Do Racism and Quality of Relationship Impact Cultural Identity?

Racism and parental relationship are well documented as general stressors in acculturation process and cultural identity development. The following study researched (1) if differences in quality of parent-child-relationship of Germans with migration background (2^nd generation) affect the preference of cultural orientation (origin culture of parents <-> German culture); (2) if language competence is associated with self-esteem and (3) if Germans with migration background (2^nd generation), who faced racism, see significant impact on the perception of their identity. Quantitative and qualitative methods included self-developed acculturation scales, an acculturative stress scale, a self-esteem scale, a relationship-quality scale, a bicultural identity scale, language competence scales, open-end questions and the blank-spaced method. The results revealed that mother-child relationship could predict the preference of cultural orientation: Relationship with fewer conflicts was correlated with orientation to the origin culture of the mother, and participants in a relationship with more conflicts showed a higher orientation towards German culture. In comparison, the relationship with fathers did not show any conspicuous effect. Participants who reported on their experience of discrimination told about a change in their perception of their (cultural) identity and acculturation. Furthermore, it was revealed that the occurrence of discrimination and racism were independent of cultural proximity and cultural orientation. Concerning the third hypothesis, no significant correlation between language competence and self-esteem could be found. Further research could be conducted on racism regarding bullying and their impact on the development of the bicultural identity - exclusively with qualitative methods.