This research paper will focus on multiple different factors that can have a significant influence on the way a person’s identity develops and what it develops into. The factors that will be covered in this research paper are as follows: race, gender, name, and Need for Cognition (NFC). The following applies specifically to African Americans in studies, though most racial groups have shown to go through a similar process. Race is a factor that influences a person’s identity in 5 distinct stages. These stages go in the order of Pre-encounter, Encounter, Immersion-Emersion, Internalization, and Internalization-commitment(Akos, P., & Ellis, C. M.. 2008.). During the Pre-encounter stage, race plays only a small role in a person’s identity development. …show more content…
Pride and confidence is instilled in a person’s subconscious in the next stages, Internalization and Internalization-commitment(Akos, P., & Ellis, C. M.. 2008.). The next influence on the development of a person’s identity is gender. Gender does not have a meaningful impact on children until they reach approximately the age of four. From the ages of four to seven, children see gender as a definitive aspect of a person and force themselves and others to conform to their respective gender norms(Kerr, B. A., & Multon, K. D.. …show more content…
E. (2015). Names in Psychological Science: Investigating the Processes of Thought Development and the Construction of Personal Identities. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 50(2), 277-295. doi:10.1007/s12124-015-9326-2 Need for Cognition as a Predictor of Psychosocial Identity Development Njus, D., & Johnson, D. R. (2008). Need for Cognition as a Predictor of Psychosocial Identity Development. The Journal of Psychology, 142(6), 645-655. doi:10.3200/jrlp.142.6.645-655 The Development of Gender Identity, Gender Roles, and Gender Relations in Gifted Students Kerr, B. A., & Multon, K. D. (2015). The Development of Gender Identity, Gender Roles, and Gender Relations in Gifted Students. Journal of Counseling & Development, 93(2), 183-191. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6676.2015.00194.x Racial Identity Development in Middle School: A Case for School Counselor Individual and Systemic Intervention. Akos, P., & Ellis, C. M. (2008). Racial Identity Development in Middle School: A Case for School Counselor Individual and Systemic Intervention. Journal of Counseling & Development, 86(1), 26-33.
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Show MoreIn reading the article, “Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria”, by Beverly Daniel Tatum, she expresses her thoughts and findings on why kids of the same race tend to hang out more with each other than with kids of the other races. She first goes on to talk about how if you walk into any racially mixed high school cafeteria, you inevitably find that kids with the same race are sitting together (375). She proceeds to say that is doesn’t always start there. She begins to be curious of when racial grouping begins. Tatum goes on to explain that one factor of racial grouping is puberty.
Education in itself has a huge impact on the development of children, but when it is combined with these other factors, it can have a detrimental effect on the mental health of youth of color. Kreisberg writes, “Identities vary in many other ways. They are self-designations and also attributions made about other persons. They can endure for generations or change with shifting situations” (2003). Identities are made up of multiple elements, including race, gender, socioeconomic status, sexuality, etc.
In the past I have struggled with my biracial identity. As a child I was confused about which community I belonged in because I am a mix of Navajo and Caucasian. As I got older, I began to question myself and who I was. I felt like I did not belong to either the Native or Caucasian community because in both groups I felt like someone else. I felt as if I had to live two lives that were completely separated.
From the slavery of African and Native American slaves to Jim Crow laws that dominated the South in the 20th century to police brutality that currently plagues the country, race has always been divisive in America. White, African-American, Asian, Latino are all races or ethnicities that create not only a division between people, but an expected societal role. What happens when two of those divisive categories combine? What is their new label? Do they have a new role?
Throughout the semester, the course has taught me a lot about myself and those around me. I have learned that based on Cross’ racial identity model I am in stage 5. It was new to me to find out there was model based on racial identity. Stage 5 means that I able to talk to anyone in and outside of my racial group. Which would mean that I would not have to seek counseling to correct an issue because there isn't one.
Not being able to know one’s identity during adolescence can lead to do drugs, commit theft, fail school, and be blind on what to do with their life. This is what James McBride had to go through during his adolescence. Growing up in a black community with a white mother can be very confusing and stressful. He employs rhetorical devices throughout his text in order to develop his epiphany regarding his mother’s life and by, extension, his own. Through the use of appeals and tone James McBride reveals the importance of education and religion, but above all else McBride mostly focuses on finding his identity, trying to understand race as he was growing up, and shows how his mother played an important role in his life
In the novel, Their Eyes were watching God, Zora Neal Hurston drew attention to a controversial topic in the identification of biracial people. Growing up, Janie lived with her grandma and grew up with the Washburns children. She supposes she is white like them until she sees a photograph and understands that she is black. “So when we looked at depicture and everybody got pointed out there and there wasn’t nobody left but a real dark girl with real long hair standing beside Eleanor. Ah couldn’t recognize dat dark girl as me …
The identity a person holds is one of the most important aspects of their lives. Identity is what distinguishes people from others, although it leaves a negative stereotype upon people. In the short story Identities by W.D Valgardson, a middle-aged wealthy man finds himself lost in a rough neighborhood while attempting to look for something new. The author employs many elements in the story, some of the more important ones being stereotype and foreshadow. For many people, their personal identity is stereotyped by society.
In academic article “Who Am I” by Beverly Daniel Tatum; she talks about the complexity of identity, which defined as a person. She describes the multiple identities of different kinds of people and their significance in the community. She illustrate the how person past, historical event, family background, experiences, and thought of person has impact on the personal identification. The concept of past, present, and future, those characterize the person identity. She explains how gander of person is the part of identity, which build identity.
For this final essay I will be discussing and examining the topic of race and ethnicity. To do so I will illustrate key elements such as identities, minorities and majorities, stereotypes and discrimination, as well as other important concepts. To begin, let's first take a look at racial and ethnic identities. Due to bias and dislike to racial and ethnic groups, many minorities try to fit in with the dominant or primary group that exists.
Research has shown that children who receive positive messages about their racial identity are more likely to have better academic performance than those who do not. The three black private schools in this study have implemented various racial socialization strategies, which have positively impacted the academic achievement of their students. One of the most effective strategies is providing an environment that promotes cultural pride and awareness. By exposing students to their culture and history, they develop a sense of belonging and self-worth, which translates into better academic performance.
Introduction The concept of identity has been a notion of significant interest not just to sociologists and psychologists, but also to individuals found in a social context of perpetually trying to define themselves. Often times, identities are given to individuals based on their social status within a certain community, after the assessment of predominant characteristics that said individual has. However, within the context of an ethnicity, the concept identity is most probably applied to all members of the ethnical group, and not just one individual. When there is one identity designated for the entire group, often times the factor of “individuality” loses its significance, especially when referring to the relationship between the ethnic
It is not because those people did not have identities, but the fact that modern societies have been shifted to multicultural, and one’s recognition becomes more competitive than the previous time and should be acknowledged. It is Nelson Foote who has used the term first in the academic arena and the word has become popular in the second half of 20th century. During this period, the concept of identity has been deployed in numerous ways in the field of psychology, social sciences, anthropology, humanities and literature. Several academic debates have been used as platforms for refining this concept and contributed to this field. Erikson, Stanly Hall, and James Marcia are the main proponents and their contributions in negotiating identity formation theory are appreciated.
Although some people believe that nature affects the gender identity, others argue that, based on the education an individual receives, it is actually nurture. For example, John Moore, a teacher at a female-only school, says, “My findings suggest that, in some senses, the single-sex school is strongly feminist” (Moore, 2005). On the other hand, many societies teach the children gender stereotypes to try and limit them from becoming against what the society feels is appropriate. Gender roles or stereotypes are “a set of qualities, behaviors, and attitudes that are considered appropriate for males and females based on their biological sex” (Whalen & Maurer-Starks, 2008). Most of the time, these stereotypes are taught and explained to the children in the early stages of learning, since as mentioned above, gender identity is most likely detected after the child is two years old.
This is the time period in which experimentation takes place (Louw&Louw, 2007). In order to develop one’s own identity; adolescents would require to master five tasks. They would need to form a continuous, integrated, unified image of the self, referred to by Erikson as ego-synthesis. Adolescents would need to form a socio-cultural identity, which means that the adolescent’s identity must include the value orientations of his or her culture. A gender role identity must be firmly established through which, adolescents must accept their identities as either male or female.