Identity development of MENA identifying individuals: A Mixed-method Narrative Study of Living in Two Cultures

• In Event: Growing Up MENA in America: Racism and its Impact on Mental Health and Identity Development

Abstract

Individuals who identify as Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab (MENA) living in the United States navigate complex religious, social, and cultural contexts as they develop from childhood through adulthood. The experiences and identity of MENA individuals are often studied in the context of global political events such as 9/11 or the War on Terror, or refugee experiences (Awad et al., 2019; Marvasti, 2005). Few studies have examined the life narratives of MENA individuals as it relates to their identity exploration across early childhood thru emerging adulthood.

The aim of the study was to examine key developmental experiences for multi-ethnic or multi-cultural individuals. The narrative experiences were deemed self-defining with respect to participants’ racial, ethnic, or cultural identity. We employed a mixed-method design with participants responding to questions on three narrative descriptions of specific events in which their race or ethnicity was particularly salient at three time points: earliest childhood memory; adolescence; and within the last 2 years. In addition, participants responded to several measures including: a measure of perceived ethnic integration (1=complete separation, 7=complete overlap); the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, et al., 1985), and the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (Phinney, 1992). Qualitative data were analyzed through an integration of grounded theory and critical inquiry methods (Charmaz, 2017). Reflexive qualitative reactions were also collected, situating the researcher in the coding context (Berger, 2015).

The MENA sub-sample of the study was n=35 who identified as Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab (27.8% of the full sample). The participants identified mostly as women (54.3%). Most participants (68.6%) had both parents who are MENA-identified; nine participants had only a father with MENA identity and 2 had only a mother who was identified as MENA.

In the qualitative data, several important themes emerged. Early childhood experiences of ethnic salience occurred as early as 3 years-of-age, with a mean of 8.4 years old. Early childhood narratives involve dominant themes around “othering” in community spaces, but lots of family support. Themes during adolescence included cultural homelessness and verbal racism when others associated the participant with stereotypes around Arabs or Muslims. Some participants experienced rejection from MENA peers or family for connections with dominant white culture; many participants expressed reconciliation and ethnic pride as emerging adults. Most participants identified positive feelings related to their ethnic identity, including feeling “strong” “self-aware” and a sense of “belonging”. Individuals whose narrative arc followed a conflict to reconciliation trajectory reported significantly higher identity integration, satisfaction with life, and a more positive ethnic identity relative to those with persistent conflict and cultural homelessness themes.

These findings provide important insights into self-defining experiences among MENA individuals from early childhood into adulthood. Given the dearth of literature on this population, the results highlight their lived experience, including identity development, protective factors and challenges, and the consequences of growing up with identities that may be further marginalized even within minority contexts. Future research includes examining gender and age differences as well as comparison to other bi-racial and multi-ethnic groups

Authors

• Lama Hassoun Ayoub, Wayne State University
  Presenting Author

• Robert Ty Partridge, Wayne State University
  Non-Presenting Author