The interplay of multicultural and career identity development

Abstract

Career identity development, involving exploration and commitment, is a lifelong process by an individual that is fundamental to shaping one’s career. Although prior research has investigated what may lead one to develop a strong and clear career identity, there is limited understanding of the cultural influences on career identity development relevant to multicultural individuals. Integrating the identity status paradigm with a narrative identity perspective, we propose that career identity development interplays with multicultural identity development. We explore this interplay through in-depth interviews with Chinese-ethnic multicultural individuals. From the interviews, we elucidate a typology (Multicultural-Career Identity Interplay, ‘MCII’) to explain how multicultural identity and career identity development are interrelated in systematic ways (Commanding, Cruising, and Contending), and introduce a dual-dimensional, relational-oriented framework of career paths. We explain how each MCII pattern corresponds to individual career paths and is associated with immigration age. Our study extends career identity development theory into the cultural identity domain, providing a more nuanced understanding of the dynamic and culturally influenced career development of multicultural individuals. The findings can help individuals and career counsellors better understand and support the career identity development of individuals who identify with more than one culture.