This study explored the multi-cultural identity formation process of first generation Taiwanese immigrants. This study was based on eight Taiwanese immigrants' life stories and was guided by the following question and sub-questions: What is the Taiwanese immigrants' perception of their own identity? (1) How do the first generation Taiwanese transform their identity after they come to the United States? (2) Considering social class, how does the identity formation process differ among first generation Taiwanese immigrants? and (3) How is the identity formation process of first generation immigrants from Taiwan similar to or different from Western culture salient studies?
The conceptual framework of the study incorporated the theories of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Model, Côté's Social Capital theory, Erikson's Ego Identity Theory, Marcia's Identity Status Model, and Phinney's Identity Developmental Stages. The study found that Taiwanese immigrants' identity formation process is not only different within itself due to the different experiences of each of the Taiwanese immigrants, but also different compared to Western culture studies. The findings suggest that first generation Taiwanese immigrants' identity formation process varies according to the social contexts and life experiences of the immigrants, both in Taiwan and the United States.
While Marcia's (1966) "Identity Status Model" stated that individuals transformed their identity status from Identity Foreclosure Status to Identity Achievement Status, this study suggests that many Taiwanese immigrants revert back to Identity Foreclosure Status after immigrating to the United States. The study also found that many Taiwanese immigrants conform to their social identity instead of developing their own ego identity in the new social context.
Taiwanese immigrants have a unique identity formation process that differs from Western identity formation process. A "Taiwanese Immigrants' Identity Formation Model" (TIIFM) is proposed by the study for examining the Taiwanese immigrants' identity formation process. This model proposes that depending on individuals' social contexts and life experiences, Taiwanese immigrants transfer into a new societal context through social capital and three different identity transformation levels. However, the levels of identity transformation may change throughout the new life experiences acquired in the new environment. The more opportunities immigrants have to interact with the host culture, the higher the level of identity transformation they will reach.
