Intercultural exploration and autobiographical narratives: The case of a Singaporean teenager

Our article presents the results of a doctoral research in intercultural psychology, investigating interactions between the interculturation process and the cognitive and developmental processes in France and Singapore. We consider the case of Meziane, a Singaporean teenager, whose identity development is made difficult within his institutionalized multicultural environment.Through the presentation of this clinical case, we analyze relations that seem to emerge between the identity development and the conflict generated by the contact of cultures. In these reciprocal influences, we think that the contact of cultures can destabilize and/or, on the other hand, support the identity development. Just as much, the identity process can reduce and/or accentuate the conflict perceived by the intercultural situation. Moreover, we propose to analyze this Singaporean teenager’s situation through the identity status model along with the exploration and engagement identity processes.