Maturity Matters: How Ego Development Helps Chinese-Canadian Biculturals Flourish

This study explores bicultural identity integration (BII) processes of adult Chinese- Canadians. Research has indicated that BII is generally associated with higher levels of psychological well-being in immigrants. During their bicultural integration, immigrants undergo a significant process of personal development as they mature and become more capable in their new cultural communities. Connections among processes of psychosocial maturity (Loevinger’s ego development), well-being and bicultural identity provide the central focus for this investigation. All questionnaires in this investigation were presented in full bilingual format with both English and Chinese translations for all questions. A moderation analysis examined ways ego development may shape the relations between bicultural identity integration and psychological well-being. Using self-report instruments, data were collected online from a sample of 104 Chinese-Canadian bicultural adults. Results revealed that an overall model incorporating bicultural identity integration, ego development, and a moderation effect significantly predicted psychological well-being, explaining 26% of the variance of psychological well-being for our Chinese-Canadian bicultural sample. Examination of several features of moderation patterns revealed a modest moderation trend involving the blendedness & compartmentalization dimension of BII, p = .053, ΔR2 = .03, in explaining well-being. Although not statistically significant, the trend offers substantive guidance for future research. The bilingual presentation of items provided an environment to simultaneously evoke both cultural frames for participants, as demonstrated in language use patterns and participant comments. This pattern of results suggests that future research is warranted to further explore processes of bicultural integration development of Chinese-Canadian biculturals.