Assimilate vs. Integrate: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
Assimilate: Absorb fully, adapt fully to another culture. Integrate: Combine parts into a whole, including distinct groups in society.
Key Differences
Assimilation often refers to the process of taking in and fully understanding information or ideas. In a cultural context, it pertains to the absorption of a minority group into the dominant culture, sometimes leading to the loss of the minority's cultural identity. Integration, by contrast, usually means the act of combining or adding parts to make a unified whole, retaining individual characteristics within a cohesive structure.
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Nov 23, 2023
When people assimilate, they typically adapt to a new culture and become similar to those in the dominant group, often losing some aspects of their original culture or identity in the process. Integration allows for the coexistence of different cultures or ideas within a society, promoting diversity without requiring individuals to lose their distinct identity.
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Nov 23, 2023
Assimilate and integrate are two concepts that describe how societies or individuals combine elements, but they differ in the level of change required by the minority or incoming elements. Assimilation requires the minority to change to fit the dominant culture, while integration involves adjusting the structure of the society to include the minority without significant changes to their identity.
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Nov 23, 2023
To assimilate is often to conform to a pre-existing structure, absorbing its characteristics so fully that the original form may not be distinguishable. To integrate, however, often suggests the design of a new, inclusive system where all elements are valued for their unique contributions and are essential to the whole.
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Nov 23, 2023
Assimilation can sometimes be involuntary or coerced, particularly in historical contexts, where it has been associated with suppression of minority cultures. Integration, on the other hand, is often voluntary and strategic, aimed at equality and mutual respect among diverse groups, where each retains its unique qualities within a single, functioning system.
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Nov 23, 2023
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Comparison Chart
Definition
To absorb and adopt as one's own
To combine or incorporate parts into a whole
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Cultural Context
Often involves loss of original culture
Encourages maintaining distinct cultural identities
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Process
Unidirectional adoption
Bidirectional or multidirectional combination
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Identity
May result in a singular identity
Promotes a composite of multiple identities
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Nov 23, 2023
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Assimilate and Integrate Definitions
Assimilate
To absorb into the cultural tradition of a population or group.
The immigrants slowly assimilated into the local community.
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Nov 08, 2023
Integrate
In mathematics, to perform the operation of integration, or finding the integral of a function.
The student learned to integrate the function to find the area under the curve.
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Nov 08, 2023
Assimilate
In psychology, to integrate new experiences into the existing cognitive structure.
He assimilated his recent experiences into his personal narrative.
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Nov 08, 2023
Integrate
To make up, combine, or complete to produce a whole or a larger unit, as parts do.
The different departments were integrated to streamline operations.
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Nov 08, 2023
Assimilate
To bring into conformity with the customs, attitudes, etc., of a group, nation, or the like; adapt or adjust.
The new student tried to assimilate with the others by learning their dialect.
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Nov 08, 2023
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Integrate
To make into a whole by bringing all parts together; unify
A report that integrates the findings of previous studies.
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Oct 19, 2023
Assimilate
In biology, to convert (food) to substances suitable for incorporation into the body and its tissues.
Plants assimilate carbon dioxide during photosynthesis.
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Nov 08, 2023
Integrate
To join with something else; unite
A music program that was integrated with the general curriculum.
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Oct 19, 2023
Assimilate
To consume and incorporate (nutrients) into the body after digestion.
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
To make part of a larger unit
Integrated the new procedures into the work routine.
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Oct 19, 2023
Assimilate
To transform (food) into living tissue by the process of anabolism; metabolize constructively.
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
To open (an institution, for example) to people of all races or ethnic groups without restriction; desegregate.
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
To admit (a racial or ethnic group) to equal membership in an institution or society.
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Oct 19, 2023
Assimilate
To absorb (immigrants or a culturally distinct group) into the prevailing culture.
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
(Psychology) To bring about the integration of (personality traits).
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Oct 19, 2023
Assimilate
(transitive) To incorporate nutrients into the body, especially after digestion.
Food is assimilated and converted into organic tissue.
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
To form into one whole; to make entire; to complete; to renew; to restore; to perfect.
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Oct 19, 2023
Assimilate
(transitive) To incorporate or absorb (knowledge) into the mind.
The teacher paused in her lecture to allow the students to assimilate what she had said.
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
To include as a constituent part or functionality.
They were keen to integrate their new skills into the performance.
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Oct 19, 2023
Assimilate
(transitive) To absorb (a person or people) into a community or culture.
The aliens in the science-fiction film wanted to assimilate human beings into their own race.
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
To indicate the whole of; to give the sum or total of; as, an integrating anemometer, one that indicates or registers the entire action of the wind in a given time.
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
(mathematics) To subject to the operation of integration; to find the integral of an equation.
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Oct 19, 2023
Assimilate
(transitive) To bring to a likeness or to conformity; to cause a resemblance between.
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
To desegregate, as a school or neighborhood.
The refugees were well integrated into the community.
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
(genetics) To combine compatible elements in order to incorporate them.
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
To form into one whole; to make entire; to complete; to renew; to restore; to perfect.
Two distinct substances, the soul and body, go to compound and integrate the man.
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
To indicate the whole of; to give the sum or total of; as, an integrating anemometer, one that indicates or registers the entire action of the wind in a given time.
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Oct 19, 2023
Assimilate
To bring to a likeness or to conformity; to cause a resemblance between.
To assimilate our law to the law of Scotland.
Fast falls a fleecy; the downy flakesAssimilate all objects.
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
To subject to the operation of integration; to find the integral of.
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
Make into a whole or make part of a whole;
She incorporated his suggestions into her proposal
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Oct 19, 2023
Assimilate
To appropriate and transform or incorporate into the substance of the assimilating body; to absorb or appropriate, as nourishment; as, food is assimilated and converted into organic tissue.
Hence also animals and vegetables may assimilate their nourishment.
His mind had no power to assimilate the lessons.
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
Open (a place) to members of all races and ethnic groups;
This school is completely desegregated
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
Become one; become integrated;
The students at this school integrate immediately, despite their different backgrounds
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Oct 19, 2023
Assimilate
To change and appropriate nourishment so as to make it a part of the substance of the assimilating body.
Aliment easily assimilated or turned into blood.
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Oct 19, 2023
Assimilate
To be converted into the substance of the assimilating body; to become incorporated; as, some kinds of food assimilate more readily than others.
I am a foreign material, and cannot assimilate with the church of England.
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
To bring together or incorporate (parts) into a whole.
The company plans to integrate the new software into its existing systems.
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Nov 08, 2023
Assimilate
Take up mentally;
He absorbed the knowledge or beliefs of his tribe
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
To unite or combine.
The schools were integrated to allow children of all backgrounds to learn together.
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Nov 08, 2023
Assimilate
Become similar to one's environment;
Immigrants often want to assimilate quickly
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Oct 19, 2023
Integrate
To give equal opportunity and consideration to regardless of race or class.
The community program was designed to integrate minority groups into the workforce.
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Nov 08, 2023
Assimilate
Become similar in sound;
The nasal assimialates to the following consonant
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Oct 19, 2023
Assimilate
To take in and incorporate as one’s own; absorb.
She assimilated the week's events and reflected on them.
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Nov 08, 2023
Repeatedly Asked Queries
What does it mean to assimilate information?
It means to fully absorb and understand information.
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Nov 23, 2023
Can a society assimilate new ideas?
Yes, societies can absorb and adopt new ideas over time.
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Nov 23, 2023
Can assimilate be used in a biological context?
Yes, organisms assimilate nutrients to incorporate them into their bodies.
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Nov 23, 2023
What does it mean to assimilate into society?
It means to adopt the norms and customs of a society, often losing distinct cultural traits.
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Nov 23, 2023
What does integrate mean in a social context?
It means combining different groups within a society while maintaining their unique identities.
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Nov 23, 2023
Is integration a process that respects diversity?
Yes, it involves creating an inclusive environment that values diversity.
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Nov 23, 2023
Is integration important in education?
Yes, integration in education promotes diversity and equal opportunities for all students.
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Nov 23, 2023
Can systems or policies be integrated?
Yes, systems or policies can be combined to function cohesively.
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Nov 23, 2023
Can food be assimilated?
Yes, in biology, food is assimilated when it's converted into tissue.
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Nov 23, 2023
Do integrate and assimilate mean the same thing?
No, they imply different processes of combining or adopting characteristics.
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Nov 23, 2023
What is cultural assimilation?
It's the process by which a person or group's language and/or culture come to resemble another's.
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Nov 23, 2023
Is assimilate often voluntary or involuntary?
It can be either, depending on context.
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Nov 23, 2023
Can integration be applied in technology?
Yes, different technologies can be integrated to work as a unified system.
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Nov 23, 2023
Is integrate often used in mathematics?
Yes, it refers to the process of finding the integral in calculus.
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Nov 23, 2023
Can you assimilate into a new job?
Yes, by adopting the company's culture and norms.
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Why is integration crucial in urban planning?
It ensures diverse communities are designed to live together harmoniously.
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Nov 23, 2023
Are assimilate and integrate always positive?
Not necessarily; the context and manner in which they occur can determine their positivity or negativity.
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Nov 23, 2023
Does assimilation require changing one's identity?
Often, it involves changing or losing some aspects of one's original identity.
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Nov 23, 2023
Can integration lead to equality?
Ideally, integration aims at equality by including all parts of society without bias.
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Nov 23, 2023
Does assimilation happen quickly?
It can vary, sometimes occurring rapidly or over generations.
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Nov 23, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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