Adaptation and the interpersonal experience: A study of Asian Indians in the United States

The study attempted to understand adaptation to a new culture in terms of interpersonal communication. The Asian Indian immigrants' relationship to the host and the ethnic society was explored.;Data for the study was collected from 133 Asian Indian immigrants in the New York/New Jersey area. A combination of interview and self report measures were used.;A model of the adaptation process was proposed. It was theorized that immigrants maintain two distinct interpersonal networks--intraethnic and intraethnic--and these affect the level of competence in both domains. Several aspects of both networks were examined. Three other types of variables--sociodemographic data, ethnicity and cognitive complexity were hypothesized to affect the differential patterns of networking in both domains.;A general path model as well as a cross effects path model with network variables, sociodemographic, ethnicity and cognitive complexity variables as predictors were estimated. From both models, greater explanatory contributions emanated from the networks to interethnic competence. Occupational, educational diversity, higher friendships level, and integrativeness of interethnic network emerged as significant explanatory variables for interethnic competence. Level of interaction and integrativeness were significant predictors of intraethnic competence. English fluency affected interethnic competence while ethnicity exerted a negative influence. Intraethnic competence and ethnicity were not related. Cognitive complexity showed no relationship to competence.;Cegala's interaction involvement scale was administered in both inter and intraethnic contexts and also used in the regression analysis. Intraethnic involvement was shown to be significantly higher than interethnic involvement. Other indices of competence created for this study concerned new behaviors acquired, level of assertiveness, situational discomfort and proactiveness. Bivariate analyses were conducted.;The study shows that there are differences in the sharply demarcated inter and intraethnic contexts that together make the sociocultural world of an Asian Indian immigrant.