Successful Acculturation - Essay Sample

Introduction

I never thought I would experience living in a new country. And the few times I contemplated on such possibilities, I conceived it as a unique journey. I was eager to see new buildings, taste new foods, meet different people and so on. However, I was not ready for the challenges of living in another culture. In order to start a new life, I had to learn the way of life in that country. I realized the perception of a country determines how people treat each other. I also learned that migrating and settling into another country is a tedious task that requires patience and resolute determination. As a result, I needed to apply intercultural communication concepts to adapt in the new setting.

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First, I needed to identify myself using the avowal and ascription concepts of identities. Avowal is the aspect of how someone articulates his/her views within a group. It is the process of how someone expresses themselves to others. While ascription refers to how people perceive an individual. I vividly remember wondering about my first encounters when everyone was new to me. Some people took the time to understand me despite language differences, and others helped me to be recognized. I was afraid of never having the chance to make new friends. Consequently, I took the time to present myself and carefully thought through each word and response.

I noticed people generally explained my behavior based on internal factors. The factors people looked at were disposition and personality based on common stereotypes. People were surprised when I asked for directions or assistance. They assumed a middle-aged Caucasian man should know his way around. I identified that most of the people hardly took into account the external factors that influenced my behaviors. The external factors played a central role since I was often concerned with my security.

Self-awareness, cognitive complexity, ethics, empathy, and adaptability were among the key characteristics that helped me communicate competently in a new culture. These skills helped me learn new ways of communicating within the new culture. I learned both verbal and non-verbal cues. I worked on learning the different elements of interpersonal communication and speech communication. I was able to interpret communication as a combination of processes to share and convey information.

I found myself adjusting my communication patterns. I become more critical about the things I spoke about. I minimized my interactions and spent more time observing the actions of others. During the first days, I was caught stranded on multiple occasions. Some people took the time to understand and helped me get understood. Afterward, I considered tiny things and used them to help me adjust. I applied the concepts of communication accommodation theory to demonstrate the extent to which I changed my language (Gallois and Howard 15).

I felt disoriented as a person who had just been exposed to an unfamiliar way of life and set of attitudes. I experienced cultural shock. I realized the feeling was common among people who are in constant transit and people living far away from home. I had difficulties living under the new cultural environment due to the personal disorientation of moving between social environments. The cultural shock helped me learn and develop within a foreign setting.

Most people evaluate other cultures according to the preconceptions held in their customs. I was no exception. I found myself assessing the standards and principles of the new culture based on the culture form my country. The concept is called ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is the source of common divisions among different societal groups (Ting 269). In most cases, a person may hold the view that his/her culture is superior to others. Such perceptions are dangerous and may trigger conflict.

Occasionally, I found myself developing my personality based on my role within the new society. Social identity theory asserts that the groups to which people belong are a vital source of pride and identity. The culture made me feel alienated at first. However, my desire to integrate with the community made me learn critical skills that balanced between personal social identities. The social identity became part of myself that helped me interact freely within society. The interaction developed an understanding of the psychological role within the group.

Out of a large group of people who migrated into this country, only a few end up adapting to the culture. The observation can be explained using the staircase model. The model explains why only a small minority commits to a purpose out of large numbers of people in the society (Ting et al 381). Adjusting in a new community requires intercultural communication skills, resilience, and vast social knowledge. Most of the people lack such skills. While many people either hold on to ethnocentrism or stereotypes. I was aware of these challenges.

Conclusion

In conclusion, my understanding of the process of acculturation helped me adapt to the new culture. I underwent four stages; assimilation, separation, integration, and marginalization. These forms prepared me for social, psychological, and cultural changes. Adjusting to the foreign culture proved to be challenging. I faced stereotypes, cultural illiteracy, separation, and to some extent, I had to show myself in order to integrate within the new culture.

Works Cited

Gallois, Cindy, and Howard Giles. "Communication accommodation theory." The internationalencyclopedia of language and social interaction (2015): 1-18.

Ting-Toomey, Stella, and Leeva C. Chung. Understanding intercultural communication. NewYork: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Ting-Toomey, Stella. "Intercultural conflict training: Theory-practice approaches and researchchallenges." Journal of intercultural communication research 36.3 (2007): 255-271.