{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T04:59:55Z","timestamp":1790312395892,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":84,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790294400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Drawing on the mutual constitution framework in cultural psychology, this study explores how three generations of an Oroqen family construct ethnic identity through nostalgic narratives elicited by family photographs. The Oroqen, one of China\u2019s smallest ethnic minority groups, with a population of only 9,168, offer a rare example of rapid cultural change. In the span of only three generations, or roughly 80 years, they moved from a forest-based hunting and gathering way of life into full participation in a digital society. Using reflexive thematic analysis, the analysis examined in-depth interviews with five members of the family and identified three core themes. First, the main anchors of ethnic identity shifted across generations. For the grandparents, Oroqen identity was rooted in embodied memories of hunting and gathering. The parent generation centered it on preserving traditions that were fading away. The grandchild generation, by contrast, reconstructed identity through selective symbols and digital communication. Second, the link between language ability and ethnic identity changed across generations, moving from essentialist claims to pragmatic compromise and then to more fluid forms of reconstruction. Each generation also bore its own emotional burden in this process. Third, digital media created new possibilities for the grandchild generation to reshape ethnic identity. This gave rise to an intergenerational dynamic in which a decline in lived experience was accompanied by a widening range of communication. These findings extend the mutual constitution framework by showing how generational position and media environments shape identity construction. The study also highlights the value of photo-elicitation interviews for capturing generational differences in identity construction in culturally endangered contexts.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1915280","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T04:26:45Z","timestamp":1790310405000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Generational compression and the shifting anchors of identity: a photo-elicitation nostalgia narrative study of identity construction across three generations in an Oroqen family"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Shan","family":"Cong","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Sun Yat-sen University","place":["Guangzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","volume-title":"Modernity At Large: Cultural Dimensions Of Globalization.","author":"Appadurai","year":"1996"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"128","DOI":"10.1037\/a0038033","article-title":"Remembering the real me: Nostalgia offers a window to the intrinsic self.","volume":"108","author":"Baldwin","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Pers. Soc. Psychol"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1177\/0959354309355852","article-title":"Who am I? Narration and its contribution to self and identity.","volume":"21","author":"Bamberg","year":"2011","journal-title":"Theory Psychol."},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"276","DOI":"10.1080\/15298868.2017.1330222","article-title":"Being oneself through time: Bases of self-continuity across 55 cultures.","volume":"17","author":"Becker","year":"2018","journal-title":"Self Identity"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1015","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467-6494.2005.00337.x","article-title":"Bicultural identity integration (BII): Components and psychosocial antecedents.","volume":"73","author":"Benet-Mart\u00ednez","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Pers"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1464-0597.1997.tb01087.x","article-title":"Immigration, acculturation, and adaptation.","volume":"46","author":"Berry","year":"1997","journal-title":"Appl. Psychol."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"697","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijintrel.2005.07.013","article-title":"Acculturation: Living successfully in two cultures.","volume":"29","author":"Berry","year":"2005","journal-title":"Int. J. Intercult. Relat."},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"215","DOI":"10.1080\/00049182.2012.706201","article-title":"The relationship between wellbeing and Indigenous land, language and culture in Australia.","volume":"43","author":"Biddle","year":"2012","journal-title":"Aust. Geogr."},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"77","DOI":"10.1191\/1478088706qp063oa","article-title":"Using thematic analysis in psychology.","volume":"3","author":"Braun","year":"2006","journal-title":"Qual. Res. Psychol."},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"589","DOI":"10.1080\/2159676X.2019.1628806","article-title":"Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis.","volume":"11","author":"Braun","year":"2019","journal-title":"Qual. Res. Sport Exerc. Health"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"320","DOI":"10.1007\/s12124-016-9345-7","article-title":"From mind to context, from accuracy to meaning. exploring the grammar of remembering as a socially situated act.","volume":"50","author":"Bresc\u00f3 de Luna","year":"2016","journal-title":"Integr. Psychol. Behav. Sci"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"75","DOI":"10.1093\/jole\/lzaa002","article-title":"Language endangerment: A multidimensional analysis of risk factors.","volume":"5","author":"Bromham","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Lang. Evol."},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"691","DOI":"10.1353\/sor.2004.0045","article-title":"Life as narrative.","volume":"71","author":"Bruner","year":"2004","journal-title":"Soc. Res."},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"618343","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2021.618343","article-title":"Autobiographical meaning making protects the sense of self-continuity past forced migration.","volume":"12","author":"Camia","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front. Psychol"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"424","DOI":"10.1177\/1090198109342084","article-title":"Photovoice: A review of the literature in health and public health.","volume":"37","author":"Catalani","year":"2010","journal-title":"Health Educ. Behav"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1507","DOI":"10.1177\/0002764204266236","article-title":"Framing the social world with photo-elicitation interviews.","volume":"47","author":"Clark-Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez","year":"2004","journal-title":"Am. Behav. Sci."},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"843","DOI":"10.1525\/aa.1957.59.5.02a00100","article-title":"Photography in anthropology: A report on two experiments.","volume":"59","author":"Collier","year":"1957","journal-title":"Am. Anthropol."},{"key":"B18","volume-title":"A Reference Grammar Of Oroqen [Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation].","author":"Cong","year":"2019"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"149","DOI":"10.1177\/1354067X11434834","article-title":"A semiotic approach to mind and culture.","volume":"18","author":"Cousins","year":"2012","journal-title":"Cult. Psychol."},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2747","DOI":"10.1007\/s10902-023-00701-y","article-title":"Nostalgia and online autobiography: Implications for global self-continuity and psychological well-being.","volume":"24","author":"Dai","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Happiness Stud."},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"389","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-anthro-102218-011309","article-title":"From literacy\/literacies to graphic pluralism and inscriptive practices.","volume":"48","author":"Debenport","year":"2019","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Anthropol."},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"303","DOI":"10.1177\/1368430216683532","article-title":"A social psychological examination of the empowering role of language in Indigenous resistance.","volume":"20","author":"Droogendyk","year":"2017","journal-title":"Group Process. Intergroup Relat."},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"96","DOI":"10.1177\/1354067X241312238","article-title":"Retelling the past: Narrative construction and reconstruction using personal photographs and the elicitation of nostalgia.","volume":"32","author":"Elbaz","year":"2026","journal-title":"Cult. Psychol."},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"188","DOI":"10.1002\/acp.3176","article-title":"Forks in the road: Memories of turning points and transitions.","volume":"30","author":"Enz","year":"2016","journal-title":"Appl. Cogn. Psychol."},{"key":"B25","volume-title":"Dislocating China: Muslims, Minorities, And Other Subaltern Subjects.","author":"Gladney","year":"2004"},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"373","DOI":"10.1016\/S0271-5309(99)00011-7","article-title":"Language policy and the loss of Tungusic languages.","volume":"19","author":"Grenoble","year":"1999","journal-title":"Lang. Commun."},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"911","DOI":"10.1080\/01434632.2020.1827645","article-title":"Toward a new conceptualisation of language revitalisation.","volume":"42","author":"Grenoble","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Multiling. Multicult. Dev."},{"key":"B28","volume-title":"Survey of Oroqen Shaman Cultural Heritage.","author":"Guan","year":"2010"},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"748","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-2909.126.5.748","article-title":"Getting a life: The emergence of the life story in adolescence.","volume":"126","author":"Habermas","year":"2000","journal-title":"Psychol. Bull"},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"664","DOI":"10.1080\/09658211.2014.920885","article-title":"Autobiographical reasoning in life narratives buffers the effect of biographical disruptions on the sense of self-continuity.","volume":"23","author":"Habermas","year":"2015","journal-title":"Memory"},{"key":"B31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"13","DOI":"10.1080\/14725860220137345","article-title":"Talking about pictures: A case for photo elicitation.","volume":"17","author":"Harper","year":"2002","journal-title":"Visual Stud."},{"key":"B32","volume-title":"Cultural Encounters on China\u2019s Ethnic Frontiers.","author":"Harrell","year":"1995"},{"key":"B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"881","DOI":"10.1111\/1467-6494.696168","article-title":"Self as cultural product: An examination of East Asian and North American selves.","volume":"69","author":"Heine","year":"2001","journal-title":"J. Pers"},{"key":"B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"733","DOI":"10.1037\/a0036790","article-title":"Pancultural nostalgia: Prototypical conceptions across cultures.","volume":"14","author":"Hepper","year":"2014","journal-title":"Emotion"},{"key":"B35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"31","DOI":"10.1037\/1089-2680.11.1.31","article-title":"Self, identity, and globalization in times of uncertainty: A dialogical analysis.","volume":"11","author":"Hermans","year":"2007","journal-title":"Rev. Gen. Psychol."},{"key":"B36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1163\/9789004261723_002","article-title":"Language revitalization: An overview","volume-title":"The Green Book Of Language Revitalization In Practice","author":"Hinton","year":"2001"},{"key":"B37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"735","DOI":"10.1177\/01461672211024889","article-title":"How does nostalgia conduce to global self-continuity? The roles of identity narrative, associative links, and stability.","volume":"48","author":"Hong","year":"2022","journal-title":"Pers. Soc. Psychol. Bull"},{"key":"B38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"709","DOI":"10.1037\/\/0003-066x.55.7.709","article-title":"Multicultural minds. A dynamic constructivist approach to culture and cognition.","volume":"55","author":"Hong","year":"2000","journal-title":"Am. Psychol"},{"key":"B39","volume-title":"A Brief Record Of The Oroqen Language.","author":"Hu","year":"1986"},{"key":"B40","volume-title":"A Study Of The Oroqen Language.","author":"Hu","year":"2001"},{"key":"B41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"37","DOI":"10.1515\/ijsl.2005.2005.173.37","article-title":"Tungusic: An endangered language family in Northeast Asia.","volume":"2005","author":"Janhunen","year":"2005","journal-title":"Int. J. Sociol. Lang."},{"key":"B42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"189","DOI":"10.1207\/S1532480XADS0703_10","article-title":"Coming of age in a multicultural world: Globalization and adolescent cultural identity formation.","volume":"7","author":"Jensen","year":"2003","journal-title":"Appl. Dev. Sci."},{"key":"B43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"107","DOI":"10.1177\/1354067X211015416","article-title":"Grief, photography and meaning making: A psychological constructivist approach.","volume":"28","author":"Jim\u00e9nez-Alonso","year":"2022","journal-title":"Cul. Psychol."},{"key":"B44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1037\/0000246-000","volume-title":"Essentials of Narrative Analysis.","author":"Josselson","year":"2021"},{"key":"B45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"541","DOI":"10.1515\/multi-2017-3044","article-title":"Great-grandfather, please teach me my language!","volume":"36","author":"Ka\u2019ai","year":"2017","journal-title":"Multilingua"},{"key":"B46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"236","DOI":"10.1037\/a0015999","article-title":"A cultural task analysis of implicit independence: Comparing North America, Western Europe, and East Asia.","volume":"97","author":"Kitayama","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. Pers. Soc. Psychol"},{"key":"B47","first-page":"97","article-title":"Paradigmatic controversies, contradictions, and emerging confluences, revisited","volume-title":"The SAGE Handbook Of Qualitative Research(4th ed)","author":"Lincoln","year":"2011"},{"key":"B48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"363","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-psych-032420-032631","article-title":"A socioecological-genetic framework of culture and personality: Their roots, trends, and interplay.","volume":"74","author":"Lu","year":"2023","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Psychol"},{"key":"B49","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1017\/CBO9780511620843","volume-title":"Language Diversity And Thought: A Reformulation of The Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis.","author":"Lucy","year":"1992"},{"key":"B50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"224","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-295X.98.2.224","article-title":"Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation.","volume":"98","author":"Markus","year":"1991","journal-title":"Psychol. Rev."},{"key":"B51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"420","DOI":"10.1177\/1745691610375557","article-title":"Cultures and selves: A cycle of mutual constitution.","volume":"5","author":"Markus","year":"2010","journal-title":"Perspect. Psychol. Sci"},{"key":"B52","volume-title":"Power, Intimacy, And The Life Story: Personological Inquiries Into Identity.","author":"McAdams","year":"1985"},{"key":"B53","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100","DOI":"10.1037\/1089-2680.5.2.100","article-title":"The psychology of life stories.","volume":"5","author":"McAdams","year":"2001","journal-title":"Rev. Gen. Psychol."},{"key":"B54","first-page":"242","article-title":"Personal narratives and the life story","volume-title":"Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research 3rd ed","author":"McAdams","year":"2008"},{"key":"B55","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1981","DOI":"10.1037\/dev0001246","article-title":"A conceptual review of identity integration across adulthood.","volume":"57","author":"Mitchell","year":"2021","journal-title":"Dev. Psychol"},{"key":"B56","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"631","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-psych-010814-015001","article-title":"Polycultural psychology.","volume":"66","author":"Morris","year":"2015","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Psychol"},{"key":"B57","volume-title":"Atlas of the World\u2019s Languages In Danger (3rd ed).","author":"Moseley","year":"2010"},{"key":"B58","volume-title":"Coming to Terms With The Nation: Ethnic Classification In Modern China.","author":"Mullaney","year":"2011"},{"key":"B59","volume-title":"Tabulation on 2020 China population Census by ethnicity.","year":"2022"},{"key":"B60","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"414","DOI":"10.1037\/a0037115","article-title":"Dimensions of belonging as an aspect of racial-ethnic-cultural identity: An exploration of indigenous Australians.","volume":"61","author":"Neville","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Couns Psychol"},{"key":"B61","first-page":"58","article-title":"Husserl\u2019s phenomenology of the life-world: Reflections based on the Lebenswelt manuscripts.","author":"Ni","year":"2019","journal-title":"Philos. Trend."},{"key":"B62","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"867","DOI":"10.3390\/rel14070867","article-title":"The changes of Chinese oroqen shaman culture in the context of social transformation.","volume":"14","author":"Ni","year":"2023","journal-title":"Religions"},{"key":"B63","volume-title":"The geography of thought: How Asians and Westerners Think Differently and Why.","author":"Nisbett","year":"2003"},{"key":"B64","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"919","DOI":"10.1177\/0011392106068458","article-title":"The modalities of nostalgia.","volume":"54","author":"Pickering","year":"2006","journal-title":"Curr. Sociol."},{"key":"B65","volume-title":"Doing Visual Ethnography","author":"Pink","year":"2013"},{"key":"B66","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"42","DOI":"10.1057\/ajcs.2012.4","article-title":"What good are interviews for thinking about culture? Demystifying interpretive analysis.","volume":"1","author":"Pugh","year":"2013","journal-title":"Am. J. Cult. Sociol."},{"key":"B67","volume-title":"The Oroqen People.","author":"Qiu","year":"1956"},{"key":"B68","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"808","DOI":"10.1111\/spc3.12070","article-title":"Nostalgia as a resource for psychological health and well-being.","volume":"7","author":"Routledge","year":"2013","journal-title":"Soc. Personal. Psychol. Compass"},{"key":"B69","volume-title":"Performance Studies: An Introduction","author":"Schechner","year":"2013"},{"key":"B70","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"332","DOI":"10.1111\/jola.12204","article-title":"The predicament of language and culture: Advocacy, anthropology, and dormant language communities.","volume":"28","author":"Schwartz","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Linguist. Anthropol."},{"key":"B71","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"887","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2020.00887","article-title":"The Convergence between cultural psychology and developmental science: Acculturation as an exemplar.","volume":"11","author":"Schwartz","year":"2020","journal-title":"Fron.t Psychol."},{"key":"B72","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"52","DOI":"10.1002\/ejsp.2073","article-title":"Nostalgia counteracts self-discontinuity and restores self-continuity.","volume":"45","author":"Sedikides","year":"2015","journal-title":"Eur. J. Soc. Psychol."},{"key":"B73","volume-title":"Thinking Through Cultures: Expeditions In Cultural Psychology.","author":"Shweder","year":"1991"},{"key":"B74","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"478","DOI":"10.1002\/acp.3343","article-title":"Life story chapters, specific memories, and conceptions of the self.","volume":"31","author":"Steiner","year":"2017","journal-title":"Appl. Cogn. Psychol."},{"key":"B75","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"445","DOI":"10.1002\/ejsp.366","article-title":"Interpersonal leveling, independence, and self-enhancement: A comparison between Denmark and the US, and a relational practice framework for cultural psychology.","volume":"37","author":"Thomsen","year":"2007","journal-title":"Eur. J. Soc. Psychol."},{"key":"B76","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"57","DOI":"10.1177\/1470357207084865","article-title":"Digital photography: Communication, identity, memory.","volume":"7","author":"Van Dijck","year":"2008","journal-title":"Vis. Commun."},{"key":"B77","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"521","DOI":"10.1002\/ejsp.2519","article-title":"How nostalgia infuses life with meaning: From social connectedness to self-continuity.","volume":"49","author":"van Tilburg","year":"2019","journal-title":"Eur. J. Soc. Psychol."},{"key":"B78","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"966","DOI":"10.1037\/xge0000175","article-title":"Beyond the \u2018east-west\u2019 dichotomy: Global variation in cultural models of selfhood.","volume":"145","author":"Vignoles","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Exp. Psychol. Gen"},{"key":"B79","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"369","DOI":"10.1177\/109019819702400309","article-title":"Photovoice: Concept, methodology, and use for participatory needs assessment.","volume":"24","author":"Wang","year":"1997","journal-title":"Health Educ. Behav"},{"key":"B80","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"36274","DOI":"10.1007\/s12144-024-07045-7","article-title":"Eco-cultural influences on cognitive flexibility: A comparative analysis of verbal fluency in Oroqen hunters and Han populations.","volume":"43","author":"Wang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Curr. Psychol."},{"key":"B81","volume-title":"Language, Thought, And Reality: Selected Writings Of Benjamin Lee Whorf","author":"Whorf","year":"1956"},{"key":"B82","volume-title":"The Last Legend: A Study Of Oroqen Culture.","author":"Wu","year":"2006"},{"key":"B83","volume-title":"The Nomadic Hunting Culture Of The Oroqen.","author":"Zhao","year":"1991"},{"key":"B84","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1047","DOI":"10.1177\/1077800408321616","article-title":"The embedded narrative: Navigating through multiple contexts.","volume":"14","author":"Zilber","year":"2008","journal-title":"Qual. Inq."}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Psychology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1915280\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T04:26:51Z","timestamp":1790310411000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1915280\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]]},"references-count":84,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1915280"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1915280","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-1078"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-1078","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]]},"article-number":"1915280"}}