Identity Development in a Cultural Context

Dr. Randal G. Tonks February 24th, 2006

Overview

• Erikson’s identity model

• Culture as a formative factor

• Acculturation and adjustment

• My research studies on identity and acculturation

Erikson’s Identity Model

• Identity is central to human psychological development

• The basis of identity is in three principle processes– Soma: Biological process of the body and organ

systems – Psyche: Psychic process of organizing individual

experience or ego synthesis – Ethos (Polis): Communal process of cultural

organization of the interdependence of persons

Identity

• Identity is a lifelong process involving the development of ego strengths or virtues

• Identity is psychosocial process of mutuality, inter-living, or “cogwheeling.”

• Rituals of psychosocial (mutual) activity shape identity for all persons involved.

• Identity involves a widening radius of social relations: parents, family, community, culture, humankind.

Ages and stages

Identity Development

• While identity formation occurs throughout the lifecycle, it comes into special focus in adolescence, where ideological identity is formed.

• Erikson describes it as: “A sense of identity means being at one with oneself as one grows and develops; and it means, at the same time, a sense of affinity with a community's sense of being at one with its future as well as its history--or mythology.” (1974, pp. 27-28, italics added)

Culture as a formative factor

• Normative behaviour including “self”

• Ways of thinking and feeling emotions

• Ethics and values

• Expected relationships with others

• Education and enculturation

Identity in Canada

• Youth often face many ideological alternatives as there are so many cultural, political, religious, and philosophical choices.

• Acculturation occurs as we each learn and adapt to other cultures or ways of living beyond those found in our home, family and heritage.

Berry’s Acculturation Model tradition maintenance & other group contact

• Yes to maintenanceYes to contact

• Integration

• Yes to maintenanceNo to Contact

• Separation

• No to maintenanceYes to contact

• Assimilation

• No to maintenanceNo to contact

• Deculturation

• Marginalization

Adaptation & Stress

• Positive adaptation is least likely to be found among those showing Marginalization (Berry, 1997).

• Acculturative Stress has been characterized as: “one form of stress that is due to challenges in the process of acculturation...”

Acculturative Stress

• Berry et al. identify it as: “lowered mental health status (especially anxiety, depression), feelings of marginality and alienation, heightened psychosomatic symptom level, and identity confusion.” (1992, p. 284)

• Stress is higher among: involuntary migrants, nomadic peoples, women, more aged, middle phases of acculturation.

My Research Programme

• Built upon Erikson’s bio-psycho-social model

• Integrating the empirical paradigm of John Berry along with that of James Marcia

• Began with examination of variables – convergent construct validation of both sets of variables

Marcia’s Ego-identity Modelsearch & commitment of identity

• Yes to search• Yes to Commitment

• Achievement

• Yes to search• No to commitment

• Moratorium

• No to Search• Yes to Commitment

• Foreclosure

• No to search• No to commitment

• Diffusion

Methodological Issues

• Challenges in distinguishing some statuses using quantitative methods

• Challenges in the interpretation of acculturative items both quantitatively and conceptually

• E.g. Assimilation…Most of my friends are of my ethnic group because I feel very comfortable around them, but I don't feel as comfortable around Canadians from other cultural groups

• Retreat to Qualitative case studies

Qualitative Methods

• With a qualitative approach the interest is in providing subjective meaning behind the experiences.

• Drawing from the tradition of hermeneutics there is interest in understanding the “lived experiences” of another person.

• Here one attempts to provide a biography or narrative of life events that conveys the subjective experiences as well as putting them into a broader context of the common experiences of others.

• Erikson’s psychohistory making methods show the personal psychological meaning along with the collective social or cultural meaning of events and experiences

Narratives of identity Understanding the experiences of:• Canadian youth growing up in a

multicultural context

• Immigrant Canadian youth as they adjust to life in a new culture

• International students studying in Canada

• Canadian students studying abroad

Review & Summary

• Identity is seen as bio-psycho-social process that evolves across the lifespan.

• Cultural processes are central to normative identity development and changes due to acculturation.

• We continue to explore both quantitative and qualitative studies of identity development, acculturation, stress and adjustment.