In order to increase the understanding on whatdetermines health among immigrants, ethnic minoritiesand indigenous people concepts as acculturation, identityand sense of coherence (SOC) have become centralfor the analysis. The process of acculturation and theassociated concepts of integration, assimilation,marginalization and separation have often been referredto when describing the health of immigrants andindigenous, of which integration has been considered toprovide the better conditions for good health. The aim ofthis study is to explore the mutual relations between theconcepts of acculturation, SOC and identity by an abductivereasoning based on an investigation on a group ofSami regarding their cultural and ethnic self‐identification.By this explorative approach the study also seek totouch upon some of the relevant neighboring conceptssuch as cultural memory and position them among themore established social determinants of health. Thestudy demonstrates that coherence as a psychosocialcharacteristic is appearing in different concepts andmodels in the area of acculturation and cognitivedevelopment as well as in cultural memory. It has anintra‐individual dimension expressed in the theories ofcognitive development and cultural memory and interindividual,social dimension noticeable in SOC and theprocess of acculturation. The mutual correspondence ofthese structures of thought, values and perspectiveshave yet to be clarified and understood, especially inrelation to health.