Consequences of Cultural Conflicts After Immigrating to Book Report

Total Length: 1160 words ( 4 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 1

Page 1 of 4

Consequences of Cultural Conflicts After Immigrating to America

"Each Culture evolves it is own norms-rules for accepted and expected behavior" (Myers, 2010, p.154). The norms that define our culture and occasionally distinguish it from other cultures become ingrained at an early age through an almost unconscious process. The 'cultural wind' mentioned by Myers captures in a catch phrase the ease with which many of us transition through our social lives when we remain rooted in our culture of origin, because the cultural wind, which is made up of these norms, blows with us (2010, p. 154). Myers' suggests that when "… set adrift in a foreign land as a collectivist, you might experience a greater loss of identity" (2010, p. 156). This loss of identity would be a source of stress because the cultural winds would no longer be blowing with use, but against us.

The elements of cultural identity can consist of physical appearance, language, and behavioral norms, but immigrating to a new culture can, with time, erode these differences. What seems to emerge during the acculturation process is what Myers calls "… our shared human nature" (p. 133), which would be expected to depend significantly on our genetic programming. In contrast, the social aspects of culture or ethnicity would depend less on our genetic predispositions and more on environmental influences. For example, Myers (2010) suggests "sex indeed matters, but from a bio-psychosocial perspective, culture and the immediate situation matter, too" when it comes to determining culture-specific gender roles (p. 164). Such influences would be expected to have a formative impact on children growing up in their culture of origin, but be the source of stress after immigrating to a distinct culture.

Stuck Writing Your "Consequences of Cultural Conflicts After Immigrating To" Book Report?



Farver, Bhadha, B.R., & Narang, (2002 ) state that "overall, in most studies gender differences in acculturation have been attributed to the differential socialization of males and females across cultures." This has been a significant source of stress for foreign couples and therefore domestic violence. Farver, Bhadha, B.R., & Narang,(2002) cited in Dasgupta (1998), "Among Asian Indian immigrant families, traditional attitudes toward gender-typed behavior may be intensified by parental concern for the relatively permissive attitudes held towards adolescent girls in Western societies" (p.13). " …As society assigns each of us a gender, the social category of male or female, the inevitable result is our strong gender identity, our sense of being male or female" (Mayer, 2010, p. 165). The stress that distinct gender identity norms place on immigrant adolescents is only one source of concern. The collectivist tendency to be concerned about group identity and harmony can also be a significant source of stress.

Asian-American Immigration

Immigration from Asia to North America has contributed over 20 different ethnic groups and countless distinct dialects (O'Hare & Felt, 1995). By the year 2000 the American Asian population increased to over 10 million, a 48.3% increase during the prior 10-year period (Bhattacharya, 2002). Much of this population settled in urban areas along the West Coast, but even New York City is home to almost 800,000 Asian-Americans. During the same period immigration from India grew by 80.7%, a rate of increase almost double a far more rapid increase than for Chinese (53.4%), Filipinos (27.2%), and Japanese (34.5%) (U.S.Bureau of the Census, 2000). The increase of the Asian Indian Population marks a dramatic shift in U.S. society's cultural composition (p.175)

The Immigrant live.....

Show More ⇣


     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Consequences Of Cultural Conflicts After Immigrating To" (2012, January 29) Retrieved May 13, 2024, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/consequences-cultural-conflicts-immigrating-114900

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Consequences Of Cultural Conflicts After Immigrating To" 29 January 2012. Web.13 May. 2024. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/consequences-cultural-conflicts-immigrating-114900>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Consequences Of Cultural Conflicts After Immigrating To", 29 January 2012, Accessed.13 May. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/consequences-cultural-conflicts-immigrating-114900