There are many theories on what cross-cultural integration is.
Some say one needs to adapt to the new culture, but what does it mean to adapt? What is integration? Is it becoming like the people in the country? Is it acquiring the same values and beliefs of the country? Would that be psychologically good for the foreigner?
Like the fish in the bowl, often a person is not aware of the impact of their own culture on their subconscious programs, unless they have lived abroad and done personal growth work; they are often not aware of how their culture has shaped their understanding of the world, how people ’should’ be or behave, how they ’should’ lead their life. Being not aware, they are not free, nor connected with who they truly are.
In my opinion saying that a foreigner needs to become like the people of the country in order to integrate is the ‘easy answer’, and it can cause psychological imbalances in the person, as I have seen in expat clients.
Successful integration is a much more complex and flexible process - to adapt and remain true to oneself at the same time.
Saying that the expat would need to acquire the same values and beliefs might cause in the expat denial of who they are and increase of their shadow. If we do not integrate all of who we are, and be who we are, we will hold negativity within ourselves, and we will cause pain for ourselves and contribute to the global negativity.
Perhaps the SOULution is that we all do personal growth work to free from our cultural programming, connect with who we truly are, embrace our shadow and so discover that we are all one at the level of the Soul, that there are common values we all hold, because that is who we are - Love.