Acculturation of Iranians in America
The United States has been variously characterized as either a "melting pot" or a society that reflects cultural pluralism (Hess, Markson, & Stein, 1990). The "melting pot" model suggests that differences among groups are "melted down" over time and cease to exist, creating a social system of a high degree of homogeneity. In the model of cultural pluralism, it is proposed that the special contributions of immigrant groups and cultures add to the diversity and vitality of American cultural life (Hess, Markson, & Stein, 1990). Cultural pluralism implies an acceptance of differences in relatively personal matters such as food, family, religious rituals, and community associations. Further, it suggests that a country such as the United States is engaged in a process of becoming more diverse with respect to such variables as race, ethnicity, country and language or origin, and other factors.
In the present study, the focus is upon the acculturation of a specific group of immigrants - Iranians. Acculturation, sometimes called "cultural assimilation," occurs when the people in a minority group adopt as their own the norms, values, and behavior patterns of the dominant society but are still not admitted to more intimate social groups (Hess, Markson, & Stein, 1990). Typically, social scientists consider there to be five stages or processes in the integration of minority groups into a mainstream culture: segregation or isolation, accommodation (during which minority group members become aware of the dominant norms and values of a society but do not necessarily change their own norms and values), acculturation (as defined above), assimilation (entry into the dominant society through close associations), and amalgamation (the creation of a new cultural and/or ethnic/racial type) (Hess, Markson, & Stein, 1990).
Most immigrant groups experience several barriers to these processes. Prejudice, discrimi...