Cultural adaptation refers to the process of interaction between a social group and another culture as well as the assimilation of norms and values of the new environment in the process of socialization. Thus, adaptation is considered as the process of physical, social, economic or organizational changes as the result of social relationships. Besides, it can be viewed as the harmony between an individual and the social environment. Cross-cultural adaptation is a complex process of reaching the conformity with the new cultural environment. When it comes to the factors that influence interethnic interaction, the timeframe, purpose, status, equality as well as language and religion should be mentioned. However, even under the most favorable conditions, the complex process of interaction with people from different cultures embraces an array of issues.
In their article, Saghafi et al. explore the cultural adaptation of Iranian and Iranian Americans in terms of their cultural orientation. It is worth noting that religious self-identifications tend to have a considerable impact on cultural adaptation. Saghafi et al. state that Islamic participants reported substantially higher Iranian orientation, whereas Jewish participants seem to have considerably higher U.S. orientation (328). The acculturation of Iranians to American society is a multifaceted process. The need to adapt to the new environment, which means acculturation, presupposes the refusal of some norms and beliefs inherent in their ethnic culture and, thus the development of the culture of the host culture. This process is likely to lead to a transformation of the system of relations with the outside world. The Islamic Iranians are predisposed to lead the Iranian oriented lifestyle, while the American lifestyle appeals to the Jewish Iranians (Saghafi et al. 332). Thus, with regard to the Islamic Iranians, their core source of stress is closely connected with reluctance to integrate into the culture of host nation. Their adaption in a new cultural environment is viewed as “an aversive experience”, as they are profoundly tied to Iranian nationality (Saghafi et al. 332).
In their study, Roby et al. use social justice as the framework to examine a range of structural barriers to socially just intercountry adoptions (ICAs). These barriers are evaluated in terms of exploitation and oppression of vulnerable families and children (Roby et al. 295). Misleading perceptions with regard to poverty, lack of awareness of institution-based care, as well as misconceptions about orphans and orphanages are significant factors that influence socially just intercountry adoptions (Roby et al. 295). Besides, disparity of power between sending and receiving countries is also crucial, since a wealthy country tends to take advantage of a poor country of origin (Roby et al. 297-298). As the result of the economic and cultural hierarchies, social injustice takes place. It is worth noting that countries of origin should ensure child protection and demonstrate true commitment to social justice. Thus, proactive interventions are required in order to address cross-cultural misunderstandings. Issues with regard to human rights and gender inequalities should be addressed by implementation effective regulations. Without understanding historical, social, and most importantly ethno-psychological roots, it is immensely difficult to understand the peculiarities of cultural adaption and values of ethnic communities.
Works Cited
Roby, Jini L., Rotabi, Karen, and Bunkers, Kelley M. “Social Justice and Intercountry Adoptions: The Role of the U.S. Social Work Community.” Social Work 58.4 (2013): 295-303. Print.
Saghafi, Nazanin, Asamen, Joy, Rowe, Daryl, and Tehrani, Rozalin. “The Relationship of Religious Self-Identification to Cultural Adaptation Among Iranian Immigrants and First-Generation Iranians.” Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 43.4 (2012): 328-335. Print.
