When I know who "we" are, I can be "me": the primary role of cultural identity clarity for psychological well-being.
Collective trauma, be it through colonization (e.g., Aboriginal Peoples), slavery (e.g., African Americans) or war, has a dramatic impact on the psychological well-being of each and every individual member of the collective. Thus, interventions are often conceptualized and delivered at the individual level with a view to minimizing the psychological disequilibrium of each individual. In contrast, we propose a theory of self that emphasizes the primacy of cultural identity for psychological well-being. We present a series of studies that illustrate the importance of cultural identity clarity for personal identity and for psychological well-being. Our theoretical model proposes that interventions aimed at clarifying cultural identity may play a constructive role in the promotion of the well-being of group members exposed to collective trauma.
Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. donald.taylor@mcgill.ca
Donald M
DM
Taylor
Esther
E
Usborne
D000069:Acculturation; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002170:Canada; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D012933:Social Identification; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D023481:Terrorism / Q000523:psychology