Interethnic Contact, Identity, and Psychological Adjustment: The Mediating and Moderating Roles of Communication

Abstract

Social psychological theories of second‐language communication posit a relationship between second‐language competence/usage and social identity. Identity and adaptation outcomes of intercultural contact have also been central issues for cross‐cultural psychology. The studies described here are at the junction of these two research traditions. Based on a situated‐identity approach, they show the mediating and moderating roles of second‐language confidence for identity change and adjustment among minority‐ and majority‐group members. Two studies involving Canadian francophone and anglophone university students illustrate the relationship between relative status and identity as well as the mediating role of communication in determining identity and adjustment. The third study, involving participants of East Indian descent, shows that incongruities among aspects of identity are related to the experience of collective discrimination and stress. Furthermore, these relations are moderated by second‐language confidence. The conclusion discusses theoretical and practical implications for policy.