Positive self‐identity is not easily attained in this culture. This premise is supported by the pervasive number of “‐isms” (e.g., racism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism) and their adverse impact on those who are defined as inferior by the dominant way of perceiving. Examination of the conceptual system that predisposes people to these “‐isms” concludes that (a) it is the nature of the conceptual system that is inherently oppressive and (b) all who adhere to this conceptual system have a difficult time developing and maintaining a positive identity. This article postulates a new way of describing the identity development process under oppression using optimal theory (Myers, 1988). From this optimal worldview, oppression is perceived as self‐alienating and yielding a fragmented sense of self, based upon devaluation by self and others. Therefore, identity development is a process of integrating and expanding one's sense of self. Optimal theory provides a new inclusive model of identity development, which is described, along with its applications for counseling practice. No es facíl obtener una identidad positiva de uno mismo en esta cultura. Esta premisa se apoya en la gran cantidad de “‐ismos” (e.g., racismo, sexismo, heterosexismo, “edadismo”) y los impactos adversos en la gente que sería definida como inferior por la manera dominante de percibirlo. La conclusión de un examen del sistema conceptual que predispone a las personas a estos “‐ismos” es que (a) la naturaleza del sistema conceptual es inheréntemente opresivo, y (b) todos aquellos que se adhieran a este sistema conceptual tendrán dificultades con el desarrollo y mantemiento de una identidad positiva. Este artículo postula una nueva manera de describir el proceso del desarrolo de la identidad bajo opresión utilizando la teoría óptima (Myers, 1.988). Desde esta visión universal óptima, se ve a la opresión como autoalienación y creadora de un sentido fragmentado del yo, basado en la devaluación por uno mismo y por los demás. Por tanto, el desarrollo de la indentidad es un proceso de integración y amplificación de la percepción de uno mismo. Esta óptima teoría nos da un modelo inclusive nuevo del desarrollo de identidad, lo cual se describe, junta con sus aplicacions para la práctica de consejería.

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One of the complexities of multicultural teaching is that course content inevitably relates to personal experiences of privilege and oppression among both students and professors. Even when professors have benefitted from their own multicultural training, teaching about race and racism presents particular challenges to different professors based upon their own social locations. In this article, we answer the following question: What personal and professional challenges can White professors expect when they work as social justice educators? The authors present relevant considerations and illustrate them with examples from their own teaching experiences.

The Self-Identity Inventory (SII) was developed using the Optimal Theory Applied to Identity Development (OTAID) model. A sample of 325 culturally diverse respondents completed the SII, the Tolerance Scale from the California Psychological Inventory, the Belief Systems Analysis Scale, and the Social Desirability and Infrequency Scales. Through confirmatory factor analysis, goodness-of-fit, and social desirability/item infrequency measures, SII items were analyzed, resulting in a 6-scale, 71-item inventory. Internal consistency for the scales ranged from .72 to .90. Test-retest reliability ranged from .72 to .92. Correlations with external construct validity measures supported predictions. Interscale correlations and other statistical tests primarily supported the OTAID model. Implications for therapy and future research are suggested.