in the way adolescents acculturate. For adolescents in immigrant families, acculturation attitudes are shaped in large part by their families and communities.

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