Becoming Intercultural: An Integrative Theory of Communication and Cross-Cultural Adaptation [Hardcover]

This book looks at the movements of immigrants and refugees and the challenges they face as they cross cultural boundaries and strive to build a new life in an unfamiliar place. It focuses on the psychological dynamic underpinning of their adaptation process, how their internal conditions change over time, the role of their ethnic and personal backgrounds, and of the conditions of the host environment affecting the process. Addressing these and related issues, the author presents a comprehensive theory, or a big picture, of the cross-cultural adaptation phenomenon.

This book looks at the movements of immigrants and refugees and the challenges they face as they cross cultural boundaries and strive to build a new life in an unfamiliar place. It focuses on the psychological dynamic underpinning of their adaptation process, how their internal conditions change over time, the role of their ethnic and personal backgrounds, and of the conditions of the host environment affecting the process. Addressing these and related issues, the author presents a comprehensive theory, or a big picture, of the cross-cultural adaptation phenomenon.

PART ONE: THE BACKGROUND
Introduction
Existing Approaches to Cross-Cultural Adaptation
PART TWO: THE THEORY
Organizing Principles
The Process of Cross-Cultural Adaptation
The Structure of Cross-Cultural Adaptation
PART THREE: ELABORATION OF THE THEORY
Personal Communication
Social Communication
Environment
Predisposition
Intercultural Transformation
PART FOUR: THE THEORY AND THE REALITY
Research Considerations
Practical Insights