Learning from the Inside-Out by Whitaker Manya;

Author:Whitaker, Manya;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Unlimited Model
Published: 2016-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

It is important to remember that adolescents go through this process for many aspects of their identity. In other words, identity is not a single characteristic. People have professional identities, political identities, social identities, racial identities, and sexual identities, among many others. Each of these is a single characteristic of a person that, when combined, creates a self-perception.

As a parent you may not agree with all of your child’s chosen identities. In fact, it is expected that parents and teens will have conflict during both the exploration and commitment phases of identity development. Conversations that are supportive and open-minded go a long way in helping your teen embrace life choices that align with how they feel about themselves and how they see themselves. Forcing your choices on your child may lead to a mistrustful parent-child relationship.

Racial/Ethnic identity development. Especially important during identity development is a child’s racial or ethnic identity formation. In years past, people’s racial classification was imposed upon them based on society’s interpretation of their skin color. With more mixed-race families, children are now undergoing more complex racial identity development processes and are choosing how they would like to be classified.

While we don’t have a mixed-race identity development model yet, William Cross did develop a racial identity development model for people of color. While Marcia’s model is categorical, Cross’s model is a stage model because he believes racial identity development is a process. He described five stages that children of color go through to develop a positive perception of themselves:

1.Pre-encounter stage—Children of color internalize the dominant negative views of racial and ethnic minorities. They try to assimilate into white culture by adopting the beliefs and values of dominant groups. They may also distance themselves from other people of color.

2.Encounter stage—An event or series of events forces children of color to acknowledge the impact of racism on their lives. They begin to accept that no matter what they do or say, they can never be white.

3.Immersion/emersion stage—Children learn about their racial and ethnic origins. They associate with people from their own ethnic group, avoid whiteness, and unlearn internalized stereotypes.

4.Internalization stage—Children become secure in their identity and no longer distance themselves from whiteness. They work to establish meaningful relationships with white people, while maintaining relationships with other racial minorities.

5.Commitment stage—Children of color are committed to improving the experiences of racial and ethnic minorities. They may become socially or politically active in community organizations.

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