Systemic Analysis of the Construction of Cultural Identity among Adolescents Whose Parents Are Fishermen in the Blangoua Area, Far North Region of Cameroon

This study is a systemic analysis of the factors influencing the construction of cultural identity among adolescents from fishing families. The study is based on the observation that certain factors influence the construction of the identity of adolescents from fishing families in the Blangoua area. The research raises the problem of the influence of factors on adolescents’ self-perception and identity construction. We used Tajfel and Turner’s social identity theory (1979), which postulates that individuals derive their self-esteem from the social groups to which they belong and the meanings attached to their membership of these groups, and Shweder’s cultural psychology (1998), which stresses the importance of understanding human behaviour in its cultural context rather than considering it as an individual phenomenon detached from its socio-cultural environment. The analyses therefore examine the factors that have an impact on the construction of adolescents’ identities. To test our research hypotheses, we used the clinical method, which relies on a semi-directive interview guide to collect data from these adolescents (aged 13 to 20), selected using the purposive sampling technique. Content analysis of the adolescents’ discourse enabled us to establish a correlation between the different variables in our research hypotheses. It also confirmed the general hypothesis that factors linked to cultural practices influence the construction of the identity of adolescents of fishing parents, and led to suggestions for enhancing the value of local cultures and strengthening the link between culture and psychology.