ABSTRACT

As a result of increases in international migration and advances in technology, there has been a surge in cross-cultural contact across the globe. This cross-cultural exposure has increased the number of bicultural individuals – people who have roots in at least two cultures. In contrast to traditional approaches, recent work has suggested that bicultural people’s identities are multifaceted, interrelated, and dynamic. Extending current models of biculturalism, the current chapter draws on Erikson’s conceptualization of identity development and relational developmental systems theory (RDST) to contextualize biculturalism as a developmental process. Towards this end, the authors begin by defining biculturalism and reviewing traditional and contemporary models of biculturalism. They then introduce the guiding principles of RDST and propose a relational model of bicultural systems. They then conclude their review by highlighting specific avenues for future research.