Intercultural Romantic and Roommate Relationships: Self-Expansion and Cultural Exposure Promote Identity Integration

• In Event: Youth Development in a Multicultural World: Antecedents and Consequents of Biculturalism

Abstract

One’s social relationships are key factors during young adulthood that influence one’s identity development and self-expansion (Aron & Aron, 1986). This is particularly true of intercultural social relationships—those that differ in ethnicity, race or religion—as multicultural exposure offers the opportunity to think more broadly and complexly about one’s multiple social identities in relation to important others (e.g., romantic partner, roommate; Tadmor & Tetlock, 2006). Prior work on bicultural identity development suggests that individuals with significant multicultural exposure progress through stages moving from compartmentalization, where identities are kept separate and seen as incompatible, to integration, where identities are more merged and harmonious despite their independence and differences (Amiot et al., 2007). Greater integration and less compartmentalization of cultural identities have been linked to greater cultural adaptation, and improved psychological and physical health (Chen et al., 2008, Yampolsky et al., 2016). However, we know relatively less about the conditions that facilitate integration in the context of young adult relationships.
The current research explores the links among self-expansion motivation (i.e., desire to grow through novel experiences), cultural exposure, and young adults’ self-other identity integration (vs. compartmentalization) in the context of intercultural romantic relationships and intercultural college roommate relationships. Participants across studies were 18-30 years old (59% female) and ethno-racially diverse (53% White). Romantic relationship studies (Studies 1-2) recruited online, international samples via Prolific (N = 196) and the roommate study (Study 3) recruited first-year undergraduates at an American university (N = 578). S1 had young adults currently in an intercultural romantic relationship report how much they saw their partner as a source of self-expansion, how much they communicated about and shared each of their cultures, and the extent to which they felt that their cultural identity was integrated or compartmentalized with their couple identity (i.e., sense of who “we” are together). S2 had intercultural young adult couples complete the same measures as S1 to examine predictive links between partners’ individual levels of self-expansion, cultural exposure, and identity integration. S3 had undergraduates with a cross-cultural roommate report their self-expansion motivation, predicted and actual cultural exposure, and self-other identity overlap at the beginning and end of an academic year.
Using path analyses and bootstrapping, S1 indicated a mediated relation whereby the motivation to self-expand combined with seizing the opportunity to do so via cultural exposure predicted greater cultural-couple identity integration, ab = .16, 95%CI [.01, .33], and lower compartmentalization, ab = -.30, 95%CI [-.52, -.12]. Using multilevel actor-partner interdependence modeling and Monte Carlo, S2 yielded similar integration, ab = .06, 95%CI [.01, .13], and compartmentalization, ab = -.08, 95%CI [-.16, -.02], results. S3 data is currently being analyzed to test if findings hold in roommate relationships. Preliminary results suggest cross-cultural roommates lead to increased flexible thinking and expanded sense of self. This is the first research to examine motivations and dyadic relational behaviors that underly identity development in biculturals and monoculturals with new other-culture exposure. Implications derived from this interdisciplinary approach are situated within source disciplines of developmental, social and cultural psychology.

Authors

• Alexandria L. West, Duke University
  Presenting Author

• Amy Muise, York University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sarah Elizabeth Gaither, Duke Univeristy
  Non-Presenting Author