Socioecological Models of Acculturation: The Relative Roles of Social and Contextual Factors on Acculturation Across Life Domains

Although acculturation research recognizes that a community's context of reception shapes acculturation, relatively limited research has explored how social and contextual variables shape the divergence of 'real' acculturation from 'ideal' (or individually desired) acculturation across life domains. Building on the Relative Acculturation Extended Model, this study examines how one's local context and interactions within it shape acculturation in peripheral (public), intermediate (social), and central (private) life domains. In this cross-sectional study, 408 first-generation immigrant adults born in Latin America (<i>M</i> = 37.91, <i>SD</i> = 12.93) who had lived in the United States for 1-55 years (<i>M</i> = 16.56; <i>SD</i> = 9.50) completed self-report measures across four communities with distinct contexts of reception. Results revealed that perception of the receiving community's acculturation preferences, prejudice, community contact, and symbolic threat all shaped immigrants' 'real' acculturation beyond 'ideal', both directly and indirectly via their sense of community and intergroup anxiety. These socioecological factors had a stronger impact on peripheral domain acculturation overall, though pathways generally remained consistent across life domains. Results have numerous implications for policy, practice, and the future of acculturation research as they suggest that social context more readily shapes public expressions of acculturation than more private expressions.