Kim argues that all human beings experience conformity as they move into a new and culturally unfamiliar environment and that they do so by "unlearning" who they were originally.
The concept, cross-cultural adaptation, refers to a process in and through which an individual achieves an increasing level of psychological and functional fitness with respect to the receiving environment.
Kim's theory postulates a zero-sum process whereby assimilation or "adaptation" occurs only to the extent that the newcomer lose the characteristics of their original cultural identity, such as language, customs, beliefs and values.
In addition to studying groups of immigrants, Young Yun Kim researched groups of students studying abroad in the United States, as well as international students in Japan, Korean expatriates in the United States and American expatriates in South Korea.
[2] Kim states that there are five key "missing links" in cross-cultural adaptation literature, which her theory attempts to cover:[5] All human beings are born into an unfamiliar environment and are brought up to become part of a culture.
Establish forums where people can freely express their thoughts and experiences in order to promote a culture that values and listens to a variety of viewpoints.
[3] This portion of Kim's theory focuses on the stress that inevitably accompanies a cross-cultural move, as the individual strives to retain aspects of their old culture while also attempting to integrate into the new one.
[citation needed] People handle this change in various ways, to include avoidance, denial, and withdrawal, as well as regression into pre-existing habits in order to eliminate discomfort in the new environment.
The stress adaptation growth dynamic, therefore, is not a linear process but a back and forth endeavor that will entail periods of regression and subsequent progression.
This relies on decoding, or the capacity of strangers to receive and process information, as well as encoding, or the designing and executing mental plans in initiating or responding to messages.
It entails looking at the interactions, information sharing, and linkages people from different ethnic backgrounds make both inside their communities and with other groups.
This takes into account the mental, emotional, and motivational readiness to deal with the new environment, including understanding of the new language and culture.