Expanding acculturation theory: Are acculturation models and the adaptiveness of acculturation strategies generalizable in a colonial context?

Abstract

Most acculturation research has been conducted in immigrant settings. The present study examined the generalizability of acculturation models and the adaptiveness of acculturation strategies in another bicultural environment — a colonial setting. The sample included 138 girls ( M = 13.8 years) and their parents from Hong Kong, a former British colony. Results verified that both Chinese and western acculturation occurred on individual psychological levels and that the bidimensional model was a suitable acculturation framework. Using hierarchical multiple regression, results suggested that acculturation towards Chinese (majority) culture was related to better adaptation in terms of higher academic achievement and positive family dynamics (parental nurturance and closer family relationships). Acculturation towards western (minority) culture was related to poorer adaptation in terms of engaging in greater misconduct and negative family interactions (larger intergenerational value discrepancies and family conflicts). Thus, acculturation towards the majority culture held adaptive implications, whereas acculturation towards the minority culture held maladaptive implications. Consideration of the bicultural composition (e.g., status, prestige, strength of cultural networks of each culture) should be incorporated into acculturation theory to better understand adjustment implications across a wide range of contexts.

When East Meets West: Understanding the Misconduct of Teenage Girls in Hong Kong

“…An overarching explanation, offered by Cheung-Blunden and Juang [9], is that when these youths become markedly different from their average peer, they become maladaptive to the local environment.…”

“…The original scale measured the level of involvement in American culture and the level of the involvement in Vietnamese culture separately. This scale was adapted to measure colonial residents in Hong Kong by Cheung-Blunden and Juang [9]. There were 21 items tapping into Chinese acculturation and 21 items tapping in Western acculturation, in the domains of food (2 items), entertainment (2 items), travel (2 items), group affiliation (6 items), and attitude towards cultures (9 items).…”

“…Hong Kong, a well known instance of East meets West, may be a case in point. Although previous work has shown that acculturation towards western culture in Hong Kong was related to higher levels of misconduct in youths [9], little is understood about the mechanisms involved. Only when we know how western values alter behavior and family dynamics will we know why misconduct arises and what to do about it.…”

The experience of acculturative stress-related growth from immigrants’ perspectives

“…Lai (2004) also found that differences in cultural values and beliefs were the main predictors of depressive symptoms. Because of adaptation challenges such as the cultural gap and differences, acculturative stress has been negatively associated with a perception of health and psychological well-being among older Asian immigrants (Berry, 1980, 1997; Cheung-Blunden & Juang, 2008). …”

Illness and Healing in Urban Areas in Chile: Between Tradition and Cultural Adaptation

“…However, by recognizing the widespread use of plants as medicine by ethnic communities in urban centers, interesting ethnobotanical studies can also be designed for this environment (Corlett et al, 2003;Zuluaga, 2005;Cheung-Blunden & Juang, 2008).…”