ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at specific dimensions of acculturative changes, in particular issues pertaining to cultural identity and intergroup relations. Social identification theories have been shaped and guided by the strong cognitive influence in contemporary psychology. Social Identity Theory (SIT) highlights the significance of group membership for individual identity and discusses the role of social categorisation and social comparison in relation to self-esteem. SIT has been applied to both naturally occurring groups, such as racial and religious communities, as well as minimal groups artificially created in laboratory conditions. The unidimensional, bipolar conceptualisation of acculturation, where members of immigrant and refugee groups are regarded as having to choose between identification with either heritage or contact cultures, came under increasing scrutiny as theory and research on bicultural identity developed throughout the 1980s. Social psychological theories of identity provide a somewhat different perspective on changing perceptions of self and others during cross-cultural transition and intercultural contact.
