Tridimensional Acculturation and Adaptation Among Jamaican Adolescent–Mother Dyads in the United States

Abstract

A bidimensional acculturation framework cannot account for multiple destination cultures within contemporary settlement societies. We propose and test a tridimensional model among Jamaican adolescent-mother dyads in the United States compared with Jamaican Islander, European American, African American, and other Black and non-Black U.S. immigrant dyads (473 dyads, M adolescent age = 14 years). Jamaican immigrants evidence tridimensional acculturation, orienting toward Jamaican, African American, and European American cultures. Integration is favored (70%), particularly tricultural integration; moreover, Jamaican and other Black U.S. immigrants are more oriented toward African American than European American culture. Jamaican immigrant youth adapt at least as well as non-immigrant Jamaican and U.S. peers, although assimilated adolescents, particularly first generation, have worse sociocultural adaptation than integrated and separated adolescents.

On the need to broaden the concept of ethnic identity

“…However, there is increasing evidence that this dichotomy cannot describe the identity of groups in culturally highly diverse areas. A recent example of an approach acknowledging this shortage is the tridimensional model of acculturation (Ferguson, Bornstein, & Pottinger, 2012). Caribbean immigrants in the United States deal with three cultures in the acculturation process: they acculturate to the mainstream European American culture, to African American culture, and they maintain their heritage Caribbean culture.…”

Ethnic socialization, ethnic identity, life satisfaction and school achievement of Roma ethnic minority youth

“…Elaborations on the Garcia Coll et al (1996) model are drawn from Ferguson, Bornstein and Pottinger's (2012) tridimensional perspective on cultural alignment among immigrant groups. Postulating beyond the dichotomous views of Berry (1997) emphasizing home v. host cultures and adopting a blended view of cultural alignment across multiple cultures as producing the healthiest outcomes for youth.…”

Cultural Priming as a Tool to Understand Multiculturalism and Culture

“…Priming studies have therefore been instrumental in advancing our definition of culture and multiculturalism in at least two ways. First, cultural priming studies (both I-C priming and CFS) support the notion that different cultural orientations can coexist within one individual (Cheng & Lee, 2009;Chiu & Cheng, 2007;Ferguson et al, 2012). Second, cultural priming studies substantially extend the understanding of culture and highlight its dynamic quality, thereby advocating a more flexible view on culture Morris et al, 2015;.…”

“…More recent conceptualizations propose a multidimensional conceptualization of acculturation (Berry, 1990;Berry & Sam, 1997;La Framboise et al, 1993; for threedimensional acculturation see Ferguson, Bornstein, & Pottinger, 2012). The most prominent model in this regard has been the bidimensional acculturation model by Berry and colleagues (Berry, Poortinga, Segall, & Dasen, 1992).…”