Abstract
The theme of this conference focusses attention on conflict and negotiation. In this paper, I take
one example of these issues, and examine the cultural and psychological aspects of these phenomena
that take place during the process of acculturation. During acculturation, groups of people and their
individual members engage in intercultural contact, producing a potential for conflict, and the need
for negotiation in order to achieve outcomes that are adaptive for both parties. Research on
acculturation, including acculturation strategies, changes in behaviours, and acculturative stress are
reviewed. There are large group and individual differences in how people (in both groups in contact)
go about their acculturation (described in terms of the integration, assimilation, separation and
marginalisation strategies), in how much stress they experience, and howw ell they adapt
psychologically and socioculturally. Generally, those pursuing the integration strategy experience
less stress, and achieve better adaptations than those pursuing marginalisation; the outcomes for
those pursuing assimilation and separation experience intermediate levels of stress and adaptation.
Implications for public policy and personal orientations towards acculturation are proposed. With
respect to the conference theme, since integration requires substantial negotiation, but results in the
least conflict, the concepts and findings reviewed here can provide some guidance for the betterment
of intercultural relations.
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