Impact of the Group of Co-migrants on Strategies of Acculturation: Towards an Expansion of the Berry Model

Abstract

This article proposes expanding Berry's theory of acculturation strategies into a three-fold model to be applied to the case of acculturation among migrants. The expanded model includes the community of co-migrants as a distinct referent. It addresses the dynamic and multi-directional relationship between the three referents and the individual migrant, which all interact to create the experience of acculturation among migrants.An expanded typology is presented representing positive or negative attitudes toward each referent. The typology delineates eight possible strategies of acculturation among migrants, namely positive attitudes towards all three referents, negative attitudes towards all three, and the six possible variations between these extremes. Though not previously conceptualized and formalized, examples of all eight strategies were found in the existing literature. Some examples are cited, supporting the assertion that in the socio-psychological phenomenon of acculturation among migrants, the community of co-migrants plays a role which may be differentiated from the home culture and the host culture referents of the Berry model. The model provides a structure for exploring expression of these acculturation strategies among various sub-groups within a community of co-migrants.The current article is essentially a hypothesis paper, citing support for each of the proposed strategies of acculturation from published empirical studies carried out among a wide variety of migrant populations. A preliminary testing of the typology (Taieb, 2008) found that the cultures of the home, host and co-migrant communities do play distinct roles in the

Advancing Understanding of Acculturation for Adolescents of Asian Immigrants: Person-Oriented Analysis of Acculturation Strategy Among Korean American Youth

“…Unlike Asian immigrant parents, the majority of whom migrated with limited English and cultural understanding, Asian adolescents in the United States are predominantly U.S.–born or immigrated at a young age, and thus face a different set of challenges than their parents. Therefore, it is unclear whether existing knowledge, such as Berry’s model, accurately represents the experience of this second generation (Cohen, 2010) and can adequately guide intervention and policy efforts.…”

“…In the last two decades, Berry’s model has been widely used, tested (e.g., Montreuil & Bourhis, 2004; Pham & Harris, 2001), and expanded. Cohen (2010), for example, added a third component, affiliation with co-ethnic migrants, and generated eight possible strategies.…”

Determinants of Migrant Career Success: A Study of Recent Skilled Migrants in Australia

“…According to Berry, successful integration requires acceptance of the host country's culture by the migrant, as well as acceptance of the migrant by host country nationals (i.e., pluralism/integration). Other forms of interaction, including assimilation (abandoning one's culture), marginalization (retention of one's culture but failure to adopt the host country culture) and separation (isolation from one's own and host country cultures) engender less positive career outcomes (Berry and Sabatier, ; Cohen, ). Drawing on this research and recent studies highlighting the importance of perceptions of acceptance in predicting migrant workers’ job satisfaction (Lu et al., ) and career mobility (Maynard et al., ; Samnani et al., ), we posit that perceptions of inclusion in the workplace will be positively associated with migrant workers’ reports of satisfaction and success in their careers.…”

Impact of mobile phone on the acculturation of South Asian migrant workers in Singapore

“…Likewise, mobile phones, with their widespread diffusion among low-skilled migrants, can potentially act as channels to bridge the divides between migrants and the host society. For example, co-ethnic migrant networks in host countries have increased manifold with the widespread diffusion of mobile phones, with beneficial outcomes like enhancement in social capital and information sharing among migrants, but also with negative consequences like ghettoization and their low engagement with the host society (Cohen, 2011;Ryan, Sales, Tilki, & Siara, 2008). Scholars also acknowledge that the relationship between acculturation and adaptation outcomes is far from being total and direct and varies with cultures (Jurcik, Ahmed, Yakobov, Solopieieva-Jurcikova, & Ryder, 2013).…”

“…Users, in the process of using a technology, reflect on their experiences, share them with others, while seeking information and advice from different sources. New migrants perceive earlier migrants as opinion leaders on the host society (Cohen, 2011), further influencing their mobile phone adoption and usage decisions. Meta-communication includes advertisements and news related to mobile services, but also interpersonal exchanges between users and non-users related to mobile devices and services (de Souza e Silva, Sutko, Salis, & de Souza e Silva, 2011).…”