Psychological integration and adaptation of the second generation European Turks: A comparative review from the perspective of bi-dimensional acculturation

Turkish immigrants and their families in Western Europe tend to continue their traditional heritage culture in the sense of strong family ties and conformity to parents. The children of these migrants are faced with the individualistic value system of Western societies, especially in academic and work domains. In a context where the lifestyles and worldviews of Turkish immigrants are under public scrutiny, how do second generation European Turks bridge heritage and mainstream cultures, or to what extent can they achieve integration? The aim of the present article is to address this question from the perspective of a bi-dimensional acculturation model that conceptualizes integration in terms of dual cultural orientations. The first section presents an integrative review of the literature on the perspectives of European majority and immigrant groups to immigrants’ integration. The second section presents the summary of findings from our recent cross-cultural comparative research program on the integration of the second generation. The first section concludes that, according to Western Europeans, the culture of Turkish migrants is irreconcilable with European culture, thus immigrants should relinquish their heritage culture if they want to integrate with the mainstream society (assimilation); however, according to Turkish immigrants, simultaneous attachment to different cultural groups and values is both possible and desirable (integration). The second section suggests that persistent traditionalism in immigrant families, in the sense of authoritarian parenting, conformist-relational self and strong religious attachment, basically strengthens the ties with the heritage culture and does not necessarily stand in the way of mainstream culture adoption.status: publishe