Acculturation

Acculturation is most commonly described as adjusting to a new environment or culture. The process of acculturation can happen to anyone who travels, works, or lives in a new place. It includes short-term or long-term experiences in a new environment. Acculturation encompasses the psychological, social, and physiological aspects of adaptation to a culture. To acculturate, one must observe the new culture to learn patterns of behavior. Then an individual can modify one’s own behavior to “fit” in the new environment. Not everyone acculturates the same, and sometimes not at all, causing acculturative stress. This stress mentally affects individuals who are unable to adjust to the new environment. Changes from the home culture and host culture vary, but are part of the acculturation process. This includes food, clothing, social behaviors, communication styles, and more. Socialization and learning the way individuals interact with one another in the host environment is a part of acculturation. Understanding the acculturation process is important for communication studies researchers, whether they are specifically studying the assimilation effect or simply have subjects within their group of respondents undergoing acculturation. In the remainder of this entry, various processes, timing, and examples of acculturation, including reentry, are examined, as are forms of assistance in the assimilation process.