Identity

Roberts, Laura Morgan; Settles, Isis H.; Jellison, William A.

doi: 10.1080/15283480802365270pmid: N/A

Two questionnaire studies examined when people strategically claim (i.e., use positive distinctiveness) or downplay (i.e., use social recategorization) socially devalued identities (gender for women in science in Study 1; race for Black medical students in Study 2). The results of both studies indicated that perceiving one's group to be devalued was related to reported use of both strategies, and identification with the devalued group was related to less social recategorization use and greater positive distinctiveness use. Only the Study 2 results demonstrated that identification with an alternate, socially valued identity (i.e., medical professional) was positively related to social recategorization use. Additional measures included in Study 2 indicated that general impression management concerns were related to the use of both strategies, and that positive distinctiveness use was related to less depression and more positive medical career attitudes. These findings contribute to understanding how different people attempt to manage others' perceptions of their socially devalued group.

Gosine, Kevin

doi: 10.1080/15283480802365304pmid: N/A

This article draws on qualitative interviews to explore the commonalities, contradictions, and tensions in the identities and lived experiences of 16 highly educated and upwardly mobile Black Canadians who were born and raised in Canada or born in another country and raised in Canada. In contrast to both popular and scholarly discourses that essentialize Black people, the experiences and perceptions of study participants were characterized by polyconsciousness, ambivalence, fluidity, and hybridity. Most reported feeling a simultaneous sense of estrangement and belonging in a Canadian context largely perceived as Eurocentric and White centered. A sense of alienation from Canada led many to embrace their transplanted ethnocultural heritage as well as a transcendent Black racial identity. Despite the protective and empowering function that a Black identity can provide in the context of a society perceived to be racist, most participants shared a complex and conflicted relationship with Blackness. While many embraced essentialist and counterhegemonic constructions of Black identity, they also resisted the discursive constraints of this and other identity categories. Because of their academic and occupational accomplishments along with other factors, participants reported occasionally having to defend or justify their Blackness to racialized peers. Finally, many participants viewed middle-class ideals of success as a vehicle for improving the plight of the Black community as a whole. In this vein, these individuals attempted to use their educational and career success to challenge racial stereotypes, furnish youth with positive role models, and equip Black people to become agents of social change.

Kazarian, Shahe S.; Boyadjian, Maral D.

doi: 10.1080/15283480802365312pmid: N/A

The factor structure of the 12-item Armenian Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) and its relation to self-esteem were examined among adolescents of Armenian descent (n = 525) in Lebanon. Two ethnic identity components, ethnic commitment and ethnic exploration, were empirically derived, both of which correlated positively with self-esteem (r = .23, p < .0001 and r = .12, p < .007, respectively). Although the findings support a two-factor solution for the Armenian MEIM in the pluralist Lebanese context, cross-loading of select items across gender and grades suggests the need for scale refinement, particularly for items pertaining to ethnic identity exploration.

Dunkel, Curtis S.; Papini, Dennis R.; Berzonsky, Michael D.

doi: 10.1080/15283480802365338pmid: N/A

There are stylistic differences in the manner in which late adolescents approach or manage to avoid the tasks of constructing and revising their sense of identity. This study investigated the role that family functioning and personality variables may play in explaining variation in the adoption of these identity processing styles among late adolescent college students. The findings indicated that personality, but not family functioning, variables accounted for significant unique variation in informational and diffuse-avoidant identity style scores. Although personality variables accounted for variation in normative identity style scores, family functioning variables also made a significant contribution even after the variance explained by personality was controlled. The possible roles of personality and family functioning in identity style formation are discussed.