with mainstream " WASPs," Americans remain hyphenated;
Greek-Americans, Irish-Americans, and so forth.

This reality constitutes a paradox: an Anglo-dominant soci-
ety comprised of culturally divergent ethnic groups who have
preserved to a greater or lesser degree their "old-world" tradi-
tional identities.

This issue has come into sharper relief in the more recent
past. In the decade 1980-1990, more than eight million immi-
grants, predominantly Asians and Hispanics, have immigrated
to the United States. This new wave of immigration was made
possible by the 1965 Immigration Act, which increased the
quotas allowed from these parts of the world. Cultural diversity
has again become a vital issue, drawing the attention of the busi-
ness and educational communities. The demographics of this
country have been markedly altered by this new wave of immi-
gration. In the Los Angeles area, for example, ethnics -- that is,
Asians, Hispanics, and blacks -- outnumber the white, Cauca-
sian population. ² This sociological "paradox" has its psycho-
logical counterpart. Psychologists and anthropologists have
labeled it acculturation stress. In order to survive economically
and socially, immigrants must adapt to the sociocultural reality
they find here. This means learning new ways of thinking, feel-
ing, and acting, thereby giving up the old ways they brought
with them. This is a complex process at best, since giving up the
old ways can mean denying one's cultural heritage and thereby
one's identity. This in turn can lead to anomie and despair.

There are those who tenaciously hold on to their traditional
customs and remain ensconced in ethnic ghettos, having only
minimal contact with nonethnics or mainstream society. Oth-
ers, however, are highly motivated to succeed economically and
socially in "American" mainstream terms and embrace the
American Dream for success. They work hard, are upwardly
mobile socially, and send their children to college so that they
can enjoy a better life than they had been able to as immigrants

-2-