Acculturation strategies
IB PsychologyΒ· Human relationshipsΒ· 11 min read
1. Core concept
Acculturation is the psychological and behavioural change that happens when people from one culture have sustained contact with another. Berry's model describes four strategies, defined by whether a person keeps their heritage culture and whether they take on the new one: integration (both), assimilation (new only), separation (heritage only) and marginalisation (neither). Which strategy someone uses is linked to their identity, stress and behaviour. Modern media means this change can even happen 'remotely', without anyone migrating.
2. Key studies
IB Psychology answers must be supported by named studies. Learn these to cite as evidence:
Ferguson, Ferguson, and Ferguson (2015)
Urban Zambian adolescents showed remote acculturation, adopting influences from several foreign cultures (UK, USA, South Africa) and splitting into distinct 'Westernized Multicultural Zambians' and 'Traditional Zambians' groups. β Shows acculturation produces measurably different cultural-behavioural groups even without migration β media-driven 'remote' acculturation extends Berry's model.
3. Evaluation (AO3)
Strength β explanatory and applied β The model explains immigrant and refugee adjustment and links strategy to wellbeing (integration is generally associated with the best outcomes), and it extends to media-driven change (Ferguson).
Limitation β measurement & oversimplification β The four strategies are ideal types measured mostly by self-report, and the same person can use different strategies in different settings (e.g. heritage culture at home, new culture at school), so a single label oversimplifies.
4. Scope
5. Common Pitfalls
Wrong move:
Acculturation just means immigrants assimilating β becoming like the majority culture.
Why:
A frequently penalised misconception in IB Psychology exams.
Correct move:
Assimilation is only one of four strategies (with integration, separation, marginalisation); acculturation is two-way change, and it is different from enculturation (learning your own first culture).
Going deeper
- Models of acculturationthe base acculturation models (applied to immigrants/refugees) are Sociocultural approach SOC_8.
- Enculturationenculturation β learning one's own first culture β is the contrast concept (SOC_6).