Negotiating Biculturalism

Abstract

The authors propose that cultural frame shifting—shifting between two culturally based interpretative lenses in response to cultural cues—is moderated by perceived compatibility (vs. opposition) between the two cultural orientations, or bicultural identity integration (BII). Three studies found that Chinese American biculturals who perceived their cultural identities as compatible (high BII) responded in culturally congruent ways to cultural cues: They made more external attributions (a characteristically Asian behavior) after being exposed to Chinese primes and more internal attributions (a characteristically Western behavior) after being exposed to American primes. However, Chinese American biculturals who perceived their cultural identities as oppositional (low BII) exhibited a reverse priming effect. This trend was not apparent for noncultural primes. The results show that individual differences in bicultural identity affect how cultural knowledge is used to interpret social events.

Language Proficiency and Cultural Identity as Two Facets of the Acculturation Process

“…Also, these identities run counter to language competencies. These results suggest conflicted identity integration, according to the Benet-Martínez et al (2002) model. Results on the identity scale provided by the CSI students suggest their wish to maintain contact with the traditions of their ancestors.…”

“…The aim is to explore whether the increase in bilingual skills (oral comprehension and bidirectional translation) is accompanied through value embedment from the two cultural environments. In line with the code switching paradigm introduced and discussed before (Benet-Martínez et al, 2002;Boski & IbenYouseff, 2012) language activation triggers endorsement of values relevant to the corresponding culture. We assumed that bilingual Poles are the carriers of two systems of meaning (Polish and French) containing different values.…”

“…Also, when comparing and interpreting the results Brought to you by | MIT Libraries Authenticated Download Date | 5/12/18 9:05 AM of these three groups, one should keep in mind the demographic differences (age, gender ratio, initial contact with the French and Polish languages). In order to broaden the scope of the present research, future studies should apply measures for assessing other linguistic skills not explored here (reading, speaking), as well as the harmonious vs. conflictual bilingual identity integration distinction (Benet-Martínez et al, 2002). In this study, we focus on French-Polish bilingualism but the possibilities to study other language pairs are still open.…”

“…Here, the best known example is the cultural frame switching and parallel linguistic code switching paradigm (Benet-Martínez, Lee,& Leu, 2006;Benet-Martínez, Leu, Lee, & Morris, 2002;Chen, Benet-Martínez, & Bond, 2008;Pavlenko & Blackledge, 2004). This paradigm assumes that with a linguistic switch, bilinguals change their cognitive style or value preferences to the characteristic of a primed culture.…”

“…This paradigm assumes that with a linguistic switch, bilinguals change their cognitive style or value preferences to the characteristic of a primed culture. Benet-Martínez et al(2002) proposed the Bicultural Identity Integration Model (BII) which defines the switch between two cultures as a way of responding adequately to situational demands. Well-adapted bicultural/bilingual individuals seem to be able to switch their cognitive functioning harmoniously and congruently from culture A to culture B or vice versa, depending on which culture's symbols are presented.…”