The supporting and impeding effects of group-related approach and avoidance strategies on newcomers’ psychological adaptation

Migrating to another country makes a person a newcomer in the receiving society. The current research investigates the impact of group-related approach and avoidance strategies on the psychological functioning of newcomers in the receiving society. Research in the interpersonal domain has demonstrated that approach strategies have positive effects and avoidance strategies negative effects on people's well-being. We propose that in an intercultural context group-related approach strategies also lead to a higher extent of well-being. Moreover, we expect that people's attitude to contact and (dis)identification account for this effect. As in the interpersonal domain, group-related avoidance strategies are expected to lead to lower well-being. More specifically, we predict that avoidance strategies facilitate disidentification, which, in turn, affects well-being negatively. Moreover, disidentification, being an unsuccessful integration into the group, is predicted to induce stronger achievement effort as a compensation for unsuccessful integration. A longitudinal study with 51 German first-year students in the Netherlands mainly confirmed these predictions. However, the predicted mediation was not found for avoidance strategies. Results are discussed with reference to approach/avoidance literature and acculturation research. The findings underline the importance of early strategy adoption to ensure long-term psychological functioning of migrants in the receiving society.