3-116 - The Upsides and Downsides of Globalization and Remote Acculturation for Youth Well-Being in the Majority World

Session Type: Poster Symposium

Integrative Statement

Globalization is a salient macro-context for youth development in the 21st century (Jensen et al., 2011). There is, thus, a crucial need to better understand its implications for youth well-being, especially in the Majority World. At the societal level, globalization-related sociodemographic factors (e.g., formal education) have brought about social change (Greenfield, 2009); and at the individual level, globalization has prompted remote acculturation (Ferguson 2013), a modern form of non-migrant acculturation toward distant cultures based on contact with foreign media and goods. There is now convincing cross-national evidence of globalization and remote acculturation among Majority World youth, but less is known about associated well-being. This poster symposium will present novel empirical studies of youth well-being across four globalizing Majority World regions (South America, Africa, Caribbean, Eurasia) highlighting both assets/upsides and liabilities/downsides of globalization and remote acculturation using diverse research methodologies. First, mixed-methods data indicate that Malawian youth oriented to US/UK/South African cultures have more positive affect and smoother parent-child relationships (upside). Second, quantitative data reveal that European American orientation predicts lower grades in Jamaica (downside). Third, ethnographic interviews show urban (vs. rural) youth in Thailand facing psychological roadblocks to integrating religion into their lives (mixed). Fourth, longitudinal interviews highlight how education level influences Mexican youths’ views on the well-being benefits/liabilities of the internet (mixed). Fifth, questionnaires suggest that parental Americanization is detrimental for children’s adjustment in divorced families in Turkey, although traditionally Turkish fathers provide a buffer (downside). Findings will be discussed by an expert in cross-cultural psychology and youth acculturation.

Sub Unit

• Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Chair

• Gail M. Ferguson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Discussant

• Fons J. R. van de Vijver, Tilburg University, the Netherlands, North-West University, South Africa, and University of Queensland, Australia

Individual Presentations

• The Upside of Remote Acculturation: Remote Acculturation, Identity Formation, and Well-being among Urban Adolescents in Malawi - Presenting Author: Kim T. Ferguson, Sarah Lawrence College; Gail M. Ferguson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Yuna L. Ferguson, Truman State University; Andrea N. Davis, Sarah Lawrence College; Christopher Hoffman, Sarah Lawrence College; Hannah K. Lipschutz, Sarah Lawrence College

• The Downside of Remote Acculturation: Behavioral and Academic Adjustment Among Remotely Acculturating Adolescents in Urban Jamaica - Presenting Author: Gail M. Ferguson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Radosveta Dimitrova, Stockholm University

• Globalization and its Effects on Community Well-Being: Emic Perspectives among Indigenous Maya Youth in Mexico - Presenting Author: Adriana Manago, Western Washington University; Patricia Pacheco, Western Washington University

• Divine Self and Selves: Adolescent Orientations Toward Religion in Globalizing Northern Thailand - Presenting Author: Jessica McKenzie, California State University, Fresno; Sarah Tsutsui, San Francisco State University; Seema Prakash, TBD (In Transition)

• Help me Daddy, Mommy is an Ameriturk: Remote Acculturation Gaps Between Divorced Coparents and Child Well-being in Turkey - Presenting Author: Cagla Giray, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Gail M. Ferguson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign