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Orthogonal Cultural Identification Theory

Orthogonal cultural identification theory argues that in a pluralistic environment, individuals may identify with more than one culture without necessarily sacrificing one cultural identity for another. The central element of this theory is that identification with any one culture is independent from identification with other cultures. Cultural identification can be distinguished from ethnic self-labels, or ethnic group categorizations, such as Latino/a, Mexican, American Indian, African American, and European American. Ethnic labels can gloss over the heterogeneity of cultural identification within ethnic groups because not all individuals who use the same label may identify with the culture in the same manner or to the same degree. Ethnic self-labels also may not accurately represent the way in which individuals identify with more than one culture. Generally, cultural identification is dynamic and complex and can be defined as following a culture's way of life (e.g., participation in traditional activities, cultural behaviors, feeling successful within a culture, and/or family involvement in cultural activities). An example of the complexity of cultural identification is that within ethnic groups, individuals vary not only in their range of cultural identification (e.g., from strong to weak to nonexistent) but also in their identification with one culture, multiple cultures, or none. Orthogonal cultural identification theory argues that cultural identification is the result of the interaction between the individual and his or her environment, which may include family cultural identification, ethnic peers, and available traditional activities. Cultural identification is also distinct from cultural/ethnic identity, which can be defined as a social identity that represents the emotional value and significance of belonging to an ethnic group.

Importance

This theory made a significant conceptual contribution to both research and counseling, in that it acknowledged the influence of a pluralistic environment and normalized experiences of identification with multiple cultures. Previous acculturation theories assumed that developing a dominant majority cultural identification would result in loss of the ethnic minority culture. Thus, a significant advance of this theory is the conceptualization of biculturalism as a dual identification with more than one culture without any necessary loss of either culture.

Moreover, the improved quantitative assessment of cultural identification that resulted from this theory advanced the study of ethnic identity and acculturation beyond simple categorizations of individuals to capture more of the complexity inherent in cultural identification. As such, the theory reflects the dynamic and fluid nature of cultural identification of individuals within pluralistic societies by representing a wide range of combinations of cultural identifications. Identification with any one culture can range from “low” to “high” along a continuous dimension and is not necessarily dependent on identification with other cultures.

Eugene Oetting and Fred Beauvais developed an instrument that has been used frequently in the literature, wherein survey questions are phrased in this way: “Are you a success in the s… (culture identified)… way of life?” Responses range from “a lot” to “not at all” in this instrument. Each set of questions is asked separately for different cultures. Typically, six items are used in this scale and include family way of life, personal way of life, family success, personal success, family cultural traditions, and personal cultural traditions. A total score can be created for each culture separately and then combined or used separately. Additionally, orthogonal cultural identification theory advanced the state of the study of cultural change by making the measurement more inclusive for both majority and minority cultures, whereas previous measures were specific only to certain ethnic minority groups.

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