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Abstract

In this study, the relationship between cultural identity and life satisfaction was examined in the context of self-construals. The study used a community sample of Turkish migrants living in Germany, and measured their level of life satisfaction, heritage culture identification, mainstream culture identification, independent self-construal, and interdependent self-construal. The study, besides examining the extent to which cultural identities and self-construals are linked to life satisfaction, investigated whether selfconstruals would moderate the relationship between cultural identities and life satisfaction. The effects of socio-demographic variables such as gender, age, educational attainment, country of birth, and perceived German language proficiency on study variables were also studied. Results showed that mainstream cultural identification and interdependent self-construal positively predicted life satisfaction. Independent self-construal moderated the relationship between mainstream culture identification and life satisfaction; whereas interdependent self-construal moderated the link between heritage culture identification and life satisfaction. It was also revealed that socio-demographic factors make a difference in participants’ cultural identity, self-construal and life satisfaction scores

Keywords

• life satisfaction, cultural identity, acculturation, self-construal

Almanya’daki Türk Göçmenlerde Yaşam Doyumu: Kültürel Kimlik ve Benlik Kurgularının Rolü

Abstract

Bu çalışmada kültürel kimlik ve yaşam doyumu arasındaki ilişki, benlik kurguları çerçevesinde incelenmiştir. Çalışma, kültürel kimlik ve benlik kurgularının yaşam doyumu üstündeki yordayıcı rolünün yanında benlik kurgularının kültürel kimlik ve yaşam doyumu arasındaki ılımlayıcı rolünü incelemeyi amaçlamıştır. Almanya’da yaşayan Türk kökenli 240 katılımcıyla gerçekleştirilen çalışmada katılımcıların miras kültürle (Türk) ve ev sahibi kültürle (Alman) özdeşim düzeyi, bağımsız benlik kurgusu düzeyi, karşılıklı bağımlı benlik kurgusu düzeyi ve yaşam doyumu düzeyi ölçülmüştür. Hiyerarşik regresyon analizi ile elde edilen bulgular, ev sahibi kültürle özdeşimin ve karşılıklı-bağımlı benlik kurgusunun yaşam doyumunu pozitif şekilde yordadığını ortaya koymuştur. Buna ek olarak bağımsız benlik kurgusunun ev sahibi kültürle özdeşim ve yaşam doyumu arasındaki ilişkide; karşılıklı- bağımlı benlik kurgusunun miras kültürle özdeşim ve yaşam doyumu arasındaki ilişkide ılımlayıcı rol oynadığı görülmüştür. Ayrıca katılımcıların yaşam doyumu puanları eğitim seviyesi, yaş ve Almanca yeterlik algısına göre farklılık göstermiştir.

Keywords

• yaşam doyumu, kültürel kimlik, kültürleşme, benlik kurgusu

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