The Dynamics of Acculturative Change: The Potential of a Developmental Perspective in Acculturation Science

Acculturation processes are, by definition, processes of change over time. Yet, acculturation science is dominated by static and a-developmental theorizing that makes no specific assumptions about temporal change processes. This review paper will present concepts and methods that utilize a Developmental Science perspective and demonstrates how these concepts can make acculturation science more dynamic and embedded in contextual developmental theorizing. The described concepts include the life stage principle (e.g., how acculturative experiences may differ in their effects depending on the developmental stage in which individuals face them), ideas about distal and proximal sources of ontogenetic (acculturative) change, the concept of phase transitions from Dynamic Systems Theory (e.g., acculturation may be seen as a phase transition with higher susceptibility to risk factors), dynamic approaches to pubertal development (i.e., novel concepts of acculturation timing), novel insights on nonergodicity (i.e., a discussion on whether between subject effects indeed present within-person processes in acculturation), and person-in-context insights. This review presents the background of these concepts, describes the benefits for acculturation research, and suggests methodological approaches to use them in studies on immigration and acculturative change. Overall, this overview will instigate a novel understanding of acculturation research, which is arguably more in line with earlier aims of acculturation research: A better understanding of CHANGE in cultural patterns due to continuous first-hand contact between individuals from different cultures.