Simon Ozer

Acculturation, Adaptation, and Mental Health Among Ladakhi College Students A Mixed Methods Study of an Indigenous Population

The Indian region of Ladakh has recently undergone comprehensive sociocultural changes through the process of acculturation. The present study employs an acculturation psychological framework to assess how two groups of Ladakhi college students navigate through different degrees of exposure to acculturation and how this affects their mental health. Using mixed methods, 292 (age: M = 20.89, SD = 1.66; 64.4% females) respondents were included in the quantitative assessment and 12 participated in semistructured interviews. Analysis revealed that students with less acculturation exposure were more oriented toward ethnic culture and to a greater extent experienced impaired mental health when compared with the sample with more acculturation. Most prevalent among the students (34.2%) was a bicultural orientation, integrating both ethnic and mainstream culture. In general, acculturation orientation was not associated with quantitative measures of depression or anxiety. The qualitative analysis revealed agency and cultural identity to be pivotal factors in the process of reproducing culture and negotiating cultural change.

“Grab your culture and walk with the global”: Ladakhi students’ negotiation of cultural identity in the context of globalization-based acculturation

The globalization-based acculturation process in the Indian Himalayan region of Ladakh represents a highly complex network of intercultural interactions. Ladakhi youth negotiate their cultural orientation and identity in relation both (a) to indirect intercultural exposure through media and (b) to intermittent cultural contact through tourism in Ladakh. Additionally, many Ladakhi students take sojourns in large Indian cities. Like other Eastern populations exposed to cultural globalization, young Ladakhis are influenced by several local and global cultural streams. Within this acculturative process, Ladakhi youth are caught between ambiguous societal pressures toward both tradition and change. Through in-depth interviews, in the present study we investigated the negotiations of eight Ladakhi students’ cultural identity in Leh (Ladakh) and Delhi. In doing so, we drew pragmatically on theories of multiculturalism and dialogical self. Participants reported negotiating their cultural identity through dialogue between various personal, cultural, religious, and social voices, where these voices require selectively incorporating various cultural elements within the parameters established by societal constraints. Results indicate the vast complexity and dynamics within the Ladakhi acculturation process, with multiple interacting cultural streams, religions, and significant sociohistorical factors calling for an in-depth qualitative approach to elucidate the processes underlying globalization-based acculturation.

Alcohol Discourses among Ladakhi Youth in the Context of Acculturation

Alcohol consumption among young people has been a great concern in the West. New research concerning the process of globalisation and acculturation points to a disturbing increase in alcohol consumption in the youth of developing countries, such as India. Research has also shown that discourses and attitudes concerning this problem are of grave importance in regard to the management of this increase. The present study examines the ambiguity found in earlier discourses on alcohol in Ladakh, and then compares it to the empirical findings in a recent survey of alcohol discourses and perceptions among Ladakhi youth. Findings indicate that a vast majority considered there to be an increase in alcohol consumption among the Ladakhi youth, and a majority found this consumption to be problematic. As many Ladakhis reported alcohol usage to be higher for Ladakhis outside of Ladakh, as Ladakhis who reported it to be the same as in Ladakh. A narrow majority blamed the individual for alcohol problems, while most of the young Ladakhis requested a preventive intervention from the Ladakhi society. The perceptions were categorised and thus revealed a continued ambiguity in the attitudes towards alcohol consumption in the context of acculturation among Ladakhi youth.

Capturing violent radicalization: Developing and validating scales measuring central aspects of radicalization

Violent radicalization has emerged as an important topic of theoretical and empirical investigation motivated by the devastating face of terrorism and by the aim of preventing such expressions of extremism. One central aspect of such research inquiries is the foundation of solid measurement. In this article, we develop and validate two generic scales pertaining to (1) endorsement of extremism and (2) acceptance of violent and/or illegal means. In conclusion, the scales yielded sound psychometric properties and cross-cultural equivalence, providing a solid measure of the important aspects of extremism which can be empirically employed in elucidating generic mechanisms of violent radicalization processes.

Identity Processes in Ladakhi Emerging Adults: Testing the Dimensions of Identity Development Scale in an Indigenous Himalayan Population

Identity research has flourished in recent years based on the theoretical foundation proposed by Erikson. Identity development is generally conceptualized as a process occurring through an interplay between the individual and her or his social context. Consequently, one of the challenges facing identity research is to become more culturally sensitive—that is, to examine whether models and theories of identity work as expected in various cultural contexts. Luyckx et al.’s (2008) identity model proposes five identity exploration and commitment processes, and a survey instrument was developed to assess these processes. The current study tests this Dimensions of Identity Development Scale (DIDS) in an indigenous population of emerging adults from Ladakh. Results confirm the central dimensions of identity exploration and commitment. However, the original DIDS structure was not identically replicated in this population, suggesting that identity models should be developed or adapted to the specific sociocultural context.