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Assimilation occurs when two separate items with unique characteristics come together and

blend. Either one item will blend to become more like the other, or these two unique objects can
meet somewhere in the middle. This may sound broad, but that is because assimilation occurs in
many different contexts, such as cultural, linguistic, and biological. To better understand its
definition, here are some examples of assimilation.

Cultural Assimilation
This is the most common example of assimilation. Cultural assimilation occurs when two groups
of people, with differences in culture, influence each other. This typically occurs when two
different groups share a geographical border. An example of cultural assimilation that occurs
every day is when someone chooses to immigrate to a new country and adopts the customs of
their new culture. Although this can also be forced by a government (referred to as forced
assimilation), it is often a positive process occurring at will.

Color Assimilation
This is the best example of assimilation if you have difficulty understanding the concept.
Because assimilation is defined as two different things blending together, colors can assimilate as
well. Imagine if you had yellow paint and blue paint. When these two colors are blended
together, they become a shade of green. This blending of two unique colors to form something
new is a kind of assimilation.

Biological Assimilation
This is a scientific example of assimilation by which a combination of two processes is used to
supply an animal cell with nutrients. In humans, biological assimilation occurs when a physical
breakdown of food happens first, through chewing and stomach churning, and then a chemical
breakdown occurs, when your body produces enzymes and acids.

Religious Assimilation
This can be a type of cultural assimilation, as religious traditions are often tied to one's culture.
An example of religious assimilation that has occurred is the use of Pagan traditions in modern
day Christianity. Many Christian holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, are based on Pagan
ceremonies and customs such as Yule and the Spring Equinox.

Linguistic Assimilation
Linguistic assimilation is the blending of two different languages. This also commonly happens
in areas where a border is shared. A contemporary example, though, is Denglish. Denglish is the
blending of the words Deutsche (German) and English. As English has spread around the world
and is becoming used as the common language between many different countries, the German

language has begun to adopt words and phrases from English. This blend that is prevalent in
German culture today has become known as Denglish.
These examples of assimilation show that the term has a broad definition. It can be used to
reference a negative process, in which a minority is forced to rid themselves of what makes them
unique. However, this is merely forced assimilation. There are several other types of
assimilation, such as cultural, religious, and linguistic. Biological assimilation is a solid example
of how assimilation can be a positive and organic process.
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Liza Lankford

In Social Psychology

The Leadership Assimilation Process and


What it Means for a Team
When a business or a company has a leader it is very important to assimilate the new leader into
the company. The old employees had been working with a different leader so they were used
to a different way of working. The new leader may want a different approach from his or her
employees. Hence understanding what assimilation is and how to achieve proper assimilation is
necessary for optimal results in the company. No matter however accomplished, hard-working or
experienced the new leader may be, if he or she is not properly assimilated into the company he

will not be able to be successful.Every business has staff meetings once in awhile. Just like at
every staff meeting, call all your employees to one place, like a conference room, dining hall or
any other large area. If the old leader is leaving the business or company on good terms, have
them present at the meeting. Make sure the old leader says a few words to the employees so they
have closure. Then, have the new leader give a speech on who he is and why he is there. The
amicable display will show the employees everything is being dealt with very professionally.In
his speech to the employees, the new leader should stay calm and collected yet stern. He should
smile at the employees, ask their names and ask them what functions they are in charge of. Then
he should tell them as a group what kind of attitude he expects from everybody and what he
plans to change in the company or business. This will give an idea of what the employees are
expected to change.Make sure there is an open Q&A after the meeting where employees can ask
their leader questions. Its also a good idea to keep an anonymous way of asking questions. Keep
pieces of paper, a pencil and a box that you can put all the questions in. Answer all those
questions at the end of your meeting to alleviate any misunderstandings or assumptions that the
employees may have made.If the previous leader has already left and there is no one well
equipped to handle the assimilation of the new leader then you may want to bring in an outsider
to help. An external facilitator is unbiased and working only to help the new leader get settled
into his new position. The external facilitator also has the advantage of not having any judgments
about the staff, the previous leader or the new leader. He will be able to talk to everybody with
ease.No matter how capable a new leader is, if there is no cooperation between the leader and the
staff, there is no way he will be successful. If the leader is successful in his assimilation in the
company or business, that means all the employees are comfortable talking to him, he already
knows what they expect from him and the employees know what they can expect from their new
leader. This will help in communication, hence making it easier to delegate tasks. Therefore, the
company will be more efficient in a very short amount of time.Even if the assimilation went
wonderfully, there is no guarantee that the ties formed between the employees and new leader
won't fade away. It is very important to have a follow-up from an external facilitator to get
feedback from the employees and employer. If there are still some misunderstandings of what is
required from either party, the leader and employee should have one on one meetings to discuss
their issues.Without proper assimilation, there will be a serious lack in communication and it will
take a very long time for the new leader to get assimilated into the company. It could take weeks
or months to achieve the same success that could be achieved in days with proper assimilation.
This affects the efficiency and profit of the business or company. Having an external facilitator
who is specialized for this type of work can be very helpful.Every meeting should be extremely
professional with an outsider, (a person from the corporate office or a superior) present to
monitor the meeting. (MORE)
Liza Lankford

In Psychoanalysis

Identity Achivement
Erikson suggested that identity achievement is part of the process of becoming an independent
human being. The hope is that an individual would reach identity achievement through
struggles as an adolescent, and that adulthood would bring the relative peace of knowing one's
own identity. Unfortunately, it doesn't happen that easily or that fast. These are some challenges
that come up in the process.When someone is accustomed to something, changing that thing is
hard. It doesn't matter what it is, good or bad, even. If it is familiar, changing the pattern is
difficult. This is the case with identity as well. If people understand something to be
foundationally true about themselves, then they cannot usually change it easily. Someone who is
used to identifying as poor will have trouble allowing space for wealth, for example, because it
challenges an existing, comfortable (if not favorable) ideal.Just at the time when
developmentally humans are ready for maturity, the current cultural model sends them off into a
period of instability. College, especially away from home, or even just exploring the results of
some measure of self-knowledge, can create a sense of vulnerability and movement. Identity
Achievement generally carries as its hallmark stability, and so these two pieces of maturation
find themselves at odds.When confronted with a conflict of identity, a person can respond either
with assimilation or accommodation. Assimilation allows for very little change. Someone who
has always been married responds to the death of a spouse by seeking another marriage as a
matter of course. Accommodation, by contrast, would grieve the loss and then ask the question:
do I want to be married? It would look at new possibilities instead of trying to recreate what was
true before. The more flexible a person is about this kind of response, the easier it is to reach
identity achievement.Some people are more open to new experiences than others. Those who
score highly on "openness to experience" are also more likely to reach identity achievement.
Openness to experience means a sense of adventure: trying new things, traveling, making contact
with new people, living, as Thoreau said, deeply. If a person is not good at that, it may make it
hard for them to get a sense of who they really are.Especially when people are in adolescence

and early adulthood they often find their context unsupportive. Whether real or imagined, they
find that the people around them "don't understand" or "don't care". In some cases they go so far
as to believe that "everyone hates me". That's an experience of an unsupportive context. For
some, they find support elsewhere: in clubs or teams or groups of friends. For others, they
remain unsupported. Without support, it is much harder to be as vulnerable as self-exploration
demands. And without that exploration, identity achievement is generally out of reach.As people
get older, they do more assimilation and less accommodation. Assimilation is when one adjusts
one's view of oneself to fit one's experience in the world. If someone does something (runs late)
you assume that it was about you: that they don't like you, or don't respect you, probably because
you don't deserve their respect or because you have irritated them. By contrast, accommodation
means that your sense of yourself, as someone well-liked and respected, doesn't change. Instead,
you assume that the person running late got a flat tire or forgot their wallet. You don't take on the
story or the motivation for the story. The better you are at doing that, the more likely you are to
be identity achieved. That skill is one that grows with age as well.Identity achievement, then, is
in some ways a process of emerging into adulthood. When a person is identity achieved, they are
functioning psychologically as an adult in many ways. They know who they are, and that identity
isn't particularly shaky. Barring a major trauma, they may remain stable in that identity for many
years.Identity achievement, the discovery of one's true self, does not usually just happen. It is a
result of all of the exploring and struggling that a person does in adolescence and early
adulthood. Generally one does not expect to see identity achievement in a young adult or
adolescent, although sometimes it will appear. Elements like equilibrium, stability, and openness
to new experiences will help in the process of identity achievement.Identity Achievement was
first named by researcher James Marcia, although Erik Erikson also did extensive work on it. In
many circles it is understood to be the goal of personal development. While one hopes to see it
established by middle adulthood, it may not be. (MORE)

Answers Staff

In Prison

Ex-Convicts: Life After Prison


When a person is convicted of committing a crime in the United States, depending on the crime's
nature, he or she may serve prison time. Life during prison can be difficult, but for many
inmates, life after prison is even more challenging. Many services exist to help convicts restart
their lives after they are released. Learn more about ex-convicts and the challenges they face in
life after prison.At any given time, there are approximately 2.3 million men and women
incarcerated in the United States. Prison sentences for inmates range from a few days to multiple
life sentences. Often, prisoners are not required to serve their entire sentence if they are able to
accept a plea deal, win an appeals case, or be released early for good behavior. According to the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, approximately 650,000 men and women are released from
prison each year. Also according to the Bureau, approximately 97 percent of those convicts
released return back to the towns and cities in which they lived before they were
incarcerated.The Bureau of Justice reports that approximately 30 percent of all convicts in the
United States are rearrested within six months of being released from prison. Approximately 67
percent, or two out of three, ex-convicts will be rearrested within two to three years after being
released. The largest obstacle for those being released from prison is honoring their parole.
Approximately 35 percent of those rearrested in the United States are ex-convicts who have
violated the terms of their parole. For many inmates, they never learn the necessary steps to reassimilate into life after prison.There are a number of incentives for private businesses to hire exconvicts after they are released. These incentives include government-funded training for those
recently released from prison and tax breaks for the private companies that hire them. According
to the Bureau of Justice, approximately half of all of those released who cannot find employment
in the first month after will be rearrested. According to the same source, approximately 93
percent of all who are able to find employment within the first month of release are not
rearrested and are able to successfully assimilate back into society.Project Hope is a public
organization that brings members of the community and ex-convicts together to talk about issues
facing those recently released from prison and how the community can overcome them. The
organization also works to break down the barrier of stereotypes that often exist between the
general public and those who have been incarcerated. It is also the hope of the program that exconvicts will be able to make connections with people who will help them find a job or put them
in touch with someone who can. Project Hope aims to help those recently released from prison
develop a solid and positive base of friends willing to help them through the difficult times
ahead.Approximately 650,000 ex-convicts are released prison every year. Nearly two out of
every three convicts will be rearrested within two to three years of release. Studies have shown
that approximately 93 percent of ex-convicts who find employment after they are released from
prison will not be rearrested. A number of sources exist to help ex-convicts rehabilitate and reassimilate into society, such as Project Hope.Many ex-convicts are rearrested after prison
because they violate their parole. The number has increased substantially over the last few
decades. For example, in 1980, only approximately 17 percent of all those rearrested were
because of parole violations. This number has increased to well over 50 percent. (MORE)

Answers Staff

In Treatments

Essential Tips for Living a Healthy Life After


a Lung Cancer Transplant
Even when a lung cancer transplant succeeds, you are about to enter one of the most difficult
phases of your life. Your transplant means that you are, for the moment, past the deadliest
form of cancer for Americans, but the upcoming process of assimilating a new organ into your
body is arduous at best. Here are some beginning strategies for coping.Your doctor has just
installed a completely new organ in your body, and it is the organ that determines whether you
transfer enough oxygen from the atmosphere into your bloodstream to survive. Recovery takes
longer than many people expect, which is frustrating. When you are in your early stages of
recovery, plan to work a shorter schedule and schedule rest breaks for yourself throughout the
day.Stress wreaks havoc on health over time. If your recovery gives you a great deal of stress,
consequences include hopelessness, anger and occasional depression. When stress starts to build,
find some relief. First, accept that events happen that are beyond your control. Take a deep
breath, and find balance in your nutrition and exercise regimen.The stress and physical pain that
occur when you are recovering from a lung transplant are real sources of frustration. There is
often a temptation to turn to alcohol or drugs to leave the pain behind for a short while. However,
those substances not only lead to addiction, they also cause other medical problems. Your body
has enough to deal with due to the assimilation of your new lung.Frustration and depression
frequently accompany all serious illness, including lung cancer. Once your lung cancer transplant
is over, you are likely to have a lot of questions about your life, both medical and personal. There
are many lung cancer support groups available, both in person or online. Individual counseling
with a therapist gives you a more private forum to vent your frustrations and talk through issues.
If you have medical questions, ask your doctor. It is her job to give you the information you need
for a full recovery.While some people view a lung cancer transplant as the end of a long struggle,
in other ways, your fight is just beginning. With courage and perseverance, you make it to

remission and full recovery.Follow all of your doctor's advice after you head home with a new
lung. The odds are in your favor, as the percentage of lungs still operational three years after the
transplant is almost 70 percent, according to Penn Medicine. (MORE)

Earnest Strews

In Studies

The Main Types of Child Psychology Studies


Child psychology is the branch of psychology that focuses on the behavior and mind of children,
from prenatal development to adolescence. Child psychology not only focus on the physical
growth of children, but on their emotional, social, and mental development. In the past, many
people did not know the considerable differences between adults and children, but nowadays,
many have noticed the distinctions. Studies in child development revolve around genetics,
cognitive development, prenatal development, environmental influences, and personality
development.From the earliest points in life, hereditary plays an essential part in shaping the
character of children. child inherits genes from his or her parents, which express in the child later
on. The inherited genes may express various physical traits, including height and eye color, but
these same genes may express non physical traits, such as shyness, anger or adventure.Several
theories of learning explain how different experiences shape the behavior of children. Classical
conditioning shows the association between the stimulus and response. For example, an infant
may start associating the sight of the baby bottle with feeding. Operant conditioning suggests
that rewarding behavior causes the repeat of similar behavior in future. For example, when you
reward the child for cleaning the room, he or she may repeat this behavior. Lastly, according to
observational learning, children learn a lot from watching peers, parents and siblings. Other
environmental factors that influence the child are school, media, culture, peers, and
family.Prenatal development takes place in three key stages. The first one is the germinal stage
that occurs within the first two weeks following conception and it entails conception, formation

of a zygote, and cell division. The second one is the embryonic stage, which occurs between the
third and eighth week and involves the formation of a distinctive human being from the cell
mass. The nose, eyes, mouth, and ears form during the fourth week and buds that form legs and
arms appear in the fifth week. During the eighth week, the embryo forms elbows and knees,
weighs around one gram, and measures about one inch. The fetal stage is the last one and it is
when the fetus develops at around the ninth week.Various theories attempt to explain different
aspects of personality development, such as moral, cognitive, and social development. First,
Piaget's theory explains cognitive development in children and how they sort knowledge
acquired through groupings called schemas. New information undergoes assimilation into the
schemas that already exist, or they create a new information category. Sigmund Freud also
devised the personality development, or psychosexual, theory. According to this theory,
personality develops through various stages and personality problems may occur in adulthood if
the child does not complete these stages successfully.Piaget's stage theory explains the children's
cognitive development and it highlights three key concepts: schemas, assimilation, and
accommodation. A schema refers to knowledge category and the entire process of its acquisition.
When experiences occur, the new information helps to add to, modify, and change any
previously existing schemas. For instance if the child believes all dogs are small then meets a
large dog, she or he will take in this new information and modify the initial one to include the
latest information. Assimilation is adding new information to the one originally in the schema
and accommodation refers to altering the existing schemas with new information.Child
psychology is synonymous with child development. The studies in these areas focus on how
children develop socially, physically, and cognitively. Various theories explain these
developments. Factors that shape child psychology are genetics, environment, cognitive
development, personality development, and prenatal development. From an initial belief that
children were small adults, this field has expanded greatly in the last century.Piaget was born in
1896 in Switzerland. He received a doctoral degree at 22 years. He studied his own children and
came up with the theory of cognitive development. (MORE)
http://english.answers.com/definitions/examples-of-assimilation

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