An exploration of self-esteem and acculturative style

This study focuses on the acculturative experience of 1.5th and 2nd generation immigrants and examines the role that acculturative style has on one's self-esteem. Self-esteem was chosen as a variable because it was theorized that self-esteem could be a moderator between the individual and the larger society. A total of 98 participants were examined with both qualitative and quantitative methods and a link between acculturative style and self-esteem was found. More specifically, an ANOVA test indicated that those who chose an integrative acculturation style had higher self-esteem. This finding is in line with previous research that shows that an integrative acculturation style is linked with positive outcomes for the individual, but must also be examined in a larger sociopolitical context. The high self-esteem reported by the integrative style is in place because this style is preferred by the larger society as a whole. The qualitative analysis portion of this research indicated that the pressing themes of family, culture, and identity are particularly present for 1.5 and 2nd generation Vietnamese population.