Bicultural Identity, Bilingualism, and Psychological Adjustment in Multicultural Societies: Immigration‐Based and Globalization‐Based Acculturation

Abstract

The present investigation examined the impact of bicultural identity, bilingualism, and social context on the psychological adjustment of multicultural individuals. Our studies targeted three distinct types of biculturals: Mainland Chinese immigrants in Hong Kong, Filipino domestic workers (i.e., sojourners) in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese college students. Individual differences in Bicultural Identity Integration (BII; Benet-Martínez, Leu, Lee, & Morris, 2002) positively predicted psychological adjustment for all the samples except sojourners even after controlling for the personality traits of neuroticism and self-efficacy. Cultural identification and language abilities also predicted adjustment, although these associations varied across the samples in meaningful ways. We concluded that, in the process of managing multiple cultural environments and group loyalties, bilingual competence, and perceiving one's two cultural identities as integrated are important antecedents of beneficial psychological outcomes.

Acculturation and Self-Rated Health among Latino and Asian Immigrants to the United States

“…Rather, we are informed by Alejandro Portes and Ruben Rumbault (2001) who have advanced a theory of selective acculturation where immigrants use strong social support networks as protection against discrimination and for assistance with navigating the U.S. educational system and labor market to achieve upward assimilation through bilingualism and biculturalism. This contention is supported by scholarship in psychology finding that strong proficiency in both languages reflects a "cultural flexibility," which is beneficial for psycho-social wellbeing by allowing bilingual immigrants to more easily navigate the culture of sending and receiving countries (Chen, Benet-Martínez, and Bond 2008;Lang et al 1982;Ying 1995). Altogether, this scholarship suggests that bilingual immigrants may be able to retain social support from coethnics while also having the language skills necessary to advance economically and form ties with nativeborn Americans, and our findings show that these advantages should extend to better self-rated health.…”

Conceptualizing psychological processes in response to globalization: Components, antecedents, and consequences of global orientations.

“…Sojourners, such as international students, experience similar life changes and acculturative stressors while settling in a foreign country, and also display acculturation trajectories over time (e.g., Rasmi, Safdar, & Lewis, 2009;Smith & Khawaja, 2011 Conceiving of globalization as a process that requires a form of acculturation suggests implications for psychological well-being. It has been found that in the process of acculturation, psychological adjustment arises from the interplay of individual differences in bicultural identity (e.g., BII, dual cultural identification) and bicultural competencies (e.g., bilingual proficiency) among individuals exposed to and/or influenced by two cultures in a variety of acculturating contexts (Chen et al, 2008;Chen et al, 2013). Therefore, subjective perceptions of one's dual cultural identities as integrated and compatible are an important antecedent of beneficial psychological outcomes.…”

“…Globalization can be understood as a form of acculturation to foreign, non-local cultures GLOBAL ORIENTATIONS 6 (Chen, Benet-Martínez, & Bond, 2008). In this process, people come into contact with individuals, groups, and practices from other cultures and are acculturated to values, beliefs, and behaviors of other cultures (Gibson, 2001;Schwartz, Unger, Zamboanga, & Szapocznik, 2010;Sussman, 2010).…”

Migration and Multiculturalism

“…The variety of migration contexts, in terms of countries of origin and receiving societies, of migration history, of duration of residence and political grievances, gives rise to a wide range of possible migrant identity configurations and forms of interdependence between migrant groups and receiving societies. Contemporary migrant identities combine cultural origins in different ways and thus give rise to new and complex identities, described as multiple, mixed, hybrid or hyphenated identities (Ashmore, Deaux, McLaughlin-Volpe, 2004;Chen, Benet-Martinez, & Bond, 2008;Phinney, 1990;2005a; see also Huddy, Chapter 25).…”