Being ‘Them’and ‘Us’ at the Same Time? Subgroups of Cultural Identification Change among Adolescent Diaspora Immigrants

Recent research suggests that cultural groups comprise subgroups differing in the combination of their self-identifications with their heritage and host cultures and following distinct trajectories of acculturation. This study aimed at identifying such subgroups, predicting group membership by premigration factors, and testing for acculturation-related experiences with the host culture over time. The sample comprised 366 adolescent diaspora migrants (59% female, 16 years old) from the former Soviet Union to Germany. A person-oriented and longitudinal approach using growth mixture modeling revealed three subtypes of cultural identification change. The first subgroup (Idealists) comprised adolescents with high and stable identification with their host culture and low but increasing identification with their heritage culture. The second group (Skeptics) showed low and stable identification with their host culture and high but decreasing identification with their heritage culture. The third group (Realists) reported medium-level and stable identification with both host and heritage cultures. Group comparisons showed pre-migration differences: Idealists and Realists most likely spoke the host-culture language (i.e., German) as a native language and Idealists reported the highest level of maternal education. Membership in subgroups also related to adolescents’ perception of their current situation in the host culture: Idealists reported less acculturation-related hassles with respect to language and socio-cultural adaptation. Skeptics perceived lower expectations by natives to get in contact with natives and higher expectations to spend time with members of their immigrant group than the average immigrant. Results highlight the heterogeneity in immigrant populations and their specific needs before and after the actual migration. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022114534770 Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-102184 Accepted Version Originally published at: Stoessel, Katharina; Titzmann, Peter F; Silbereisen, Rainer K (2014). Being ‘Them’and ‘Us’ at the Same Time? Subgroups of Cultural Identification Change among Adolescent Diaspora Immigrants. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 45(7):1089-1109. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022114534770 SUBGROUPS OF CULTURAL IDENTIFICATION CHANGE 1 Being ‘Them’ and ‘Us’ at the Same Time? Subgroups of Cultural Identification Change among Adolescent Diaspora Immigrants Katharina Stoessel, Peter F. Titzmann, and Rainer K. Silbereisen Final version of this manuscript was published here: Stoessel, K., Titzmann, P. F., & Silbereisen, R. K. (2014). Being “Them” and “Us” at the same time? Subgroups of cultural identification change among adolescent Diaspora immigrants. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 45(7), 1088-1108. doi: 10.1177/0022022114534770 SUBGROUPS OF CULTURAL IDENTIFICATION CHANGE 2 Abstract Recent research suggests that cultural groups may be comprised of subgroups of individuals differing in the combination of their self-identifications with their heritage and with their host cultures and that these subgroups follow distinct trajectories of acculturation. This study is aimed at identifying such subgroups, at predicting group membership by pre-migration factors, and at testing for their acculturation-related experiences with the host culture over time. The sample was comprised of 366 adolescent diaspora migrants (59% female, 16 years old) from the former Soviet Union to Germany. A person-oriented and longitudinal approach using growth mixture modeling revealed three subtypes of change in cultural identification. The first subgroup (Idealists) was comprised of adolescents with high and stable identification with their host culture and low but increasing identification with their heritage culture. The second group (Skeptics) showed low and stable identification with their host culture and high but decreasing identification with their heritage culture. The third group (Realists) reported a medium level and stable identification with both their host and heritage cultures. Group comparisons showed pre-migration differences: Idealists and Realists most likely spoke the host-culture language (i.e., German) as a native language and Idealists reported the highestRecent research suggests that cultural groups may be comprised of subgroups of individuals differing in the combination of their self-identifications with their heritage and with their host cultures and that these subgroups follow distinct trajectories of acculturation. This study is aimed at identifying such subgroups, at predicting group membership by pre-migration factors, and at testing for their acculturation-related experiences with the host culture over time. The sample was comprised of 366 adolescent diaspora migrants (59% female, 16 years old) from the former Soviet Union to Germany. A person-oriented and longitudinal approach using growth mixture modeling revealed three subtypes of change in cultural identification. The first subgroup (Idealists) was comprised of adolescents with high and stable identification with their host culture and low but increasing identification with their heritage culture. The second group (Skeptics) showed low and stable identification with their host culture and high but decreasing identification with their heritage culture. The third group (Realists) reported a medium level and stable identification with both their host and heritage cultures. Group comparisons showed pre-migration differences: Idealists and Realists most likely spoke the host-culture language (i.e., German) as a native language and Idealists reported the highest level of maternal education. Membership in subgroups was also related to the adolescents’ perception of their current situation in the host culture: Idealists reported less acculturationrelated hassles with respect to language and to socio-cultural adaptation. Skeptics perceived lower expectations by natives to get in contact with natives and higher expectations to spend time with members of their immigrant group than the average immigrant. Results highlight the heterogeneity in immigrant populations and their specific needs before and after the actual migration.