West Alexandria L, Zhang Rui, Yampolsky Maya A, Sasaki Joni Y
Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Department of Psychology, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA, United States.
Front Psychol. 2018 Dec 20;9:2622. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02622. eCollection 2018.
Behaving consistently across situations is fundamental to a person's authenticity in Western societies. This can pose a problem for biculturals who often frame switch, or adapt their behavior across cultural contexts, as a way of maintaining fit with each of their cultures. In particular, the behavioral inconsistency entailed in frame switching may undermine biculturals' sense of authenticity, as well as Westerners' impressions of biculturals' authenticity. Study 1 had a diverse sample of biculturals ( = 127) living in the United States and Canada describe an episode of frame switching (vs. no switching control vs. neutral control) and report on their state authenticity during the episode. Results showed that biculturals recalled feeling less authentic during an instance of frame switching compared to no switching control and neutral control. Study 2 had mainstream Canadians (White and of American, Canadian, or Western European cultural heritage, = 97) read a hypothetical vignette, from a third-person perspective, about a bicultural who frame switches (vs. no switching control vs. neutral control) and provide their impressions of the bicultural's authenticity and multiple other desirable traits. Participants rated the bicultural as less authentic when he frame switched compared to no switching control and neutral control, and rated him as less likeable, trustworthy, and warm (but not competent) as downstream consequences of seeing him as less authentic. These results demonstrate that frame switching can come at a cost to authenticity, both in terms of how biculturals see themselves and are seen by others, at least in Western societies. These findings highlight that the way biculturals negotiate their cultures affects them psychologically and socially. In the context of cultural fit, the active process of establishing and maintaining fit with one's cultures can have unforeseen consequences.
在西方社会，行为在不同情境下保持一致是一个人真实性的基础。这可能给双文化者带来问题，他们常常进行框架转换，即根据不同文化背景调整自己的行为，以此来与每种文化保持契合。特别是，框架转换所带来的行为不一致可能会削弱双文化者的真实感，以及西方人对双文化者真实性的印象。研究1让生活在美国和加拿大的127名双文化者样本描述一次框架转换事件（与无转换对照组和中性对照组相比），并报告他们在该事件中的状态真实性。结果显示，与无转换对照组和中性对照组相比，双文化者在框架转换时回忆起的真实感较低。研究2让97名主流加拿大人（白人，具有美国、加拿大或西欧文化背景）从第三人称视角阅读一个假设的小插曲，内容是关于一个进行框架转换的双文化者（与无转换对照组和中性对照组相比），并让他们对该双文化者的真实性以及其他多个理想特质给出自己的印象。与无转换对照组和中性对照组相比，参与者认为进行框架转换的双文化者真实性较低，并且由于认为他真实性较低，进而认为他不那么讨人喜欢、不值得信赖且不热情（但能力方面没有这样认为）。这些结果表明，至少在西方社会，框架转换可能会让双文化者在自我认知以及他人眼中的真实性方面付出代价。这些发现凸显了双文化者协调自身文化的方式会在心理和社会层面影响他们。在文化契合的背景下，与自身文化建立并维持契合的积极过程可能会产生意想不到的后果。
