Going Home: Deculturation Experiences in Cultural Reentry

Abstract

This study tests the process of deculturation as identified in adaptation theory. The context used here is reentry into one’s previous culture. If the theoretical descriptions of deculturation are accurate, one would expect those who have adapted to another culture to experience issues of relearning upon return to the original culture. Subjects consisted of returned missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (afterward referred to as "LDS") who had spent 18 months or 2 years completely immersed in a foreign culture. Using an open-ended survey method, responses were coded and compared statistically. Results do not support deculturation, providing an argument for the sedimentation of cultural functioning.