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Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Fostering Healthy Ethnic Identity Development

Today's blog posting is written by Dr. del Prado, a licensed counseling psychologist and full-time assistant professor in the clinical psychology program at The Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. She specializes in multicultural psychology and university mental health and provides individual therapy to those working on various concerns, including depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship problems, body image, career issues, and stress management. Dr. del Prado also works as a consultant, providing seminars and workshops to programs on enhancing multicultural competency in the work place. She is expecting her first child next month. For more information on Dr. del Prado, please visit www.drdelprado.com

Parents will agree that they want to positively shape their children’s identity and sense of self. However, how often do caregivers think about positively influencing their children’s ethnic identity? Dr. Jean Phinney, professor of psychology, defines ethnic identity as consisting of a person’s sense of belonging to an ethnic group, one’s preference for and positive evaluation of the ethnic group, one’s knowledge of and exploration of ethnic values, and involvement in ethnic group activities. In general, ethnic identity issues peak in adolescence and early adulthood.

My cousin’s daughter, Miranda (age 13), demonstrates high ethnic identity in her Puerto Rican heritage. She wears clothes with the Puerto Rican flag, expresses excitement about Puerto Rican Food, and speaks with pride about her knowledge of Puerto Rican history. Psychological research strongly supports that ethnic identity formation for adolescents, such as Miranda, correlates with healthy outcomes including positive self-esteem, psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and positive emotions. Therefore, it is important that parents and caregivers do what they can to foster their children’s pride in, attachment with, and knowledge of their ethnic heritage(s).

Knowledge of racial and ethnic identity models is one way parents can help their children successfully navigate the common developmental stages associated with racial/ethnic identity. Drs. Atkinson, Morten, and Sue propose that one’s racial/cultural identity process can be conceptualized under five stages: 1) Conformity, 2) Dissonance, 3) Resistance and Immersion, 4) Introspection, and 5) Integrative Awareness. If Miranda were in Stage 1 (Conformity), she will openly embrace mainstream white culture and reject the values and customs of her Puerto Rican culture. In Stage 2 (Dissonance), Miranda will encounter conflicting messages about her idealistic views of the dominant U.S. culture and negative perception of Puerto Rican culture. Often, experiences of racial discrimination can lead an individual to transition from Stage 1 to Stage 2. If Miranda enters Stage 3 (Resistance and Immersion), she will completely endorse Puerto Rican values and behaviors, and reject those of the dominant culture. In Stage 4 (Introspection), Miranda will shift from the extreme nature of Stage 3 to a more self-reflective process. She will try to become more objective about Puerto Rican views and attitudes and aim to integrate the values of her Puerto Rican culture with that of mainstream U.S. culture. In the final stage of Integrative Awareness, Miranda reconciles conflicts between Puerto Rican and U.S. culture, and develops a balanced understanding and appreciation of multiple cultures’ strengths and limitations. Additional racial identity models include Cross’ Nigrescense Model for African Americans and Helm’s White Racial Identity Model. In addition, the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) is a brief self-assessment survey that may assist with identifying one’s current level of ethnic identity.

Understanding what “stage” an adolescent may be in can help parents better relate to their children and encourage open communication about culture. Similarly, completing the MEIM and discussing the results with your child may further healthy dialogue and connection among family members. Remember, fostering a child’s positive racial and ethnic identity development is associated with them also having overall healthy psychological functioning.

For further information on ethnic and racial identity development:

Sanchez, D., del Prado, A., & Davis, C. (2010). Broaching ethnicity in therapy. In J. Cornish, B. Schreier, L. Nadkarni, & E. Rodolfa (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural counseling competencies. Wiley & Sons, Inc.

http://www.diversityweb.org/DiversityDemocracy/vol13no2/ortiz.cfm

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