Psychological privilege and ethnocentrism as barriers to cross-cultural adjustment and effective intercultural interaction

The increased occurrence of intercultural contact necessitates a better understanding of why sojourner assignments and expatriate positions often result in the traveler returning home early. Furthermore, increasing diversity within individual locales further mandates a better understanding of how to facilitate effective intercultural interactions. This paper proposes that a better understanding of home country privilege, and of the pervasiveness of ethnocentric world views when working abroad or with others who are somehow ''different,'' may impede one's probability of adjustment and subsequently of success. It is suggested that interventions and training programs geared toward improving the success rates of intercultural relationships should rely less on models that reinforce ethnocentricity and attend more to developing bicultural and multicultural identities in potential sojourners. The ethnic identity literature is reviewed in order to understand how a bi- or even multi-cultural identity may develop. Furthermore, it is suggested that tools for coping and succeeding in novel cultures may be revealed by examining the bicultural life experiences and strategies used by minority group members within the American cultural context.