What is the process called when a member of a minority group shifts their identity to align with the dominant group?

The correct answer, cultural assimilation, refers to the process where individuals from minority groups adopt the cultural practices and beliefs of a dominant group, leading to a blending of identities. This shifts the individual’s identity to closely align with that of the dominant culture, often to gain social acceptance, economic opportunities, or personal safety.

Cultural assimilation involves various elements, such as language, customs, values, and social behaviors, where the minority group member not only adopts the dominant group’s characteristics but may also suppress or discard aspects of their original culture. This process highlights the dynamics of power and identity within society, illustrating how cultural influences can lead to changes in individual and group identities.

Enculturation, on the other hand, is the process of learning and adopting the cultural norms of one’s own culture, while cultural integration refers to the intermingling and merging of different cultural groups, which does not necessarily imply a loss of identity. Cultural appropriation involves the adoption of elements of one culture by members of another culture, typically without permission and often disregarding the original significance, but it does not pertain to the individual’s shift of identity toward a dominant group.