The Cost of Being “True to Yourself” for Mixed Selves: Frame Switching Leads to Perceived Inauthenticity and Downstream Social Consequences for Biculturals

Abstract

A growing population of biculturals—who identify with at least two cultures—often frame switch, adapting their behavior to their shifting cultural contexts. We demonstrate that frame switching biculturals are perceived as inauthentic by majority Americans and consequently seen as less likable, trustworthy, warm, and competent compared to biculturals who do not frame switch or a neutral control (Studies 1–3, N = 763). In Study 2, describing the bicultural’s behavior as authentic despite its inconsistency partly alleviated the negative effects of frame switching. In our preregistered Study 3, majority American women were less romantically interested in and less willing to date a bicultural who frame switched in his dating profiles (mediated by inauthenticity). The way biculturals negotiate their cultures can have social costs and create a barrier to intercultural relations.

Two or More

“…A key process-focused theory is the transformative theory of multiculturalism, which posits that Multicultural people's characteristics and experiences result not only from the direct influences of each of their cultures, but also from the processes they use to negotiate their cultures (e.g., frame switching; West et al, 2017). To illustrate, recent work finds that one reason why Multicultural people are regarded with suspicion and distrust by White majority monocultural people is not only the mere fact that they hold multiple cultural identities, but specifically because of their cultural frame-switching behavior (West et al, 2017(West et al, , 2021. This transformative approach emphasizes that both the diversity and commonalities of Multicultural people's lived experiences that differentiate them from their monocultural peers can be better understood by studying how the use of different strategies to manage one's multiple cultures affects Multicultural people psychologically and socially.…”

“…Importantly, a person's negotiation strategies are most often unfixed, varying across their lifespan as well as moment to moment in response to external pressures and support. Social interactions with friends, family, and society at large powerfully shape and constrain Multiracial and Multicultural identities, whether through historical or ongoing conflict between their groups or more general messaging that a person can or cannot fully belong to more than one group (West et al, 2021;Yampolsky et al, 2021). For example, discrimination experiences push individuals in both populations toward more fractured identities and can thwart efforts to integrate and find stability in their dual identities (Yampolsky et al, 2015;2020).…”

“…However, much of the past research on Multicultural people has focused on individuals who identify with two cultures. Typically, these have been one mainstream culture (i.e., the culture of the majority group in a given society) and one heritage culture (i.e., the culture of one minority group in a given society), although more recent work has expanded the scope to consider people with more than two cultures (e.g., Downie et al, 2004;Ferguson et al, 2014) and combinations of multiple minority and majority cultures (e.g., West et al, 2021).…”

Authentic for Thee But Not for Me: Perceived Authenticity in Self-Control Conflicts

“…Other people may be more likable when they follow their impulse versus exercise selfcontrol. Indeed, growing evidence on the potential social costs of frame switching (e.g., adapting oneself in accordance with the salient cultural context; Hong & Khei, 2014) suggests that bicultural individuals who frame switch are perceived as inauthentic by majority group members and subsequently less likable, trustworthy, warm, and competent (West et al, 2018(West et al, , 2021. When majority Americans are assured that this frame switching is an authentic expression of the target's identity, this social cost is partially alleviated (West et al, 2021).…”

“…Indeed, growing evidence on the potential social costs of frame switching (e.g., adapting oneself in accordance with the salient cultural context; Hong & Khei, 2014) suggests that bicultural individuals who frame switch are perceived as inauthentic by majority group members and subsequently less likable, trustworthy, warm, and competent (West et al, 2018(West et al, , 2021. When majority Americans are assured that this frame switching is an authentic expression of the target's identity, this social cost is partially alleviated (West et al, 2021). Because frame switching can occur nonconsciously or consciously (Doucerain et al, 2013), it is possible that perceptions of whether frame switching is controlled or impulsive may further impact authenticity judgments, with impulsive switches being viewed as more authentic.…”