The Impact of Cultural Internalization and Integration on Well-Being among Tricultural Individuals

The cultural internalization and competence of a diverse sample of tricultural university students was assessed. Based on recent research on the internalization of cultural norms, it was predicted that (a) having a heritage culture that embraced egalitarian values would be conducive to autonomous in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Personality & social psychology bulletin 2004-03, Vol.30 (3), p.305-314
Main Authors: Downie, Michelle, Koestner, Richard, ElGeledi, Shaha, Cree, Kateri
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Affect
Cognition
Cultural Diversity
Cultural identity
Culture
Female
Humans
Male
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Self Concept
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:The cultural internalization and competence of a diverse sample of tricultural university students was assessed. Based on recent research on the internalization of cultural norms, it was predicted that (a) having a heritage culture that embraced egalitarian values would be conducive to autonomous internalization and cultural competence, (b) competence and internalization would be associated with positive affect in heritage cultural contexts, and (c) the same positive relations between competence, internalization, and affect would be evident in English Canadian and French Canadian contexts. The study included 113 participants representing more than 35 distinct ethnicities. Results supported the hypothesized relations among egalitarianism, autonomous internalization, competence, and affect. Furthermore, the results indicated that individuals’ cultural adaptation in both heritage and English Canadian cultures, combined with the extent to which they had integrated their cultural identities in their self, predicted psychological wellbeing.
ISSN:0146-1672
1552-7433
DOI:10.1177/0146167203261298