Angela-MinhTu D. Nguyen

Biculturalism and Adjustment A Meta-Analysis

Biculturalism (having two cultures) is a growing social phenomenon that has received considerable attention in psychology in the last decade; however, the issue of what impact (if any) biculturalism has on individuals’ adjustment remains empirically unclear. To answer this question, we conducted a meta-analysis that included 83 studies, 322 rs, and 23,197 participants. Results based on the random-effects approach show a significant, strong, and positive association between biculturalism and adjustment (both psychological and sociocultural). This biculturalism- adjustment link is stronger than the association between having one culture (dominant or heritage) and adjustment. Thus, our results clearly invalidate early sociological accounts of this phenomenon, which portrayed bicultural individuals as “marginal” and stumped between two worlds. Analyses also indicate that the association between biculturalism and adjustment is moderated by how acculturation is measured, the adjustment domain, and sample characteristics.

Bicultural Identity Integration

Given the growing numbers of bicultural individuals in the United States and around the world, bicultural identity integration (BII) is an important construct that helps researchers to better capture the diversity within this group. In this chapter, we organize and summarize the limited literature on individual differences in bicultural identity, with a special focus on BII. First, we discuss and define biculturalism and cultural identity in general. Second, we introduce individual differences in bicultural identity and the ways in which these differences have been studied. Third, we define BII, summarize research on this construct, and introduce the latest applications of BII theory to other areas of identity research. In unpacking the construct of BII, we first define it along with its components (harmony and blendedness) and nomological network. We also discuss what we believe to be the process involved in integrating one’s dual cultural identities. We then present correlates of BII, including self-group personality perceptions, culturally related behaviors and values, and sociocultural and psychological adjustment. Finally, we discuss how BII relates to other important social-cognitive constructs, such as cultural frame switching or code switching. We end with a brief overview of the latest applications of BII theory (e.g., to gay identity) and suggestions for future research on bicultural identity. In summary, our goal for this chapter is to introduce BII and to help readers understand the importance of culture in identity.

Bicultural Identity and Self/Group Personality Perceptions

In two samples of Latino biculturals, we examined the link between bicultural identity integration (BII; degree of compatibility vs. opposition perceived between ethnic and mainstream cultural orientations; Benet-Martínez & Haritatos, 2005) and the psychological overlap/distance between the personality traits ascribed to the self, a typical Latino, and a typical Anglo American. As predicted, BIIs component of blendedness (vs. distance) was consistently and positively associated with higher overlap between personality ratings of the self and a typical Latino, the self and a typical Anglo American, and a typical Latino and a typical Anglo American. Also as predicted, results with BIIs component of harmony (vs. conflict) were not robust. Overall, our results suggest that biculturals with integrated cultural identities have social perceptions of themselves and their cultural in-groups that are closely aligned together, supporting social identity theory.

The Role of Acculturation in the Mentoring-Career Satisfaction Model for Asian/Pacific Islander American University Faculty

This study aimed to test the generalizability of the mentoring-career satisfaction relationship from European Americans to Asian/Pacific Islander American (APIA) faculty and to examine acculturation as a possible moderator. Faculty (N = 139) from four large public universities in California completed self-report surveys on mentoring, career satisfaction, and acculturation. Results suggest that the relationship generalizes to APIA faculty and that acculturation plays a role in the model, though not as hypothesized. Although acculturation did not moderate the relationship between mentoring and career satisfaction, it predicted mentoring (via an interaction) and career satisfaction (for participants born overseas) individually. Protégés using particular acculturation strategies reported a greater extent of mentoring from mentors of certain ethnic groups. In addition, participants who were born overseas and are more oriented to their API culture reported greater career satisfaction. Our results suggest that researchers should consider cultural variables, such as acculturation, when studying APIAs or when working with APIAs.

The Interplay Between Bicultural Blending and Dual Language Acquisition

Bilingual individuals acquire their two languages either simultaneously or sequentially, which relates to how these languages are stored and represented in the brain. Because language is used to transmit culture, bilinguals’ mode of dual language acquisition may also relate to different perceptions of the corresponding two cultures as blended and fused versus separate and compartmentalized. With a sample of English–Spanish bilingual Mexican Americans (N = 149), we found that compound bilinguals (simultaneous dual language acquisition) blended their two cultures to a greater extent than coordinate bilinguals (sequential dual language acquisition), and this finding remained even after controlling for generation status. Our study highlights the interplay of language and culture, particularly the importance of the process of cultural learning and language acquisition to the bicultural experience.

Measuring variations in bicultural identity across U.S. ethnic and generational groups: Development and validation of the Bicultural Identity Integration Scale—Version 2 (BIIS-2).

Bicultural Identity Integration (BII) is an individual difference construct that captures variations in the experience of biculturalism. Using multiple samples in a series of steps, we refined BII measurement and then tested the construct in a diverse sample of bicultural individuals. Specifically, we wrote new BII items based on qualitative data (n = 108), examined the quality of the new measure using subject-matter experts (n = 23) and bicultural individuals (n = 5), and then collected validation data from bicultural college students (n = 1049). We used exploratory factor analyses to select items and explore BIIS-2 structure with a random subset of the larger sample (n = 600), confirmatory factor analyses to show that the factor structure fit the data well (n = 449), and multigroup confirmatory factor analyses to demonstrate measurement invariance in two ethnic and two generational groups. Results showed that the Bicultural Identity Integration Scale–Version 2 (BIIS-2) yielded reliable and stable scores. The data also revealed interesting and important patterns of associations with theoretically relevant constructs: personality, acculturation, and psychological well-being. Additionally, structural equation models confirmed that in general, personality and acculturation variables influence individuals’ experiences with their dual cultural identities, which in turn influence adjustment, but there were interesting and important generational differences in how these variables were related. These findings lend support for the validity of BIIS-2 score interpretations; add to our understanding of the sociocultural, personality, and adjustment correlates of the bicultural experience; and have important implications for understanding the well-being of bicultural individuals.