Acculturation encompasses the psychological and cultural changes individuals undergo as they come into contact with new cultures. For instance, an immigrant integrating into a new society may learn the host country’s language and customs, but may leave some elements of culture and heritage.
Psychologist John W. Berry classifies four different forms of acculturation strategies: assimilation, separation, integration, and marginalization. Where assimilation is the complete adoption of the new culture, separation is the complete dismissal of the new culture. Integration is the combination of both cultures, and marginalization is the complete dismissal of both cultures. The acculturation process impacts one’s identity and values which can lead to an alteration of mental health.
Some of the positive outcomes are increased multicultural competence, and some of the negative outcomes may be discrimination, culture shock, or an incongruent, conflicting identity. Psychologists assert that integration, the acceptance of both cultures, has the highest correlation with positive mental health. In the present, acculturation is primarily situated in areas of globalization, migration, and social diversity.