Acculturation to Western Culture in the Youth of Islamabad.

Abstract

This study aims to examine the relation of western culture influencing different aspects of native culture in the youth of Islamabad. This research intends to see how the youth of Islamabad may get influenced by acculturation since youth comprise half of the population of Pakistan which tends to hold the future of this country. A sample of 15 participants consisting of 8 females and 7 males of age between 15 to 24 years old from different sectors of Islamabad were obtained. The main objective of this study was to explore the impacts of acculturation in different areas of life for example, from attire to food, from thinking patterns to mental health, from lifestyle to language, and from every day-to-day activity to identity crises. The study explored that mostly female respondents were highly influenced by western culture and inferiority complex have been observed in them whereas males were not affected by western culture, and they are closer to their native values. It was hypothesized that both genders would be affected the same through this change, but study entails the different results. This qualitative study helped in understanding the viewpoint of respondents regarding the adoption of western culture and how the youth of Islamabad has taken it either into a positive or negative context. The research study will be beneficial in giving an insight into acculturation in other parts of Pakistan. Furthermore, the study also hopes to make remarkable support for the understanding and importance of native culture by recognizing the opinions of respondents and it will also help contribute to the literature on acculturation to western culture for future research to be conducted on this subject