Few studies have assessed potential underlying mechanisms related to vocational identity development. Informed by goal-setting and self-regulatory theories, this study ( N = 286 young adults; mean age = 20.5 years) tested the relationship between vocational identity and career goal–performance discrepancy (i.e., the appraisal that unsatisfactory progress is being made in one’s career) and assessed the process roles of willingness/unwillingness to compromise (as mediator) and career calling (as moderator) in this relationship. As expected, we found that a stronger vocational identity was associated with less willingness to compromise and fewer perceptions of career-related discrepancy and that willingness to compromise partially mediated the relationship between vocational identity and career goal–performance discrepancy. Additionally, career calling strengthened the negative relationship (i.e., moderated) between vocational identity and willingness to compromise and strengthened the negative relationship (i.e., moderated the mediation effect) between vocational identity and career goal–performance discrepancy.

Rates of international migration and intercultural marriage are rising. Migrants and intercultural partners may experience challenges in defining their ethnic identity relative to their own heritage culture, their partner's heritage culture, and the majority culture of their country of residence. The current study examined Chinese and Western ethnic identification and relationship satisfaction in four cultural combinations of couples: Western-Western (Western male-Western female), Chinese-Chinese (Chinese male-Chinese female), Western male-Chinese female, and Chinese male-Western female. All couples were residing in Brisbane, Australia, a multicultural city with a majority Western culture. Intracultural couples (Western-Western and Chinese-Chinese) reported the strongest ethnic identification with their heritage culture and weakest ethnic identification with their nonheritage culture, whereas intercultural couples (Western male-Chinese female and Chinese male-Western female) demonstrated intermediate identification. Greater similarity between partners on ethnic identification with the majority Western culture of Australia predicted greater relationship satisfaction, but there was no association of relationship satisfaction with partner similarity on Chinese ethnic identification. We discuss patterns of ethnic identification in terms of acculturation of immigrants, the selection of partners who are similar in ethnic identification, and accommodation of individuals' ethnic identification toward their partner's ethnic identification.