Symbolic Interactionism Theory And Acculturation Theory

Family theories are a fundamental part of this course and symbolical interactionism theory and acculturation theory are two of many theories covered thus far. Symbolic interactionism covers concepts such as the development of self, identity, and roles. Acculturation theory elaborates on topics such as impact of migration, acculturative stress, and cultural brokering.

Symbolic interactionism theory is one of many theories studied in this course that explains how individuals learn about the rules in society through their interactions with other people. People are understood through their interactions with others and their interpretations of what these interactions mean to them. The development of self is a key concept in this theory that includes …show more content…
This happens through migration and inflicts changes such as physical, economic, cultural or psychological change to the family or individual. The impact of migration on the individual leads to a loss of social status, connections and a sometimes a deterioration of psychological health. It also impacts families in that it affects the power differences between family members and differences in communication involving their native language and the new language. Children in these families may feel as if they have more power over their immigrant family members because they are more accustomed to the new culture and thus results in a power struggle. These impacts can lead to acculturative stress, stress from trying to adapt to a new culture and experiencing psychological effects from the …show more content…
Cultural brokering is described as work that children of immigrant do on a frequent basis to help them understand and navigate through the new, foreign country. I have grown up accustomed to cultural brokering after my family and I immigrated to California from China when I was five years old. My mother had a hard time adjusting to the American culture and learning to accept the fact that our Chinese customs and practices were not widely accepted here. My mother would try to bargain for the prices of items at supermarkets and stores like she did in China when we first arrived and I grew to learn that this was not a custom that existed in American culture. This left me feeling embarrassed of my culture and what my mother was doing in comparison to how other Americans shopped for items. As a result, it led to many efforts from my part to stop her from continuing this behavior and informing her multiple times that it is not acceptable in the United States. As a child of immigrant parents, I also had the responsibility of translating the English language that our neighbors, school officials, and teachers spoke into Mandarin, Chinese so my parents would understand what was being said to them. Cultural brokering was not a task that I intended on doing but grew to incorporate into my routine at a young age to help my parents adjust