Acculturation, cultural identity and well-being

Abstract

Intercultural contact produces changes in an individual’s culturally grounded beliefs, behaviours and identities, a process known as acculturation. In this Review, we outline the process of acculturation with reference to cultural identity, a type of social identity that includes ethnic, national, and religious identities. We begin by critically reviewing developmental, social, and cross-cultural approaches to the development, negotiation, organization and integration of multiple cultural identities. Next, we highlight microlevel, mesolevel and macrolevel contextual influences on these dynamic processes. Then we review evidence concerning the relationship between cultural identities and well-being and possible explanatory mechanisms for their association. We conclude by summarizing points of agreement across cross-cultural, social and developmental perspectives on cultural identity, noting challenges to advancing the field and making recommendations for future research. Acculturation is the process of individual identity change owing to intercultural contact. In this Review, Ward and Szabó discuss approaches to the study of acculturation, the influence of context on cultural identities, and the relationship between cultural identities and well-being.