The intricate influence of identity questioning on cultural identity styles and outcomes among Chinese Americans: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Bicultural individuals, such as migrants and members of ethnic minority groups, are frequently questioned about their identities. Although seemingly innocuous and well-intentioned, questions such as “Where are you really from?” can signal social exclusion. Identity questioning has been broadly conceptualized as a microaggression and examined as a potential stressor affecting targets’ well-being. However, recent research suggests that its implications may be more complex. The present longitudinal study examined the role of identity questioning in the cognitive (i.e., bicultural identity overlap) and affective (i.e., bicultural identity affect) identity outcomes of a community sample of Chinese Americans, while exploring the mediating role of hybrid (HIS) and alternating (AIS) cultural identity styles. Data were collected over three time points at one-month intervals (N = 491, Mage = 53.45, SD = 13.77). Contrary to prior findings on perceived discrimination, we found that identity questioning led to increased use of the HIS, but not of the AIS, over time. In turn, the HIS predicted greater overlap between participants’ Chinese and American identities, fully mediating the effect of identity questioning on identity overlap. Results are discussed in terms of prejudice attributions and the adaptive role of the HIS in shaping responses to identity questioning.