Literature Review #1

Visual

Citation

Schwartz, Seth;  Weisskirch, Robert S.; Zamboanga, Byron L.; Castillo, Linda G.; Ham, Lindsay S.; Huynh, Que-Lam; Park, Irene J. K.; Donovan, Roxanne; Kim, Su Yeong; Vernon, Michael; Davis, Matthew J.; Cano, Miguel A. "Dimensions of Acculturation: Associations With Health Risk Behaviors Among College Students From Immigrant Families."Journal of Counseling Psychology. 58.1 (2011): 27-41. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

Summary

This article is a study that focuses on acculturation in three areas; cognitive, behavioral, and identification. Observations are made on how race and heritage, along with these three areas in the acculturation, relate to the levels of health-risk behavior taken by people of these groups.

Authors

Seth J. Schwartz, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health

Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami

Robert S. Weisskirch, Department of Human Development, California State University–Monterey Bay

Byron L. Zamboanga, Department of Psychology, Smith College

Linda G. Castillo, Matthew J. Davis, and Miguel A. Cano, Department of Counseling Psychology, Texas A&M University

Lindsay S. Ham, Department of Psychology, University of Arkansas

Que-Lam Huynh, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University

Irene J. K. Park, Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame

Roxanne Donovan, Department of Psychology, Kennesaw State University

Su Yeong Kim, Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Texas at Austin

Michael Vernon, Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts–Amherst.

Key Terms

Acculturation - an individual’s process of learning about and adopting the receiving society’s cultural norms as well as the degree to which the person maintains his or her heritage culture

Immigrant Paradox - more acculturated young immigrants and children of immigrants are more likely to take risks compared with their less acculturated counterparts.

Quotes

"The immigrant paradox (in which more acculturated young immigrants and children of immigrants are more likely to take risks compared with their less acculturated counterparts) can be explained in terms of losing the protective effects that accompany heritage practices and values."(11)

"...for the most part, adopting U.S. cultural practices and individualistic values is not problematic as long as practices and values from the heritage culture are retained."(11)

Value

This article studies an area where many children of immigrants are heavily affected - especially when going away to college. It indirectly shows that the forces of heritage culture and acculturation to american culture can prove to be detrimental to the success of many of these second-generation students in the college setting if not balanced. Balancing the two can prove to be difficult when not surrounded by all the people who are of the same heritage as themselves and no family to keep them grounded. The article also provides numbers on the percentage of these students that are engaging in these risky behaviors and reasons as to why they do what they do.