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Assimilation

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Encyclopedia of Adolescence

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Assimilationcan be defined as the changes in values and behaviors that individuals make as they gradually adopt the cultural values of the dominant society. Assimilation theorists suggest that cultural change results from interactions between dominant and nondominant groups, and such change is commonly characterized by nondominant groups taking on the language, laws, religions, norms, and behaviors of the dominant group. The assimilation process has functioned throughout the history of the United States, influencing public policy, interpersonal relationships, and intergenerational interactions. Social science researchers have found that, as assimilation progresses from low assimilation levels to high assimilation levels, youth violence and alcohol use increases, especially binge drinking and alcohol use by females; psychiatric problems proliferate; and family cohesion decreases. Important mental health differences between foreign-born immigrants and US-born Latinos and...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 3550, 325 Pittsboro St, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3550, USA

    Paul R. Smokowski

  2. Department of Social Work, University of North Carolina – Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Martica Bacallao

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  1. Paul R. Smokowski
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Correspondence to Paul R. Smokowski .

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  1. Indiana University, 302 Sycamore Hall, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Roger J. R. Levesque

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Smokowski, P.R., Bacallao, M. (2011). Assimilation. In: Levesque, R.J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Adolescence. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1695-2_337

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