Being bicultural: A mixed-methods study of adolescents' implicitly and explicitly measured multiethnic identities.

Abstract

Understanding how ethnic identities develop in adolescence is currently limited by a reliance on self-report paper-and-pencil measures. This mixed-methods study presents a novel response time measure, the Multiethnic Identities Processing Task (MIPT), to quantify bicultural adolescents' implicit identifications with ethnic and racial identity labels. Eighty-four adolescents (age 14-21 years) of diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds self-identified as bicultural or not bicultural and described their ethnic identities, pride, and ethnic centrality during a brief interview. Participants were assigned to complete either the interview (self-prime) or the MIPT (no prime) first. Results indicate that bicultural adolescents readily endorsed a variety of ethnic and racial labels in the MIPT, reflecting their multifaceted identities. Younger bicultural adolescents showed a large inhibited response to the label "White," indicating some hesitation in deciding whether the label was "like me" or "not like me." Heart rate monitoring and qualitative analyses of interviews provide some insight into this pattern of results. Findings are discussed with respect to developmental theory, and the strengths of using both implicit and explicit measures to understand multiethnic identity development in adolescence.

Developmental Implications of Discrimination

“…"Most Americans think that we don't exist" (12-year-old Mexican boy). (M. Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-Orozco, 2000, p. 27) In our own research with mixed-ethnic and mixed-racial second-generation immigrant adolescents, we also saw qualitative evidence of the power of social mirroring for shaping ethnic identities (Marks, Patton, & García Coll, 2011). When asked why a student provided the low rating of "pride" in the cultural immigrant group she selected, one student told us: I don't know because when I was little there were a lot of Chinese jokes and I'd feel like "Oh being Chinese, they make fun of Chinese and so they are not as good as Americans."…”

Multiracial Identity, Color‐Blind Racial Ideology, and Discrimination: Professional Counseling Implications

“…Finally, results of the exploration of the third question revealed that CBRI did not significantly moderate the relationship between discrimination and MII, despite the reasonable expectation, based on the literature, that it would (Brewster et al, 2013; Costarelli, 2011; Costarelli & Gerłowska, 2015). This lack of effect could again point to the idea that color‐blindness manifests differently in multiracial people than it does in monoracial minority people, possibly because of the widely varying types and experiences of multiracial people (Giamo et al, 2012; Jackson et al, 2012; Marks et al, 2011; Offermann et al, 2014; Rockquemore et al, 2009), and should be studied further.…”

“…Additionally, Jackson et al (2012) investigated the relationships among MII, perceived discrimination, and psychological adjustment and concluded that experiences of perceived racial discrimination are a risk factor for multiracial individuals and that having an integrated multiracial identity could serve as a protective factor for psychological adjustment. The beginnings of this type of research inquiry have made clear the complexity of multiracial identity (Marks, Patton, & Coil, 2011; Rockquemore et al, 2009) and its relationship to mental health, discrimination, and racial attitudes (Giamo et al, 2012; Jackson et al, 2012; Offermann et al, 2014). The extent to which multiracial identity is related to mental health, discrimination, and racial attitudes must be considered to further the understanding of multiracial individuals and the counseling profession.…”

Vers une conception théorique multidimensionnelle du climat scolaire interculturel

“…Lorsqu'elle est associée à une culture en particulier, on parle alors d'identité culturelle, c'est-à-dire de l'ensemble des éléments d'une culture par lesquels un individu ou un groupe se définissent ou se distinguent des autres (Abou, 1986). Pour les élèves issus de la diversité, il est aussi souvent question d'identité pluri-ou multi-culturelle, qui renvoie à la capacité individuelle de se définir et de s'accepter en tant que membres de plus d'un groupe ethnoculturel (Marks, Patton et Coll, 2011).…”