Comm 330 Ch 8

Front 1

assimilation

Back 1

A type of cultural adaptation in which an individual gives up his or her own cultural heritage and adopts the mainstream cultural identity. (See cultural adaptation.)

Front 2

cultural adaptation

Back 2

A process by which individuals learn the rules and customs of new cultural contexts.

Front 3

culture shock

Back 3

A relatively short-term feeling of disorientation and discomfort due to the lack of familiar cues in the environment.

Front 4

explanatory uncertainty

Back 4

In the process of cultural adaptation, uncertainty that stems from the inability to explain why people behave as they do. (See cultural adaptation.)

Front 5

fight approach

Back 5

A trial-and-error approach to coping with a new situation. (Compare with flight approach.)

Front 6

flight approach

Back 6

A strategy to cope with a new situation, being hesitant or withdrawn from the new environment. (Compare with fight approach.)

Front 7

functional fitness

Back 7

The ability to function in daily life in many different contexts.

Front 8

immigrants

Back 8

People who come to a new country, region, or environment to settle more or less permanently. (Compare with sojourners.)

Front 9

integration

Back 9

A type of cultural adaptation in which individuals maintain both their original culture and their daily interactions with other groups. (See also cultural adaptation.)

Front 10

intercultural identity

Back 10

Identity based on two or more cultural frames of reference.

Front 11

long-term refugees

Back 11

People who are forced to relocate permanently because of war, famine, and oppression.

Front 12

migrant

Back 12

An individual who leaves the primary cultural context in which he or she was raised and moves to a new cultural context for an extended time. (See also immigrant and sojourner.)

Front 13

multicultural identity

Back 13

A sense of in-betweenness that develops as a result of frequent or multiple cultural border crossings.

Front 14

predictive uncertainty

Back 14

A sense of uncertainty that stems from the inability to predict what someone will say or do.

Front 15

psychological health

Back 15

The state of being emotionally comfortable in a cultural context.

Front 16

segregation

Back 16

The policy or practice of compelling groups to live apart from each other.

Front 17

separation

Back 17

A type of cultural adaptation in which an individual retains his or her original culture while interacting minimally with other groups. Separation may be voluntary, or it may be initiated and enforced by the dominant society, in which case it becomes segregation.

Front 18

short-term refugees

Back 18

People who were forced for a short time to move from their region or country.

Front 19

sojourners

Back 19

People who move into new cultural contexts for a limited period of time and for a specific purpose, such as for study or business.

Front 20

transnationalism

Back 20

The activity of migrating across the borders of one or more nation-states.

Front 21

U-curve theory

Back 21

A theory of cultural adaptation positing that migrants go through fairly predictable phases—excitement/anticipation, shock/disorientation, adaptation—in adapting to a new cultural situation.

Front 22

uncertainty reduction

Back 22

The process of lessening uncertainty in adapting to a new culture by seeking information.

Front 23

W-curve theory

Back 23

A theory of cultural adaptation that suggests that sojourners experience another U-curve upon returning home. (See U-curve theory and sojourners.)

Front 24

liminality

Back 24

the experience of being between two or more cultural positions

Front 25

phenomenological approach

Back 25

research approach that seeks in-depth explainations of human experiences

Front 26

social support

Back 26

ties with other people that play a significant part in mediating psychological health over time