The Malleability of Bicultural Identity Integration (BII)

• Main Authors: CHENG, Chi-Ying, LEE, Fiona
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2013
• Subjects: bicultural identity integration (BII); cultural identity; valenced bicultural experiences; malleability; Multicultural Psychology; Personality and Social Contexts
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/1407; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/2663/viewcontent/Malleability_BII_2013_av.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Bicultural Identity Integration (BII), or biculturals’ perceived compatibility between their two cultural identities, has been found to predict a variety of psychological processes and behavioral outcomes. However, it is not clear why biculturals differ in their levels of BII. We suggest that the valence of bicultural experiences influences BII. Furthermore, we predict that biculturals’ level of BII can be changed momentarily by recalling valenced bicultural experiences. An experimental study manipulating recall of positive or negative bicultural experiences found that recalling positive bicultural experiences increased BII, whereas recalling negative bicultural experiences decreased BII. However, recalling experiences irrelevant to bicultural experiences did not change BII. Theoretical and practical implications of the malleability of BII are discussed.