Linking Racial Identity, Ethnic Identity, and Racial-Ethnic Socialization: A Tale of Three Race-Ethnicities

Abstract

The relationship between racial and ethnic identity, as well as that between racial-ethnic socialization and racial and ethnic identity development, has become increasingly important to researchers as the proportion of children and young adults of color grows in the U.S. population. Parents’ racial-ethnic socialization messages are important for the ways in which children and young adults develop a sense of self as members of their racial or ethnic group. This article examined the racial identity, ethnic identity, and racial-ethnic socialization of 90 African American, 224 Asian American, and 216 Latino American college students. There were many strong associations between the measures of racial identity and ethnic identity as well as between racial-ethnic socialization and each measure of identity. Different patterns of relationships emerged among the three groups depending on whether the outcome variable was racial identity or ethnic identity. In the majority of instances where the three groups were not the same, Latino and Asian Americans were more similar to each other than to African Americans. In a few instances, the three groups exhibited different patterns of relationship among the constructs. Findings are discussed in terms of the sociocultural histories of the three groups.

Notes

Note. Means not sharing the same superscript are significantly different from each other, p < .05.

Note. Correlations for the full sample are above the diagonal; correlations for African Americans are below the diagonal. Bias = preparation for bias; Cultural = cultural socialization; Mistrust = promotion of racial mistrust; Egalitarian = egalitarian racial socialization; Centrality = centrality; Private = private regard; Public = public regard; Achievement = ethnic identity achievement; Affirmation = affirmation and belonging; Behaviors = ethnic behaviors; Other group = other group orientation.

*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.

Note. Correlations for the Asian Americans are above the diagonal; correlations for Latino Americans are below the diagonal. Bias = preparation for bias; Cultural = cultural socialization; Mistrust = promotion of racial mistrust; Egalitarian = egalitarian racial socialization; Centrality = centrality; Private = private regard; Public = public regard; Achievement = ethnic identity achievement; Affirmation = affirmation and belonging; Behaviors = ethnic behaviors; Other group = other group orientation.

*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.

Note. Achievement = ethnic identity achievement; Affirmation = affirmation and belonging; Behaviors = ethnic behaviors; Other Group = other group orientation; BvLA = Black vs. Latino and Asian; LvA = Latino vs. Asian.

*p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001.

Note. Bias = preparation for bias; Cultural = cultural socialization; Mistrust = promotion of racial mistrust; Egalitarian = egalitarian racial socialization; BvLA = Black vs. Latino and Asian; LvA = Latino vs. Asian.

*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.

Note. Bias = preparation for bias; Cultural = cultural socialization; Mistrust = promotion of racial mistrust; Egalitarian = egalitarian racial socialization; BvLA = Black vs. Latino and Asian; LvA = Latino vs. Asian.

*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.