The current research investigated situational variations in ethnic identity and the relations between identity variations and psychological well-being. In a sample of first- (n = 47) and second-generation (n = 82) immigrants to Canada who completed a questionnaire survey, it was found that Canadian and heritage identity variation showed the hypothesized situational and generational differences. Furthermore, heritage affect and heritage ties buttressed the second-generation group from experiencing negative well-being as a result of differences in heritage identity across private and public domains (i.e., cross-situation variation). Finally, the relations between situated Canadian or heritage identity (i.e., within-situation variation) and well-being in both generations depended on the felt authenticity associated with the given identity. In general, our results showed positive effects of feeling true to a counternormative (vs. normative) identity on well-being. These patterns were interpreted in terms of the normative implications of the situated identity choices. Overall, the results underscore the importance of examining when and how identity variation is psychologically adaptive or maladaptive in multicultural contexts.
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