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Tridimensional (3D) Acculturation: Culture and Adaptation of Black Caribbean Immigrants in the USA

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Global Perspectives on Well-Being in Immigrant Families

Part of the book series: Advances in Immigrant Family Research ((ADIMFAMRES,volume 1))

Abstract

Depending on the immigrant population, different lenses of acculturation are required to capture the acculturation experience appropriately. Black Caribbean immigrants in the USA experience tridimensional (3D) acculturation owing to three relevant cultural dimensions: Mainstream European-American culture (as presumed by the bidimensional [2D] model in psychology), African-American culture (as held by the segmented assimilation model in sociology), and their heritage Caribbean culture (both models). This chapter describes 3D acculturation among Jamaican immigrant adolescents and parents in the USA using empirical findings from variable-centered and person-centered analyses. Tricultural integration is the most common acculturation status, and youth are generally well-adjusted compared to their non-immigrant US and Jamaican peers. However, triculturalism is more advantageous than is biculturalism for some immigrant youth (girls) and in some domains (behavioral), where assimilation is disadvantageous. A 3D lens exposes a new dimension and adds depth to our perspective on acculturation for some immigrants, particularly minority immigrants settled in multicultural societies. Researchers and practitioners should carefully consider the best acculturation lens (e.g., 2D or 3D) to use in their work with immigrants within and across societies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human and Community Development, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Doris Kelley Christopher Hall, MC-081, 904 West Nevada Street, 61801, Urbana, IL, USA

    Gail M. Ferguson

  2. Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Marc H. Bornstein

Authors
  1. Gail M. Ferguson
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  2. Marc H. Bornstein
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Correspondence to Gail M. Ferguson .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Tilburg University, LE Tilburg, The Netherlands

    Radosveta Dimitrova

  2. Tilburg University, LE Tilburg, The Netherlands

    Michael Bender

  3. Tilburg University, LE Tilburg, The Netherlands

    Fons van de Vijver

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Ferguson, G., Bornstein, M. (2014). Tridimensional (3D) Acculturation: Culture and Adaptation of Black Caribbean Immigrants in the USA. In: Dimitrova, R., Bender, M., van de Vijver, F. (eds) Global Perspectives on Well-Being in Immigrant Families. Advances in Immigrant Family Research, vol 1. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9129-3_3

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