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Korean Adoptee Identity: Adoptive and Ethnic Identity Profiles of Adopted Korean Americans
Author(s) -
Beaupre Adam J.,
Reichwald Reed,
Zhou Xiang,
Raleigh Elizabeth,
Lee Richard M.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
new directions for child and adolescent development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1534-8687
pISSN - 1520-3247
DOI - 10.1002/cad.20124
Subject(s) - psychology , ethnic group , identity (music) , social identity theory , social psychology , developmental psychology , collective identity , social identity approach , social group , sociology , physics , anthropology , acoustics , politics , law , political science
Adopted Korean adolescents face the task of grappling with their identity as Koreans and coming to terms with their adoptive status. In order to explore these dual identities, the authors conducted a person‐centered study of the identity profiles of 189 adopted Korean American adolescents. Using cluster analytic procedures, the study examined patterns of commitment to ethnic and adoptive identities, revealing six conceptually unique identity clusters. Analyzing the association between these identity profiles and psychological adjustment, the study found that the identity profiles were undifferentiated with respect to behavioral development and risk behaviors. However, group differences were found on life satisfaction, school adjustment, and family functioning. Results confirm the importance of considering the collective impact of multiple social identities on a variety of outcomes. The social implications of the results are discussed.