Ethnic and Racial Identity Change and Development: A Retrospective Longitudinal Study

• In Event: Gender and Racial Variations in Developmental Trajectories

Abstract

This study is based on a more interactive, developmental-contextual conceptualization, in which ERI arises from the continuous and reciprocal interchange between the developing person and her/his changing social contexts. This framework was applied to a set of intensive, semi-structured interviews with a sample of 11 African American and 5 Hispanic American college students attending a large, predominantly White university in the Midwestern U.S. Our results revealed differential patterns of ERI development over the course of life. ERI development starts at a situational level, but developmental pathways and outcomes could be different depending on how the individual interprets and copes with it. Our findings extend the existing literature by providing insights on the developmental and contextual influences contributing to changes in ERI.

Authors

• Pauline Ho, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Bradford Brown, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Fiona Lee

• Lilly Scott

• Priscilla Contreras