ACCULTURATION

ACCULTURATION
• People do not want to abandon their past;
therefore they acculturate new ideas into their
existing culture.
• Acculturation is the process of adjusting and
adapting to a new and different culture
(Hazuda, Stern, & Hoffner, 1988).
• 4 stages of Acculturation are-
Assimilation
Separation
Integration and
Marginalization
 Stages of Acculturation
• Assimilation – Assimilation occurs when individuals reject
their minority culture and adopt the cultural norms of the
dominant or host culture.

• Separation – Separation occurs when individuals reject the

dominant or host culture in favor of preserving their culture of
origin.
• Integration – Integration occurs when individuals are
able to adopt the cultural norms of the dominant or host
culture while maintaining their culture of origin.
Integration leads to, and is often synonymous with
biculturalism.

• Marginalization – Marginalization occurs when

individuals reject both their culture of origin and the
dominant host culture.

Barriers occur when people are unable to accept the

differences in culture. (example: glass ceiling)
 What is Culture shock???
• Psychological disorientation : physical and emotional discomfort
• Experienced by people who suddenly find themselves living and
working in radically different cultural environments.
• one suffers when living in another country.
• Most likely everyone will go through some degree of culture shock.
• It is a natural process.
 Symptoms of Culture Shock
• Homesickness
• Boredom
• Withdrawal (or mixing only with people from
one’s own culture)
• Sleeping too much
• Feeling irritated with others
• Not being able to work well
• Lack of confidence
• Sadness and loneliness
• Crying for no particular reason

Adapted from Culture Shock, Oxford Seminars

 Stages of Culture Shock
• 1. The Honeymoon Stage: Everything is new and exciting and one
feels as though one is on vacation.

• 2. The Irritation and Hostility Stage: One may start to have

difficulties adjusting and therefore start to criticize the culture. This
may happen when a person is trying to adapt to a new culture.
Things are no longer new and exciting.

• 3. The Depression Stage: Negative feelings reach a climax and

one feels lonely and negative. Boredom sets in and working full-time
becomes very difficult. One doesn’t want to be involved in the
community. The transition between old methods and new ones can
take time.

• 4. The Acceptance Stage: One realizes the good and the bad
about the culture. One starts to become more comfortable and
makes friends as the understanding of the new culture begins.

• The stages present themselves at different times and everyone

reacts differently to them. Some stages will be longer than others.
 10 Tips for Better Communication

• 1. Use both verbal and nonverbal communication.

• 2. Cultivate patience and listen attentively.
• 3. Show interest in learning about other cultures.
• 4. Avoid stereotypes.
• 5. Check what you think you heard.
• 6. Accept silence.
• 7. Do not make quick judgments.
• 8. Ask open ended questions.
• 9. Speak slowly in plain English.
• 10. Do not ask too many questions.
 Cultural change is a result of diffusion

• Diffusion – as contact occurs between different

cultures, diffusion takes place. Diffusion is the
process by which the two cultures learn and
adapt materials and adopt practices from each
other.( However, not indiscriminately….eg.
Swine husbandry; polyandry etc.)

• Successful international marketing requires

an intimate knowledge of the cultures found
in foreign markets to determine if, how, and
to what extent specific products are likely to
be accepted by these foreign countries.
 When does diffusion takes place?
• Relative advantage-the extent to which an innovation is
thought to be superior to whatever it replaces.
• Compatibility- how far the innovation is congruous with
the existing cultural values , attitude, behavior patterns
and material objects.
• Complexity- the ease with which an innovation can be
understood and utilized.
• Trial-ability- the degree to which an innovation can be
tested on a limited basis.
• Observability- the extent to which people in a society
can see the positive benefits of the innovation.
 Process of developing corporate
culture
• Identifying common beliefs among
employees.
• Gaining consensus
• Documenting the essential features.
• Making the culture visible to employees on
a regular basis
• Providing explicit training in the corporate
culture for new employees.