Racial Identity Development in Adolescence

1. Racial Identity Development in Adolescence Professional Development Day English Department Oct. 8., 2004

2. James Marcia described four identity “statuses” to characterize the variation in the identity search process: • diffuse, a state in which there had been little exploration or commitment; • foreclosed, a state in which a commitment has been made to particular roles or belief systems, often those selected by parents, without actively considering alternatives; • moratorium, a state of active exploration of roles and beliefs in which no commitment has yet been made; and • achieved, a state of strong personal commitment to a particular dimension of identity following a period of high exploration.” (Tatum)

3. Pre-Encounter This is the stage where the Black child, ostensibly the child of color, absorbs the values of the dominant culture—just as every other child does—only for the child of color, this involves inculcation into a culture that is not his own by heritage.

4. “Simply as a function of being socialized in a Eurocentric culture, some Black children [children of color] may begin to value the role models, lifestyles, and images of beauty represented by the dominant group more highly than those of their own culture” (Tatum).

5. This is the stage where the child of color, absorbs the values of the dominant culture.

6. The damage that can be done in this process can be reduced by parents and in our case by teachers, who are “race-conscious,” who actively provide their children of color with positive cultural images and messages about what it means to be a person of color.

7. 2. Encounter The transition from pre-encounter to encounter stage usually follows an event or series of events that force the young person to personally acknowledge the impact of racism.

8. The child begins to deal directly with what it means to be a member of a targeted group.

9. Encounter Institutional cues “Ability grouping” often produces “a recognizable racial pattern to how children are assigned, which often represents the system of advantage operating in the school” (Tatum).

10. There is a stronger awareness of the development of racial and ethnic identities in Black students, particularly Black females.

11. Encounter Dating cues for Black Females Black girls in predominantly White communities may become gradually aware that while their white friends start to date that they do not. This relates messages about who is sexually desirable, who is beautiful and who is not.

12. EncounterDiffering cues for Black Males In predominantly White school, Black males may experience a degree of social success, especially if they are talented athletes. This is a coveted role embraced by the dominant culture, and these boys are often pursued by Black and White girls alike.

13. encounterOther societal triggers Subtle remarks by classmates, teachers, administrators, and others often trigger racial self reflection. Consciousness of ones solitary racial status in classroom discussions, and stereotypical comments made unconsciously by others can push children into an awareness of their racial or ethnic identity.

14. 2. immersion/emersion In this phase the person attempts to: “Destroy all vestiges of the old perspective,” while simultaneously experiencing, “an equally intense concern to clarify the personal implications of the new frame of reference” (Cross).

15. Immersion Into the ‘world of color’  Adolescents begin to soak up their own culture or the culture of other people of color and attempt to reflect this through patterns of thought, dress, action, and speech.  This is the stage when the actual conversion to the new identity is occurring (Cross). 

16. Often, the adolescent of color finds that their confusion with the often negative racial encounters are invalidated by white people who have little understanding of these experiences. They are often told they are being, “oversensitive,” or that the person who insulted them “is a good person who would never mean it like that.”

17. At this point we often see disengagement, • White friends are often unprepared to respond in supportive ways. • Students of color need a place to meet where they can validate the reality of their experiences.

18. Students of color may turn to each other as sources of behavioral knowledge. Yet often this knowledge is based in dominant cultural stereotypical images of people of color gathered from media

19. Possible Coping Strategies1. Oppositional Social Identity One common psychological pattern found among students of color, particularly in African American students is the development of an oppositional social identity as a “response to the anger and resentment they feel in response to their growing awareness of the systematic exclusion of Black people from full participation in U.S. society…” (Tatum).

20. Students at this stage are often using a limited definition of racial behaviors. Achievement can often drop, as academic achievement is falsely understood by those in oppositional identity stages of development to be associated with Whiteness, and therefore an undesirable trait.

21. 2. Others choose to achieve and separate themselves from other students of color so that they can keep being accepted by their White friends. This strategy is known, by researchers Signnithia and John Ogbu Fordham, as racelessness.

22. Instead of seeing themselves as raceless, students can see themselves as emissaries. • In this case they see their own achievements as ‘advancing the entire race or group.’ This often comes with a strong political statement of commitment to the group.

23. Emersion The next step is emergence from the emotionality and oversimplified ideological aspects of the immersion experience (Cross).  During this step the person begins to regain control of his or her emotions and intellect. 

24. The adolescent begins to see this role model as operating at a higher stage of development and decides that he or she will attempt to become more like his or her model.  

25. 3. Internalization This stage "signals the resolution of conflicts between the old and the new," (Cross) and is exhibited through a calm secure demeanor. 

26. This stage is marked by a shift in perspective: • from concern about how their friends of color see their confidence in their own personal standards of behavior, to the adolescents comfort with self • from uncontrolled rage toward White people, to controlled anger toward oppressive and racist institutions • from symbolic rhetoric to quiet, dedicated , long-term commitment; • from unrealistic urgency to a sense of destiny • from anxious, insecure, rigid, inferiority feelings to cultural pride, self-love and a deep sense of the communalism often found in racial/ethnic cultures (Cross).

27. 4. Internalization-commitment After developing a radicalized identity individuals in this stage continue to be long-term activists.  These adolescents demonstrate a commitment not only to incorporate the new identity but also to “struggle to translate personal identity into actions that are meaningful to the group” (Cross).

28. Development of White Racial Identity

29. Janet Helms, in her work, Black and White Racial Identity Development: Theory, Research, and Practice, says: “… the task for people of color is to resist negative societal messages and develop an empowered sense of self in the face of a racist society … the task for Whites is to develop a positive White identity based in reality, not on assumed superiority” (Tatum).

30. Becoming Aware of Whiteness

31. I’m just normalThe ContactStage At this stage of the development of a White identity, adolescents pay little attention to the significance of their racial identity

32. If White adolescents have lived in a predominantly White environment They usually consider themselves part of the racial norm and are not conscious of White privilege (the systematically conferred advantages they receive simply because they are White).

33. At this stage, just like everyone else in our society, White adolescents have been “breathing in the ‘smog’ and have internalized many of the prevailing societal stereotypes of people of color,” (Tatum ) and are typically unaware of this socialization process.

34. This stage is also accompanied by the perception of self as ‘color-blind,’ completely free of prejudice and a lack of awareness of their own assumptions about other racial groups.

35. At this stage their definitions of racism involves individual acts of meanness and discrimination of members of one group towards the member of another group.

36. While some Whites grow up in families where openly racist ideology is taught, most Whites passively absorb the subtly communicated messages of the dominant society.

37. Pamela Perry, in her Shades of White: White Kids and Racial Identities in High Schools, relates the findings of her 4 year study of White adolescence in two different California high schools.

38. With no one to compare themselves to, they believe themselves and their experience to be the norm, as Perry reports in a section titled, “White means never having to say you’re ethnic.”

39. cognitive gap Perry speaks of a ‘cognitive gap,’ which she compares to “common sense” “that which goes without saying because it comes without saying.” She says that it is “understandable that youth who were most identified with and integrated into the mainstream culture would be least reflective about that culture.

40. ReflectionStage two: Disintegration This stage is involves a growing awareness of racism—a system of earned privilege given to one group over another—and the ties of this privilege to Whiteness.

41. This stage usually begins to occur through personal encounters of people of color in “which the social significance of race is made visible” (Tatum). These encounters can occur through friendship, romantic relationships, through seeing racist incidents in the media, and through shared classrooms where the “social consequences of racial group membership are explicitly discussed as part of course content” (Tatum).

42. The silence about race that comes from ‘color-blindness,’ this silence is broken during disintegration and it is through discourse that racism becomes visible.

43. This stage is often uncomfortable for the White adolescent. Emotions of guilt, shame, and anger related to one’s personal prejudices or the prejudices within one’s family.

44. It is as this stage that White adolescents become aware that their own lives have been affected by racism, not just the lives of people of color. This is the most dangerous stage. It is here where the White adolescent can continue on their journey towards the creation of a positive White identity, or where they can turn back and shut down.

45. There are two major concepts that must be dealt with at this stage: • The idea of an American Meritocracy • The concept of Individuality.

46. American Meritocracy • Because so much of what is taught in schools has to do with the concepts that in America everyone is equal and that there are equal opportunities for all, when the realities of racism becomes evident to the White adolescent, the cognitive dissonance that results produces a great deal of discomfort.

47. If the student remains engaged, this discomfort can be transformed into action. This action which is spurred on by the anger created from the awareness of racism, and can take the form of educating others—pointing out stereotypes as they watch T.V., interrupting racial jokes, writing letters to the editor, sharing readings with family and friends (Tatum).

48. here are dangers here: 1. like all new converts, people experiencing disintegration can be quite zealous. This is the time when many fall into what I call the “missionary trap.” They can become empathetic as opposed to sympathetic and decide that people of color can and must be saved, specifically by them

49. that the early feelings of “guilt or denial may be transformed into anger toward people of color.” The logic here is, “If there is a problem with racism, then you people of color must have dome something to cause it. And if you would just change your behavior, the problem would go away” (Tatum).

50. “But I’m an Individual” • One of the most common reactions by White adolescents is resentment of being seen not as an individual, but as a member of a group.