Human beings experience forces to conform when they migrate into new and culturally foreign atmospheres. Immigrants may adapt to the cultural and social practices of their host communities through assimilation, ethnic pluralism, or transnationalism. These forms of adaptation have a number of similarities and differences that make them appropriate in different conditions.
Assimilation involves the incorporation of the minority immigrant groups into the majority group. They adopt the culture of the majority community. Ethnic pluralism, on the other hand, does not involve full integration.
The minority communities retain their cultural and social distinctions, as they dwell in foreign countries. Transnationalism is the next mechanism for conformation. It applies to migrants who do not stay in one country but continuously cross-national borders.
Assimilation has negative psychological consequences. Leading researches say that migrants who culturally assimilate experience advanced levels of stress and metal problems. In addition, such immigrants live under fear if they conform due to external forces.
This is because it is not possible for immigrants, particularly first and second generations, to assimilate completely. Usually, if immigrants do not experience social assimilation, they cannot experience cultural assimilation and identity assimilation. The latter is the perfect form of assimilation, yet is difficult to achieve.
Unlike assimilation, the modern society widely accepts transnationalism. This form of adaptation helps individuals to maintain social connection across national borders. In so doing, immigrants increase positive relationships between receiving countries and home countries.
This helps immigrants to have an economic impact in two countries simultaneously. Immigrant entrepreneurs bring capital from their home countries and invest in the foreign countries. In return, they repatriate some of their profits back home.
Transnational immigrants have the opportunity to influence politics in the host country. They can also influence politics back at home. However, in practice, only a few of them make use of the absentee ballot.
Immigrants can develop transnational identities. They may identify with both their home countries and receiving countries. However, it is always not easy for them to identify fully with receiving countries. This is because immigrants, especially high-skilled immigrants, rarely have negative encounters in host countries.
Therefore, they maintain national identity with home countries and endeavor to build national identity with host countries. This usually leads to rising of cosmopolitan individuals who have developed transnational identification with many nations.
Many people also appreciate ethnic pluralism. It works when the majority communities and minority communities tolerate each other. In this case, each community learns from each other.
In addition to transnationalism, assimilation and ethnic pluralism cause identity change. Immigrants experience an increase in levels of loyalty towards their home countries.
Immigration, also, disrupts an individual occupational identify. Individuals who work as middle class employee in their home countries cannot find similar jobs a broad. They end up doing unskilled jobs. Their social position in the society also declines.
When immigrating, people should be aware of their right to movement, expression, and association. The information is useful in choosing the right ways to conform to their host communities. Assimilation has a number of setbacks and, therefore, not fit for immigrants.
Individuals should embrace ethnic pluralism while permanently dwelling in foreign nations. However, immigrant who can take advantage of globalization should not embrace either assimilation or ethnic pluralism. Transnationalism offers many advantages to both the receiving and sending countries.