Determinants of ethnic identity development in adulthood: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Ethnic identity is defined in terms of the interaction between exploration of and commitment to a given cultural background. The present study investigated the effect of individual background, role transitions, and the social environment on the development of ethnic identity in a sample of German adults aged 21-73 years (N = 2,940). Additionally, identity transitions and the moderating effect of disequilibrating life events on identity over time were examined (N = 827). Overall, results are consistent with findings for other identity domains: Respondents could be assigned to one of four identity stages, ranging from unexamined to achieved identity. Particularly, the individual background and the extent of community involvement affected ethnic identity formation in adulthood. Longitudinal analyses revealed that only one-third of respondents had remained in the same identity stage; most individuals had transitioned forward or backward. Changes in ethnic identity were not moderated by disequilibrating life events. Statement of contributionIdentity development has been acknowledged as a central task of adolescence (Erikson, 1968;Marcia, 1994). Most research work on identity development has focussed on this phase of life. However, identity formation is not necessarily complete by the end of adolescence; rather, it can occur throughout the life span (Cramer, 2004;Fadjukoff & Kroger, 2016;Kroger, 2007). The few studies to date that have examined identity development across adulthood, focussed on the domains occupational career, intimate relationships, religious beliefs, ideology, or lifestyle. Even fewer have investigated identity development patterns longitudinally. In this regard, the present author was unable to identify any research to date on the domain of ethnic identity development, as measured by the components exploration and commitment (Erikson, 1994;Marcia, 1994;Phinney, 2003). Exploration has been described, for example, as gathering information about roles and values of one's cultural background, integrating new information, or re-evaluating existing commitment. Commitment refers to positive affirmation of roles and values of and a sense of belonging to one's culture or ethnic group (Phinney, 2003). Based on the interaction of these two factors, individuals haveThis is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

Racism and Ethnic Inequality in a Time of Crisis

“…Although an explanatory analysis of why the importance of ethnic identity is more prevalent among certain groups is beyond the scope of this chapter, we can speculate about some of the possible explanations based on the past literature. Some of the commonly identified determinants of the strength of ethnic identity include: prevalence of ethnic discrimination (Gilroy, 2013;Rumbaut, 2005), cultural distance (Nesdale and Mak, 2003), community involvement (Maehler, 2022) and parental socialisation (Phinney and Chavira, 1995;Xu et al, 2004). Experience of ethnic discrimination, in line with social identity theory, is likely to increase the salience of ethnicity to one's self-concept.…”

Experiencing the COVID-19 Emergency: Age-Related Disequilibrating Event for Identity

“…Identity reconsideration, indeed, may be triggered by identity-disequilibrating circumstances [ 19 , 20 , 21 ] that are predominantly unexpected and that have the potential to alter the trajectory of life [ 22 ]. According to this hypothesis, we expect that the way in which every person has faced this rupture in the continuity of events has created different typologies (clusters) on the basis of personal risk or resource factors.…”

“…On the basis of the literature reviewed, the focus of this study was to explore the impact of the pandemic on daily life in an age-related way, in order to investigate the hypothesis that the pandemic experience could be considered a disequilibrating life-event and a turning point in the biography. Identity reconsideration, indeed, may be triggered by identity-disequilibrating circumstances [ 19 , 20 , 21 ] that are predominantly unexpected and that have the potential to alter the trajectory of life [ 22 ]. According to this hypothesis, we expect that the way in which every person has faced this rupture in the continuity of events has created different typologies on the basis of personal risk or resource factors, factors that can create or avoid maladjustment.…”

“…Little literature has investigated the impact of the critical event on personal identity throughout life. A critical event, due to its characteristics of unpredictability, of breaking the continuity of daily life, with the consequence of reshaping all areas of one’s life, may constitute a disequilibrating life event, which as such may induce further identity changes [ 19 , 20 ]. In this sense, from the perspective of narrative identity (see the section dedicated), it can be defined as a turning point [ 21 , 22 ] in one’s narrative identity [ 23 ].…”

Geographical and Mental Boundaries of Ukrainian Identity

“…When a conversation drifts to the Ukrainian identity, a question about its ethnic and political sense arises first. In the most general way, ethnic identity is understood as a commitment to a given cultural background (Maehler, 2022) or to a home or host society (Epstein, Heizler (Cohen), 2015), as a subset of identity categories in which membership is determined by attributes associated with descent (Chandra, 2006).…”