The Role of Social Pressure and Social Support on the Configuration of Multicultural Identities

Introduction: The process to manage and to configure multicultural identities is influenced by social interactions. The cognitive-developmental model of social identity integration (CDSMII; Amiot et al., 2007) was used to examine different configurations of multicultural identities: (1) identifying with one predominant cultural identity over the others (categorization); (2) maintaining separate identities (compartmentalization); and (3) connecting different cultural identities (integration).

Objective : Since social pressure and social support represent important aspects in multicultural individuals’ reality, the objective of this study is to explore their roles in how they configure their identities.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews with narrative and open-ended questions were conducted with multicultural Canadians (N=22) to understand their multicultural and identity experience.

Results: In their life stories, social support and social pressure were two major themes that were spontaneously mentioned by most of the participants. All participants reported events in which they received various forms of social support (instrumental, informational, emotional, social companionship and autonomy); the differences between the types of support and their cultural affiliations will be discussed. The majority of participants mentioned that they perceived pressure from either their family, peers and community. In general, integrated individuals reported the least amount of pressure.

Conclusion: Social support and social pressure represent important issues to consider in multicultural experiences, and seem to be a key element in their identity configuration process.