This study examines career identity formation of Asian American college students from first-generation immigrant families as a model of acculturation. The interaction between collectivist and individualistic values was explored through analysis of longitudinal interview data. The semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 participants across 4 years of college. We utilized a hybrid deductive–inductive approach for thematic analysis of interviews and matrices to visualize longitudinal trajectories. Factors impacting career identity development were family influence—including cultural values, parental pressure, cultural capital and family obligation, and individual characteristics—including identity style, locus of control, and personal motivation. Longitudinal development proceeded along four trajectories: continual foreclosure, moratorium to achievement, foreclosure to achievement, and continual diffusion. Our results indicate that career identity development for Asian American college students is characterized by the interaction between two cultures and individual characteristics. Implications for counseling and higher education are discussed.
AgliataA. K.RenkK. (2009). College students’ affective distress: The role of expectation and communication. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 18, 396–411. doi:10.1007/s10826-008-9244-8
2.
AriesE. (2008). Race and class matters at an elite college. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
3.
ArnettJ. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55, 469–480. Retrieved fromhttp://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/amp/index.aspx
4.
Arnett JensenL. (2003). Coming of age in a multicultural world: Globalization and adolescent cultural identity formation. Applied Developmental Science, 7, 189–196.
5.
Arnett JensenL.ArnettJ. J. (2012). Going global: New pathways for adolescents and emerging adults in a changing world. Journal of Social Issues, 68, 473–492.
BerzonskyM. D. (1989). Identity style: Conceptualization and measurement. Journal of Adolescent Research, 4(3), 268–282.
11.
BerzonskyM. D. (2004). Identity style, parental authority, and identity commitment. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 33, 213–220. doi:10.1023/B: JOYO.0000025320.89778.29
12.
BickelR. D.LakeP. F. (1997). The emergence of new paradigms in student-university relations: From in loco parentis to bystander to facilitator. Journal of College and University Law, 23, 755–795. Retrieved fromhttp://www3.nd.edu/∼jcul/
13.
BourdieuP.PasseronJ. C. (1990). Reproduction in education, society and culture. London, England: Sage.
14.
BoydV. S.HuntP. F.KandellJ. J.LucasM. S. (2003). Relationship between identity processing style and academic success in undergraduate students. Journal of College Student Development, 44, 155–167.
15.
BryanJ. D.DuffyR. D. (2009). Calling and vocation at work: Definitions and prospects for research and practice. The Counseling Psychologist, 37, 424–450. doi:10.1177/0011000008316430
16.
Byars-WinstonA. M.FouadN. A. (2006). Metacognition and multicultural competence: Expanding the culturally appropriate career counseling model. Career Development Quarterly, 54, 187–200. doi:10.1002/j.2161-0045.2006.tb00151.x
17.
ChoiY.TanK. H.YasuiM.HahmH. C. (2016). Advancing understanding of acculturation for adolescents of Asian immigrants: Person-oriented analysis of acculturation strategy among Korean American youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45, 1380–1395. doi:10.1007/s10964-016-0496-0
18.
ChuJ. P.SueS. (2011). Asian American mental health. What we know and what we don’t. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 3. doi:10.9707/2307-0919.1026
19.
CrocettiE.FermaniA.PojaghiB.MeeusW. (2011). Identity formation in adolescents from Italian, mixed, and migrant families. Child and Youth Care Forum, 40, 7–23.
20.
FeredayJ.Muir-CochraneE. (2006). Demonstrating rigor using thematic analysis: A hybrid approach of inductive and deductive coding and theme development. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 5, 1–11. Retrieved fromhttp://www.ualberta.ca/∼iiqm/backissues/5_1/pdf/fereday.pdf
21.
FuligniA. J. (1997). The academic achievement of adolescents from immigrant families: The role of family background, attitudes, and behavior. Child Development, 68(2), 351–363.
22.
FuligniA. J. (1998). Authority, autonomy and parent-adolescents conflict and cohesion: A study of adolescents from Mexican, Chinese, and Filipino, and European background. Developmental Psychology, 34, 782–792. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.34.4.782
23.
FuligniA. J. (2001a). A comparative longitudinal approach to acculturation among children from immigrant families. Harvard Educational Review, 71, 566–578.
24.
FuligniA. J. (2001b). Family obligations and the academic motivation of adolescents from Asian, Latin American, and European backgrounds. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 94, 61–75. doi:10.1002/cd.31
25.
FuligniA. J. (2007). Family obligation, college enrollment, and emerging adulthood in Asian and Latin American families. Child Development Perspectives, 1, 96–100. doi:10.1111/j.1750-8606.2007.00022.x
26.
FuligniA. J.PedersenS. (2002). Family obligation and the transition to young adulthood. Developmental Psychology, 38, 856–868. Retrieved fromhttp://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/dev/index.aspx
27.
FuligniA. J.TsengV.LamM. (1999). Attitudes toward family obligations among American adolescents with Asian, Latin American, and European backgrounds. Child Development, 70, 1030–1044.
28.
FuligniA. J.WitkowM. (2004). The postsecondary educational progress of youth from immigrant families. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 14, 159–183. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2004.01402002.x
29.
GomezJ.MirandaR.PolancoL. (2011). Acculturative stress, perceived discrimination, and vulnerability to suicide attempts among emerging adults. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40, 1465–1476.
30.
JettenJ.PostmesT.McAuliffeB. J. (2002). ‘We’re all individuals’: Group norms of individualism and collectivism, levels of identification and identity threat. European Journal of Social Psychology, 32, 189–207.
31.
KimB. S.OmizoM. M. (2005). Asian and European American cultural values, collective self-esteem, acculturative stress, cognitive flexibility, and general self-efficacy among Asian American college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52, 412.
32.
KimY. Y. (1991). Intercultural communication competence: A systems theoretic view. In Ting-ToomyS.KorzennyF. (Eds.), Cross cultural interpersonal communication (pp. 259–275). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
33.
KingN.HorrocksC. (2010). Interviews in qualitative research. London, England: Sage.
34.
KrogerJ.MarciaJ. E. (2011). The identity statuses: Origins, meanings, and interpretations. In SchwartzS. J.LuyckxK.VignolesV. L. (Eds.), Handbook of identity theory and research (pp. 31–53). New York, NY: Springer.
35.
LeongF. T. (1989). Academic and career needs of international and United States. Journal of College Student Development, 30, J07.
36.
LeongF. T. L.ChangD. F.LeeS. (2007). Counseling and psychotherapy with Asian Americans: Process and outcomes. In LeongF. T. L.EbreoA.KinoshitaL.InmanA. G.YangL. H. (Eds.), Handbook of Asian American psychology (2nd ed., pp. 429–447). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
37.
LeongF. T. L.KaoE. M.LeeS. (2004). The relationship between family dynamics and career interests among Chinese Americans and European Americans. Journal of Career Assessment, 12, 65–84. doi:10.1177/1069072703257734
38.
LinC. Y. C.FuV. R. (1990). A comparison of child-rearing practices among Chinese, immigrant Chinese, and Caucasian-American parents. Child Development, 61, 429–433.
MarciaJ. E. (1966). Development and validation of ego-identity status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3, 551–558. doi:10.1037/h0023281
41.
MarciaJ. E.WatermanA. S.MattesonD. R.ArcherS. L.OrlofskyJ. L. (1993). Ego identity: A handbook for psychological research. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.
42.
MilesM. B.HubermanA. M. (1984). Qualitative data analysis: A sourcebook of new methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
43.
NoordinF.WilliamsT.ZimmerC. (2002). Career commitment in collectivist and individualist cultures: A comparative study. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 13, 35–54.
44.
PazC. G. (2011). Making meaning of parental influence among Pinays in college. InterActions: UCLA Journal of Education and Information Studies, 7, 1–25. Retrieved fromhttp://repositories.cdlib.org/gseis/interactions
45.
Perez-BrenaN. J.UpdegraffK. A.Umaña-TaylorA. J. (2015). Transmission of cultural values among Mexican-origin parents and their adolescent and emerging adult offspring. Family Process, 54, 232–246. doi:10.1111/famp.12114
46.
PhinneyJ. S. (2000). Identity formation across cultures: The interaction of personal, societal, and historical change. Human Development, 43, 27–31.
47.
PopeM. (2002). A brief history of career counseling in the United States. Career Development Quarterly, 48, 194–211. doi:10.1002/j.2161-0045.2000.tb00286.x
48.
RotterJ. B. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs: General & Applied, 80, 1–28.
49.
SalantT.LauderdaleD. S. (2003). Measuring culture: A critical review of acculturation and health in Asian immigrant populations. Social Science & Medicine, 57, 71–90.
50.
SaldanaJ. (2013). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
51.
SchwartzS. J.ZamboangaB. L.LuyckxK.MecaA.RitchieR. A. (2013). Identity in emerging adulthood reviewing the field and looking forward. Emerging Adulthood, 1, 96–113.
52.
SchwartzS. J.ZamboangaB. L.WeisskirchR. S. (2008). Broadening the study of the self: Integrating the study of personal identity and cultural identity. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2, 635–651.
53.
SeidmanI. (2013). Interviewing a qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
54.
SyedM.AzmitiaM.CooperC. R. (2011). Identity and academic success among underrepresented ethnic minorities: An interdisciplinary review and integration. Journal of Social Issues, 67, 442–468.
55.
TelzerE. H.YuenC.GonzalesN.FuligniA. J. (2016). Filling gaps in the acculturation gap-distress model: Heritage cultural maintenance and adjustment in Mexican–American families. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 7, 1412. doi:10.1007/s10964-015-0408-8
56.
ThorngrenJ. M.FeitS. S. (2001). The career-o-gram: A postmodern career intervention. The Career Development Quarterly, 49, 291–303. doi:10.1002/j.2161-0045.2001.tb00957.x
VandelloJ. A.CohenD. (1999). Patterns of individualism and collectivism across the United States. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 279.
60.
WinstonS. C.KellerB. K. (2004). The influence of family of origin on career development: Review and analysis. The Counseling Psychologist, 32, 493–568. doi:10.1177/0011000004265660
61.
YoonJ.LauA. S. (2008). Maladaptive perfectionism and depressive symptoms among Asian American college students: Contributions of interdependence and parental relations. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 14, 92–101. doi:10.1037/1099-9809.14.2.92
62.
YoshikawaH.WeisnerT. S.KalilA.WayN. (2008). Mixing qualitative and quantitative research methods in developmental science: Uses and methodological choices. Developmental Psychology, 44, 344–354.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
