Sociology

Leaving ones country of origin in order to reside permanently in a foreign land does not always entail an easy transition for an individual who is involved in this situation. There are series of changes that he or she must have to go through in order to adapt to the new environment that he or she is in. In relation to this, the concept of assimilation becomes observable. There are four respective assimilation options that immigrants do or could engage in to be able to cope with their new environment.

The first assimilation option is for immigrants to blend with the ethnic group that are situated in the place that they relocated in. Immigrants who blend with the group in the place they relocated in could easily interact with the people and environment that they are in, which could even reach a point of full assimilation. However, there are also cases, wherein blending with other groups caused an individual to lose his or her identity because his or her roots is not given importance anymore, which could also lead to confusion.

The second option for assimilation is for immigrants to establish an adversarial stance against the group that is dominant in the place they migrated to. In doing so, immigrants would show their resistance in accepting new ways and instead maintain and even impose their own cultural beliefs and norms. As a result, conflict is more likely to exist between the immigrants and the host society. In addition, the immigrants will also create a group of their own, which could also establish a difference in their environment. In relation to this, the third option of assimilation involves resisting acculturation by means of giving utmost emphasis on social capital like social networks, which is created through ethnic ties. In this scenario, immigrants would not adopt the ways of the host society but rather focus on social capital in order to maintain their ethnic identity.

The fourth assimilation option is the bicultural pattern wherein the immigrants will adopt some patterns that are similar with the host society but still able to retain some of their heritage. Bicultural pattern appears to focus on culture but the maintenance or abandonment of ethnic beliefs and norms are based on structural variables such as socioeconomic resources, extent of continued immigration, linkages between ethnic community and sending society, and the impediments in attaining equal opportunity. In this case, the effect of bicultural pattern to the immigrants is dependent upon these aforementioned variables.