Building a bridge with others: Alternative patterns of the acculturation process through the eyes of immigrants and members of the receiving culture

Abstract

Our study investigated the acculturation process in a new culture from the perspectives of immigrants (interviewees) and members of the receiving culture (interviewers). One hundred and seven semi-structured interviews were carried out with foreigners from 38 countries who lived in Hungary for at least a year. Using a grounded theory approach, the perspectives and feelings of the interviewers were also analysed in addition to the interview texts. The results reveal that the receiving culture shows what we call a ‘two-stage receptive attitude’, which comprises at first, closedness and later, openness towards foreigners. A binary set of attitudes as ‘traveller or guest’ was observed in immigrants; the ‘guest’ makes efforts to take the host as a complementary actor into consideration, integrating the depths of the foreign culture, while the ‘traveller’ tastes the surface of a foreign culture and collects experiences. Based on our analysis, the dual modes of the traveller and the guest are interpreted as two ideal typical role conceptions or role realisations. Our study increases awareness of the complexity of the acculturation process, as the unique design provided insights into the importance of analysing the perspectives – in addition to those of the interviewees – of the reports from members of the receiving society to add to our understanding of cross-cultural encounters. In addition to its methodological novelty, the present study contributes to the literature by providing an in-depth understanding of the “traveller versus guest” typology and, accordingly, proposing ways to investigate how these two types might function in an organisation.