The Negative Implications

of a Fragmented Identity among

Asian Adolescents

Jason Luu

Background

• Multiple roles, multiple selves

• The propagation and problems of contradictory roles

among adolescents (Harter, 1999)

Background• Integrated/Fragmented Trichotomy (Mehta, 2001)

A) “How I am with different people all fits together nicely into a single me, it adds up to a sense of myself as a whole person.” (Integrated)

B) “How I am with different people doesn’t all fit together in one piece, but that feels OK to me.” (Healthy Fragmented)

C) “How I am with different people doesn’t all fit together in one piece, and that feel uncomfortable or distressing to me.” (Unhealthy Fragmented)

• Negative outcomes• Integration orientation was associated with more adaptive

outcomes than both the comfortably and uncomfortably fragmentation orientations (Kiang & Harter, 2008)

Background

• Multiple cultural identities

• The endorsement of both heritage and mainstream

cultures (Chen, Benet-Martinez, & Bond, 2008)

• Relational influences of cultural identity

• Parental ethnic socialization (Umaña-Taylor, Bhanot, &

Shin, 2006)

• Associations with the peer in-group (Phinney, Romero, Nava, & Huang, 2000)

Hypotheses

• Integrated Asian adolescents will report greater well-being than fragmented Asians

• Integrated Asian adolescents will report higher scores in measures of ethnic identity compared to fragmented Asians

• Integrated Asian adolescents will report greater levels of parental cohesion and peer relationships quality than fragmented Asians

Participants

• Wave 1: 177 Asian Americans

• 9th (42%) and 10th grade cohorts

• 59% female

• Wave 4: 115 Asian Americans

• 12th (55%)

• 70% female

• Participants were recruited from high schools

in Charlotte and Burke county

• W4 participants were mailed a questionnaire

packet spanning measures of well-being,

academic motivation, relationships, and various

social domains

Materials

• Mehta (2001)’s trichotomy

• “There are many ways people think about themselves

when they interact with different people. One way to

think about these interactions is to imagine a puzzle

in which each puzzle piece represents a piece of

yourself while interacting with different people.”

• Participants were asked to explain their responses

after selecting the option that they felt best described

themselves

• Integrated: 61

• Healthy Fragmented: 35

• Unhealthy Fragmented: 4 [omitted from analyses]

Materials• Ryff’s Six Factor Model of Well-being (Ryff, 1989)

• Positive and Negative Affect Scales (Mroczek &

Kolarz, 1998)

• Rosenberg’s Self Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965)

• Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression

Scale (Radloff, 1977)

Materials• The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure

(Phinney, 1992)

• The Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (Sellers, Rowley, Chavous, Shelton, & Smith, 1997)

• Network of Relationships Inventory (Furman &

Buhrmester, 1985)

• Family Adaptation and Cohesion Evaluation

Scales II (Olson, Sprenkle, & Russell, 1979)

Results

11.5

22.5

33.5

44.5

5

Integrated

Healthy Fragmented

Well-Being

†p<.1

*p<.05

**p<.01

***p<.001

Results

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Integrated

Healthy Fragmented

Affect and Self Esteem

†p<.1

*p<.05

**p<.01

***p<.001

Results

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Integrated

Healthy Fragmented

Ethnic Identity

†p<.1

*p<.05

**p<.01

***p<.001

Results

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Positive Peer

Relations (Asian)***

Positive Peer

Relations (White)

Negative Peer

Relations (Asian)

Negative Peer

Relations (White)

Integrated

Healthy Fragmented

Peer Relations

†p<.1

*p<.05

**p<.01

***p<.001

Results

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Mother Cohesion Father Cohesion

Integrated

Healthy Fragmented

Parental Cohesion

†p<.1

*p<.05

**p<.01

***p<.001

Discussion• Negative implications of being fragmented, albeit

“comfortably” so• “Sometimes I act different with other people but I'm

still the same person” (Integrated)

• “I act differently with different friends, but I always do what feels right for me” (Healthy Fragmented)

• Integrated individuals reported greater scores on ethnic identity measures than fragmented individuals

• Integrated individuals reported greater positive relationship qualities with Asian peers than fragmented individuals

Discussion• Future directions

• Examine longitudinal trajectories of

integration/fragmentation orientations

• Identify the predictors of integration/fragmentation

orientations and their causal direction

• Integrate the findings of an ongoing qualitative

interview study

• Look specifically at biculturality and acculturation and

how they may affect the relationship between

integration/fragmentation orientations and overall

adjustment

Thank you!!

• Dr. Lisa Kiang

• The RAs—Paula Aduen, Kandace

Andrews, Melissa Bryson, Molly

Champagne, Meaghan Gartner, Juan

Pinzon, Felicia Poh, Hillary Scudder