Biculturalism and Group Identification

Abstract

This article discusses a study that examined cultural frame switching among bicultural Greek participants living in the Netherlands. The research demonstrated that self-evaluations, self-stereotypes, and attitudes toward family integrity and friendship were affected by cultural framing. Experimentally primed bicultural participants and monocultural comparison groups in the Netherlands and Greece were used. Activating Greek culture especially, in comparison to activating Dutch culture, led to a less positive evaluation of the personal self, stronger Greek self-stereotyping, and stronger endorsement of family integrity and friendship. Similar differences were found when comparing monocultural Dutch and monocultural Greek participants. In addition, cultural priming affected group identification, which was found to be associated with perceptions and attitudes. The pattern of results suggests that group identification, in part, mediates the relationship between cultural framing and perceptual and evaluative responses. It is concluded that social identity principles are important for understanding the experiences of bicultural individuals.