Toward a New Understanding of Ethnic/Racial Settings for Ethnic/Racial Identity Development

Abstract

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to advance theory and research on one critical aspect of the context of ethnic/racial identity (ERI) development: ethnic/racial settings, or the objective and subjective nature of group representation within an individual’s context. We present a new conceptual framework that consists of four dimensions: 1) perspective (that settings can be understood in both objective and subjective terms); 2) differentiation (how groups are defined in a setting); 3) heterogeneity (the range of groups in a setting); and 4) proximity (the distance between the individual and the setting). Clarifying this complexity is crucial for advancing a more coherent understanding of how ethnic/racial settings are related to ERI development.