The Bicultural I: A Social and Cognitive Approach for Understanding the Psychology of Acculturation

This paper investigates the processes and challenges of creating a socially integrated, empowered immigrant identity by exploring the concepts acculturation model. The author examines the psychology of acculturation and the processes for creating a socially integrated bicultural self for immigrants who retain cultural traditions while adapting to new social norms and practices. The complexity of this process embraces principles from both social and cultural psychological paradigms and emphasizes a non-dual approach for creating meaning for a bicultural individual acculturating into a new society. The experience of moving to another town or across the country is stressful. There is discomfort of not knowing neighbors, being a new student at school, having no mental map of the surrounding communities, and wondering if other residents are multiculturally competent. However, what is the psychological process like for immigrants moving to another country, immersing themselves into a new culture, language and sociopolitical ecology? The additional pressures of learning a new language and culture, while possibly dealing with oppression, racism, and marginalization enforced by xenophobic policies can be overwhelming for immigrants without institutional support (Berry, Kim, Minde & Mok, 1987; Solomon, Greenberg & Pyszczynski, 2000). Acculturation is an individual and social experience, and relying on cultural and social psychological perspectives can facilitate a dynamic constructive approach for understanding the cognitive processes involved. Acculturation models will be reviewed and concepts of social integration and frame switching (Hong, Morris, Chiu & Benet-Martinez, 2000) as they apply to the acculturation of immigrants will be explored. While addressing all aspects of acculturation is beyond the scope of this paper, I hope to critically investigate the processes and challenges of creating a socially integrated and empowered immigrant identity.