Home, half a world away: the cultural logic of acculturation among Indian international students at Colorado State University

Abstract

In this thesis I contend that Indian international students at Colorado State University strive to adjust to life in the United States in accordance with a cognitive "model" of what being well-adjusted entails. This model of being well-adjusted is culture-specific and reflects a negotiation between Indian cultural values and the challenges of life as a CSU student. This cultural logic of adjustment configures subjective well-being in a context-specific way, meaning individuals who are more able to map onto the cultural model of being well-adjusted are likely to experience better subjective well-being than those who are unable. I suggest that accounting for the cultural patterning of acculturation is a step towards a more nuanced understanding of the adjustment process of international students. Additionally, this approach provides a more emic picture of the dynamics of subjective well-being among groups of international students.