Veronica Benet-Martinez University of California at Riverside, USA

Veronica Benet-Martinez University of California at Riverside, USA
Culture and Personality Processes: Conceptual and Methodological Issues Veronica Benet-Martinez University of California at Riverside, USA Universitat Rovira i Virgili March 23-25, 2010

DAY 3 Biculturalism: Dynamic Interplay of Cultural Identity, Language, and Personality *Required Readings: Nguyen, A.M, & Benet-Martínez, V. (2007). Biculturalism unpacked: Components, individual differences, measurement, and outcomes. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 1, Benet-Martínez, V., & Haritatos, J. (2005). Bicultural Identity Integration (BII): Components and socio-personality antecedents. Journal of Personality, 73,

Biculturalism: The Dynamic Interplay of Cultural Identity, Language, and Personality

WHO IS BICULTURAL/MULTICULTURAL:
Any individual who has been exposed to and internalized two or more sets of cultural systems (e.g., beliefs, values, behaviors, languages) Immigrants Ethnic minorities Refugees Sojourners Indigenous/colonized people People in cross-cultural relationships People multi(lingual/cultural) nations BROADLY speaking, a bicultural is ….. -traditionally, biculturalism is understood in terms of immigrants and ethnic minorities but biculturals can also be ….

OUR INCLUSION CRITERIA: Individual who:
Self-identifies as ‘bicultural’ Has lived 5 or more years in each culture (for non-US born) Has moderate-high identification with each culture Has moderate-high linguistic proficiency in each language More narrow definition

SO here are the main 3 questions we try to answer in the bicultural lab at UCR

Why study biculturalism.  2002 U. S
Why study biculturalism?  2002 U.S. Census: 56 million immigrants and their children (20% population)  Globalization: Culture no longer bound to geopolitical boundaries  Biculturals: Perfect quasi-experimental design to manipulate culture and observe its effects on behavior =Why study biculturalism: -given the Census data: accordingly 20% Americans (1/5) have been exposed to and identify with at leas one other culture in addition to US culture. Not including 3-4 gener. many of whom also identify with a second culture. Feb 2005: foreign-born population = 35 millions -Globalization: with the speed of travel and communication and media, cultural exposure is not longer bound to partic. geographical or geopolitical boundaries -Third methodological reason: biculurals, by virtue of having two cultures, allow researchers to manipulate culture to see its effects on behavior

BICULTURALISM surrounds us
… in popular media and the arts Biculturalism (or multiculturalism) certainly seems to be EVERYWHERE and is represented in -popular media with movies like X and TV shows like X -the arts (3 different artists portraying the duality of their cultural background)

BICULTURALISM -popular literature like the book X (wonderful book) -cultural studies … in both popular and academic (i.e., cultural studies) literatures

BICULTURALISM … in leadership
Biculturalism is starting to be represented EVEN in leadership .. bicultural/biracial individual (BARAK OBAMA) is the president The son of a Kenyan and an American, he studied the Quran in his youth and as an adult he was baptized. [Africa, Hawaii, Indonesia; African dad, Midwestern mom] … in leadership

Why are bicultural individuals excluded in most traditional cross-cultural work?  Field’s emphasis on documenting cultural differences (vs. processes) by comparing mono-cultural samples  Traditional (static, trait-like) definitions of culture and acculturation (culture as a chronic, uniform and domain-general worldview) vs. dynamic constructivist approach (culture as an organized set of schemas; Hong et al., 2000). =As I mentioned earlier, biculturals have been traditionally texcluded from most cultural work for 2 reasons: -emphasis on identifiying cultural differences which calls for monocultural designs where diffs are maximized -reliance on definition of culture like a trait (e.g., someone cannot be both high and low on individualism or extraversion) vs. constructivist approach proposed by Hong where culture is composed of somewhat discrete tools or schemas that the bicultural individual can choose from or combine in partic. ways

SOCIO-COGNITIVE APPROACH TO CULTURE à Culture as shared meaning-systems: sets of ideas, values, beliefs, emotions organized in associative networks, schemas, and implicit theories à domain-specificity of schemas: Culture as a “toolkit” à Individuals can posses more than one cultural meaning-system à Culture guides behavior only when the relevant meaning systems are cognitively available, accessible, and applicable. (Higgins, 1996)

EXAMPLE: BICULTURAL CHINESE-AMERICAN
Chinese-American bicultural individuals have both Chinese and American cultural schemas available. The Chinese (American) cultural cues will heighten the accessibility of the Chinese (American) cultural schema. Subsequently, these individuals will apply the more accessible cultural schema if the the schema is applicable to the task at hand.

Consequences of biculturalism? [impact]
OUR MAIN QUESTIONS : How do individuals who have internalized more than one culture navigate between their different and (often opposing) cultural orientations? [dynamics] How are biculturals’ two identities organized? [structure + indiv. differences] Consequences of biculturalism? [impact] SO here are the main 3 questions we try to answer in the bicultural lab at UCR

1. BICULTURALISM: DYNAMICS
So how do biculturals navigate through their two cultural worlds?

Cultural Frame-Switching (CFS) in Biculturals Hong, Morris, Chiu, & Benet-Martinez (2000). American Psychologist  Biculturals have two sets of cultural schemas  Biculturals navigate through their cultural worlds by switching between different cultural interpretive frames (e.g., cognitive, affective and motivational schemas) in response to cultural cues =The first attempt at modeling the processes involved in bicultural identity is conducted by Hong and colleagues -they showed that biculturals indeed have 2 sets of cultural schemas or lenses -they can switch between different cultural lenses in response to appropriate cultural cues in the context

Cultural Frame-Switching (CFS)  Biculturals navigate through their cultural worlds by switching between different cultural interpretive frames or meaning systems (e.g., cognitive, affective and motivational schemas) in response to cultural cues To explain how biculturals navigate through their two different cultural words we proposed the construct of CFS -i.e. biculturals switch between different cultural interpretive frames or lenses in response to the appropriate cultural cues in the context So when placed in an ambiguos social event, the partic cultural cues of the situation will activate (consciously or unconsciously) the appropriate meaning system that in turn guides behavior and elicits culture-appropriate responses Hong, Morris, Chiu & Benet-Martinez (2000). Multicultural Minds. American Psychologist Hong, Benet-Martinez, Chiu & Morris ( 2003). Boundaries of Cultural Influence. JCCP

Cultural Frame-Switching in Biculturals: Evidence [Hong, Chiu, Morris, & Benet-Martinez, 2000; Hong, Benet-Martinez, Chiu & Morris, 2003] 4 studies, Chinese-American bicultural samples from Hong-Kong and US Manipulation: Activation of US or Chinese cultural meaning system by priming Dep. Variable: Strength of external-internal attributions (explanations given to an ambiguous social event) US/ANGLO PRIMES BEHAVIOR: CHINESE PRIMES STRONGER INTERNAL ATTRIBUTIONS (American-consistent behavior) WEAKER INTERNAL ATTRIBUTIONS (Chinese-consistent behavior)

AMERICAN & CHINESE CULTURAL ICONS
(cover story 1: How people describe cultures)

CHINESE CONDITION

AMERICAN CONDITION

NEUTRAL CONDITION geometric figures or landscapes

AFTER PICTURES: “WRITE AN ESSAY ABOUT CHINESE (AMERICAN) CULTURE”  to ensure activation of their Chinese or American cultural meaning system (i.e., facilitate accessibility of cultural implicit theories)

Attributional Task (ambiguous social event)
=classic stimuli used by Morris, Ellsworth & others in Michigan (proximity to the great lakes) -ambigous=devoid of gender, cultural, racial cues; no particular situation or internal factors -unambigous= individual vs. group

INTERNAL---------------------------------------------------------------------------------EXTERNAL
ATTRIBUTIONS

RESULTS

CFS --SUMMARY:  biculturals have multiple cultural meaning systems and can move between them in response to cultural cues CFS boundary conditions: Hong, Benet-Martinez, Chiu & Morris (2003)

INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
2. BICULTURAL IDENTITY: STRUCTURE & INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES The second question we are interested on is HOW ARE BICULTURALS TWO IDENTITIES ORGANIZED ? INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES?

“What does being bicultural mean to you?”
“Being ‘bicultural’ makes me feel special and confused. Special because it adds to my identity: I enjoy my Mexican culture, I feel that it is rich in tradition, morality, and beauty; Confused because I have been in many situations where I feel being both cultures isn’t an option. My cultures have very different views on things like dating and marriage. I feel like you have to choose one or the other.” -- 19 year old 2nd generation Mexican-American “I feel extremely special and proud to be part of another culture…my life is enriched by both cultures and I’d probably be less of a person today if I were not Indian… I am an Indian-American, if I could be born again, I’d choose to be bicultural.” -- 21 year old 1st generation Indian-American quotes illustrate that biculturalism can be associated with feelings of pride, uniqueness, and a rich sense of community and history, while also bringing to mind identity confusion, dual expectations, and value clashes. EMERGING THEMES: pride, uniqueness, rich sense of community and history AND identity confusion, dual expectations, and value clashes.

“Compatible” Cultural Identities “Oppositional” Cultural Identities
BICULTURAL IDENTITY INTEGRATION (BII) JCCP: Benet-Martinez et al., 2002; JRP: Haritatos & Benet-Martinez, 2002; JP: Benet-Martinez & Haritatos, Degree of compatibility and fluidity (vs. conflict and dissociation) perceived between the ethnic and mainstream cultures “Compatible” Cultural Identities Unconflicted identities Co-exist “I am both” “I am Mexican-American” Fluid view of culture (similarities, change, complementarity) Biculturalism as an asset (“it gives you a wider repertoire of behaviors”) “Oppositional” Cultural Identities Conflicting identities Dissociation “I am just a Chinese in America” “maybe neither ?…” Essentialist view of culture (differences, static, polarization) Biculturalism as a challenge (“you have to choose?” “have to be hyper-vigilant as to how to behave”) -both types endorse Berry’s integration and are only moderately related (.0-.3) to length of stay in the US HIGH BII LOW BII

BIIS-P: Oppositional vs. Compatible
How well does the statement below describe your own experiences as a bicultural? “I am a bicultural who keeps American and Chinese cultures separate and feels conflicted about these two cultures. I am simply a Chinese who lives in America (vs. a Chinese-American), and I feel as someone who is caught between two cultures.” 1 (definitely not true) to 8 (definitely true)

-these two dimensions are independent: 4 types of biculturals
-bicultural individual could perceive his/her ethnic and mainstream cultural orientations to be relatively dissociated but not feel that they clash with each other; or alternatively, subscribe to a combined or hyphenated identity but also feel that the two identities are somewhat conflictual -in the rest of my talk, when I use the term low BII I refer to being low on Blendedness or Harmony or both

BICULTURAL IDENTITY INTEGRATION (BII) Degree of compatibility and overlap (vs. conflict and dissociation) perceived between one’s ethnic and mainstream cultural orientations 2 COMPONENTS: Cultural Blendedness (overlap vs. compartmentalization) Cultural Harmony (compatibility vs. clash) After conducting an extensive literature review of the limited acculturation literature on bicultural identity and some qualitative studies where we asked biculturals to talk about their cognitive and affective associations with regard to the intersection of their two cultural identities -we proposed the construct of BICULTURAL IDENTITY INTEGRATION B= cultural ids are perceived as hyphenated, blended vs. compartm and dissociated H= ids are perceived as harmonious and compatible vs. clashing or conflicting Benet-Martinez & Haritatos (2005). Journal of Personality. Haritatos & Benet-Martinez (2002). Journal of Research in Personality

BIIS-2 N = 1,052 biculturals (UC Riverside) 337 Latinos
511 Asian-American 78 African-American 105 European-American 18 Native-American 160 other *365 first generation, 587 second generation, 42 third generation, 45 fourth generation or beyond

-these two dimensions are independent: 4 types of biculturals
-bicultural individual could perceive his/her ethnic and mainstream cultural orientations to be relatively dissociated but not feel that they clash with each other; or alternatively, subscribe to a combined or hyphenated identity but also feel that the two identities are somewhat conflictual -in the rest of my talk, when I use the term low BII I refer to being low on Blendedness or Harmony or both

BIIS-2: Two-Factor Model
Harmony vs. Conflict Parcel 1 Parcel 2 Parcel 3 Parcel 4 Blendedness vs. Compart. Parcel 5 Parcel 6 .80 .81 .83 .75 .64 .77 .46 .34 .31 .44 .60 .42 .35 1 .37 Parcel 7

Measurement Invariance of BIIS-2 across Ethnic Groups
Note. Asian American: N = 493. Latino: N = 280.

Measurement Invariance of BIIS-2 across Generation Groups
Note. First generation: N = 361. Second generation: N = 583.

LOW BII: Predictors: External  Acculturation Stressors (+linguistic, +interpersonal, +discrimination, +cultural isolation) Internal  Personality traits (+Neuroticism, -Openness) Outcomes: * Anxiety & depression symptoms (+) =Our work suggest that variations in BII are driven by external factors (acculturation stress) and internal factors (personality) =Even after controlling for these antecedents, BII predicts adjustment Benet-Martinez & Haritatos (2005). Journal of Personality. Haritatos & Benet-Martinez (2002). Journal of Research in Personality Cheng, Benet-Martinez & Bond (in press). Journal of Personality

CFI = .99, RMSEA = .07

N=94 2nd generation multi-ethnic biculturals
The prior processes can be replicated with older generations and other ethnic groups. Aslo, why should we care about BII, do they predict some meaningful aspect of biculurals’ lives? =biculturals with high levels of cultural conflict report higher levels of anxiety and depression =but distance doesn’t affect SWB suggesting that conflict captures affective component of acculturation while distance (comportmentalization) captures a more perceptual one =BII mediates the relationship between acculturation stress and SWB CFI = .98, RMSEA = .049

Benet-Martinez, Haritatos, & Santana (under review)

LOW BII: Predictors: External  Acculturation Stressors (+linguistic, +interpersonal, +discrimination, +cultural isolation) Internal  Personality traits (+Neuroticism, -Openness) Outcomes: * Anxiety & depression symptoms (+) =Our work suggest that variations in BII are driven by external factors (acculturation stress) and internal factors (personality) =Even after controlling for these antecedents, BII predicts adjustment Benet-Martinez & Haritatos (2005). Journal of Personality. Haritatos & Benet-Martinez (2002). Journal of Research in Personality Cheng, Benet-Martinez & Bond (2008). Journal of Personality

2b. BICULTURAL IDENTITY INTEGRATION:
PSYCHOSOCIAL CORRELATES

Do variations in BII moderate biculturals’ cultural frame-switching
Do variations in BII moderate biculturals’ cultural frame-switching? Yes! High BII (compatible identities): cultural cues culturally consistent behavior (assimilation) Low BII (oppositional identities): cultural cues culturally inconsistent behavior (contrast effect –ie., “cultural reactance”) Benet-Martinez, Leu, Lee & Morris (2002)

2 INDEPENDENT VARIABLES DEPENDENT VARIABLE
AMERICAN PRIMES CHINESE PRIMES BII Compatible vs Oppossitional Identities STRENGHT OF EXTERNAL & INTERNAL ATTRIBUTIONS NEUTRAL PRIMES (landscapes) Benet-Martinez, Leu, Lee & Morris (2002). Journal of Cross-Cultural Psych.

BIIS-P: Oppositional vs. Compatible
How well does the statement below describe your own experiences as a bicultural? “I am a bicultural who keeps American and Chinese cultures separate and feels conflicted about these two cultures. I am simply a Chinese who lives in America (vs. a Chinese-American), and I feel as someone who is caught between two cultures.” 1 (definitely not true) to 8 (definitely true)

CULTURAL REACTANCE (low BIIs) vs. CULTURAL ASSIMILATION (high BIIs)

These priming effects were not mediated by any acculturation variables (language, time in US, strength of Chinese and US identificat.) Neutral primes? (primes: landscapes) There were no significant attributional differences between low and hi BII why?  moderator role of BII is specific to cultural meaning (vs. general reactance or resistance)

Why contrast effect? (several possible motivational and/or cognitive arguments) Low BII = see 2 cultures as oppositional/hard to integrate; describe the 2 cultures as opposite poles of a continuum  Polarization of cultural meaning systems in low BIIs leads to post-priming spread of activation to the ‘other’ culture (e.g., seeing US primes -> thinking about China)

SUMMARY:  cultural frame-switching is moderated by the compatibility vs. opposition perceived between the two cultural orientations, or Bicultural Identity Integration (BII). High BII (compatible identities): cultural cues culturally ‘appropriate’ behavior Low BII (oppositional identities): cultural cues culturally ‘inconsistent’ behavior (“cultural reactance”)

Bicultural Identity Integration & Self/Group Personality Stereotypes
biculturals with integrated cultural identities have social perceptions of themselves and their cultural in-groups that are closely aligned together, supporting social identity theory (self-stereotyping, self-projection)  BLENDEDNESS OF COMPONENT Miramontez, Benet-Martínez & Nguyen (in press). Self & Identity

Bicultural Identity Integration & Social Networks
BII relates to having more host- culture friends (grey circles) and richer connections among them Mok, Morris& Benet-Martínez (2007). Structures of Social Networks among First-Generation Biculturals. JCCP

3. BICULTURALISM: OUTCOMES
What are the costs and benefits of biculturalism?

Biculturalism & Adjustment: A Meta-Analysis
Nguyen & Benet-Martinez (2008) 40 studies (164 rs) Fixed-effects: participants as unit of analysis Random-effects: studies as unit of analysis

Biculturalism & Cognitive Complexity
of Essays that biculturals, by virtue of their frequent experiences attending to, processing, and reacting to different cultural contexts, process socio-cultural information in more cognitively complex ways than monoculturals. --literatures: expertise, multi-tasking, self-relevant knowledge Benet-Martínez, Lee & Leu (2006). Biculturalism & Cognitive Complexity. JCCP

Bicultural ≈ Frog BICULTURALS can understand culture because they are both participants and observers of each culture (we can talk about ‘air’ and ‘water’) and these meta-cognitive skills translate to other domains (e.g., empathy, prespective taking, reduced prejudice, etc.) Traditional monoculturals can not talk in complex ways about their culture (like fish cannot talk about ‘water’ or we cannot talk about the ‘air’ we breath)

CFS and BII in other cultural groups Espinoza, Benet-Martinez, & Zarate (in progress). Gringo y Mexicano? Bicultural Identity Integration (BII) and cultural frame-switching in Mexican-American biculturals.

BEING BICULTURAL/BILINGUAL = Moving /Being Pulled In Two Directions ?
“How much is the parrot?” a woman asked. “Wow, ma’am,” uttered the owner, “this is a very expensive parrot, because he speaks both Spanish and English.” “Oh really? Can you get him to speak in both languages?” “Sure you can. Look, it’s quite simple: If you pull the left leg he speaks English.” And he pulled the parrot’s left leg. “Good morning,” said the bird. “And if you pull the right leg like this, he speaks Spanish.” And the parrot said: “Buenos Dias!” At which point the woman asked: “What happens if you pull both of his legs, will he speak Tex-Mex?” “Noooo,” answered the parrot. “I will fall on my ass !!” (Mexican American folk tale) =This vignete illustrates what some of my research findings suggest: that is, that being biculturals can be sometimes confusing and feel like being pulled in different directions

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Veronica Benet-Martinez University of California at Riverside, USA

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Veronica Benet-Martinez University of California at Riverside, USA

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