The Relationship Between Racial Identity and Psychosocial Outcomes - Essay Example

Racial Identity and the African-American Youth Male It is widely known that it is during adolescence when people would tend to start knowing themselves, or at least try to find out who they are amidst the millions of people around them. It is the period when they start establishing their preferences and start making decisions that would root in them their identities. Forming one's identities of course stem from various factors. Internal and external factors are always at work to mold a person's psychological and social identities. It is of course, without question that both aspects are equally important in this formation. This is when the youth experiment with all their hearts and show these outcomes to the world, of course with the world either accepting them or rejecting them in the process (Oyserman and Gant, 1996). The youth embarking on establishing who they are synthesize what they already know from their childhood, with their accumulated skills and abilities, and use these to construct their adult selves that do seems to justify who they really are. This adult self provides meaning and order to its thoughts, experiences, feelings and actions. Aside from these interior functions, it sought to motivate actions to the ones around it through providing incentives, standards, plans, strategies and rules of conduct. Thus, the adult self is a social construct, relying heavily on the support of the society, as it could be the one dictated by the inherent norms or it could be the one setting the norms. The social environment is also the background for which the youth can source the resources it needs i.e. education, economic resources to enable them to obtain the skills and characteristics to be the adult deemed worthy of their sociocultural position. This paper would posit racial identity as the dependent variable and the independent variables are the future achievements of the black male, in or outside of school, the black youth's self-esteem and image and the level of psychological distress he suffers. Adolescents deciding on their future adult selves are open to seems-like limitless alternatives for them to choose from, varying only on their personal attainments and available resources. Nevertheless, adolescence has a funny way of imposing a limit on these alternatives. This limit is the belief that they cannot or do not have the capabalities to succeed in school, leading to a general decline in the interest as well as involvement in learning, in school or otherwise, increase in risky deliquent behaviors and suscpetibility to depression (Osyerman and Gant, 1996). This simply describes the plight of many youth black males. Though it is the same that they are open to experiment in their adolescence in order to determine who they are, society seems to be harder on them that the restriction adolescence impose on their supposed-to-be limitless pallet of identities to choose from is much more existent than their white peers. Therefore, there are evident claims of youth black males in more increased risk for school failure and dropout, arrest and incarceration, as one can see in various studies. It is important to note that this manifests more in blacks residing in America, or African-Americans adolescents. Whatever a white youth has to face as a challenge to prove itself to the world, the African-American has to take on double (Osyerman and Gant, 1996). For example, it is natural for youth in the cities to seek out for itself employment opportunities that would sustain them and lead them to satisfying career paths amidst the tapering of these labor possibilities. However, there had already been imposed a job ceiling on African-Americans that often times, advancing from entry-level positions became quite impossible. Moreover, the blacks living in poverty is actually dismaying as it increases rapidly, and jails swamped with these youth rather than the schools. The African-American are mostly in unstable, low-paying jobs or unemployed that most of them gave up on even seeking one. Thus, the background that the black youth males do not give them what it is supposed to be providing the adolescents, construction possibilities of bright futures stemming from achievements in school leading to occupational success patterns. More barriers are in place and they have to work harder to overcome them, and only if they do not get turned off from the situation in the first place (Osyerman and Gant, 1996). Therefore, in the situations of African-American youths, the process of identity formation is more a product of social construction compared to their white peers, who get the chance to balance out the interior and exterior aspects of this process. For the African-American black male adolescent, no matter if he knows deep inside that he has a lot to offer, the external aspects, that is society and all its ways dicatates more what would become his "adult-self". This conclusion is bolstered by the stastical results of Oyserman and Gant study on Black and White students. Scale scores put forward that Black and White students differ in a number of correlates of ethnic identity. The Blacks have higher ethnic identity, F(1, 102) = 21.40, p < .001 (M for Blacks = 3.79, M for Whites = 3.27); and prefer collectivism as a strategy in approaching his achievement-related possible self, F(1, 102) = 3.69, p < .05 (M for Blacks = 2.99, M for Whites = 2.78). An in-depth discuassion of what African-American males goes through shows that reconciliation is a key for the identity negotiation process of this group: pulling together a positive sense of self in the middle of beingbombarded with negative identities attributed to African-Americans. Thing is, disproving these negativities in order to come out as positive is not as simple as just ignoring these "false" attributions, since they are entrenched quite deeply in the important life domains of the African-Americans. Not facing these biasedly constructed identities would prove to be the fall of the black male itself, however unjust the claims are, because these are attributions the seriously obstruct the basic functions of the self as discussed above. It bacame a fact that they are a group vulnerable to stereotyping, that they have to constantly prove against these labels, that in the end, their identity construction is solely making sure that their selves are protected from these generalizations (Osyerman and Gant, 1996). Unfortunately, standing out for African Americans may not be as advantageous for them because individuality focuses on seperatedness and achievements as the cores in one's person that one would be likely to succumb into self-pity or self-blame if one does not achieve, and they would become more vulnerable to becoming dispirited than they already are. African-Americans youth male seems to acknowledge this already that according to studies made in relevance to this, an inclination to collectivism could be gleaned from African-American studies. Collectivism provides them the mobilization of self in order to achieve as part of a group that is quite lacking in individualism when they are seperated and alone from the people in similar plight. A connected sense of self may give them more opportunities to develop strategies towards attaining achievement but at the same time protecting their selves from the reality that they are treated with a harsher, unsymphathetic environment; as with the saying, there is 'safety in numbers'. These youths who perceived themselves in terms of achievement as an African-American but at the same time aware of the existence of racism and the implications of this prejudice towards their race on their own lives, will be better prepared to ward off negative thoughts on their potential success. They would continue on what they have to do no matter how difficult, as they know beforehand what their race imposes on them (Osyerman and Gant, 1996). Of course, it is unfair, but racial discrimination is a reality African-Americans have to contend with, even if they are still adolescents and still going through affirmation of their identities. Racial discrimination, denies the African-American youth males equal access to valuable mterial and social resources already scarce. Black young people confront racial prejudice as a part of their normal daily lives and not even subtly, but smacking them right on their faces (Wakefield and Hudley, 2005). Responses of course could range from the African-Americans retaliating just as bluntly or them taking the high road. Based on the results of studies conducted among African-Americans male adolescents, responses vary according to their different perceptions of ethnic identity status and in their perceptions of discrimination. Younger african-american males are less likely to distinguish a racial discriminating act for what it is rather than those older ones. Responses would vary according to how comfortable one is about their ethnic group (Wakefield and Hudley, 2005). Cognizant to the discussion above, those who acknowledge that they are part of a group that is discriminated against would be more determined to continue doing what they have to do to become someone worthy, African-American youth comfortable with their ethnicity would be less willing to show hostile behaviors against those who discrimininate against them. As they know that they probably should not take it personally, they could possibly even justify the unfairness to the ignorance of the whites to their plights. On the other hand, youths who are quite unstable on how to deal with their own skin colors are more defensive, and hostility would become a natural response for them to any antagonism targeted towards them. The thing is, like all young people, personal image is such a sacred thing that they would not let anyone just see them backing off a fight, for fear of the "chicken' term or the like (Wakefield and Hudley, 2005). Obviously, taking the high road is reserved preference for those people who are comfortable with whom they are and whose identities are already rather established. Ethnic identity classifies into the unexamined, the searching for identity and achieved ethnic identity categories. African-Americans actions are reactions vary according to which group they categorized. One example is the one just duscussed, on how adolescents prefer to react towards antagonism they received. Those least likely to retaliate in hostility are the ones we could say to be under the third ethnic identity group, the achieved ethnic identity. Funny thing is these categories and the corresponding implications were not just meant for African-Americans context (Martinez and Dukes, 1997). Everybody has an ethnic heritage, thing is most people confuse ethnicity with African-American or any other minoruty groups, and take for granted their heritage. "American" is an ethnic heritage, but most peole do not know or would acknowledge this fact. This is probably so because most Americans are in the unexamined ethnic identity stage and they are so unaware of their own skins that there is not seems any point to discuss one's ethnic heritage. Nevertheless, this lower level of ethnic identity posits a lower self-esteem, purpose in life and self-confidence. On the other hand, higher levels of ethnic identity suggest otherwise. As the African-Americans are those people that eventually would be in the achieved ethnic identity stage, they are truly aware of who they are, all the negativities taken in, that they become more confident, more purposeful and more highly-esteemed (Martinez and Dukes, 1997). How the African-American males react to such discrimination is only one those peculiar behaviors of being associated with the ethnic group and that of being male in such situation. African-American male gender behaviors are quite influenced by many factors, foremost their constricting structures and restraining rules. Traditional masculity in the African-American communities posits these males to be respecting of status, as they hold dear the importance of logic, respect from others, and their impact on others. Most of them are anti-femininity, tending toward this trait is undesirable (Abreu, 2000). Their image is very important, that is obvious, and they rather show off a tough one and even violent ones. They deem fighting necessary when reputation is at stake. This study was reserched on how the African-Americans reconcile their race and gender. Consistent with the other studies above, the findings shows that the more attached they are to their ethnic group, the more they gleaned self-respect is important and the less they would engage in hostility towards other people no matter if they are not treated favorably (Abreu, 2000). Though this paper looked only at the side of the male and how racial identity affect their lives, it is by no means saying that women are treated differently in this context and that the effect of racial identity is different for them. Race plays are more intriguing role on how and where the African-Americans end up, not their gender. Unlike other undisriminated race, on which gender sometimes restrict them to be who they want to be, for the African-Americans, the same gender limitations may be upon them, but the glaring restrictions or causes of their psuchosocial outcomes lies more on their being associated with this particular ethnic group rather that on them being male or female. Accordingly, studies shows that gender is still an important demographic characteristic to consider when one would analyze the psychosocial development of African-American students. The findings are that females are actually more motivated in school than their African-American male counterparts, which is justified by the educational experiences of African American males. They tend to experience more aggravating alienation from the educational process than the females apparently, and this is due mainly to the unsuitability of the black males with the school environment (Cokley, 2001). To come about his generalizations regarding whether gender is still a factor of an African-American psychosocail development, Cockley had tested 258 AA undergraduate students, of which 92 is male and the rest is female. The correlation tests of the male and female were separately performed and the scores were based on three EM subscales: the Racial Centrality Scale, the Academic Self-Concept Scale, and the Academic Motivation Scale. The fact that they are the scores of AA men compared to AA women are remarkably on the subscales, except for the Racial Centreality Scale in which both gender show no difference, conceives that Gender (or the difference in) is still a significant factor of African-American psycholsocial development but Race is still the predominant factor. Meaning, no matter how opposite the female and male African-Americans are with regard to their academic achievements, both genders agree that these outcomes are because of their race consciousness. The female was not good because she was a girl and the male was not lacking because he was a boy, instead their decisions and actions tend to affected more because of the belonging to a discriminated race. The outcomes may not be the same but since this paper is all about understanding whether racial identity is the cause for their psychosocial identities, then it could be said that all African-Americans are affected by their race. Gender is just secondary to this (Cokley, 2001). Both race and gender contibutes to psychological distress though, Black men's conformity to masculinity norms tranlsates to less self-esteem as with the fact that race do this as well. This is particular to those young adult Black men who devalued their own racial group and looked up to the Whites. Idealizing another socioracial group, that do not seems to acknowledge that they exist or stands in equal footing adds to their psychological distress. Same still when they are uncomfortable with whom they are even though they hate the whites; they would still suffer from greater psychological misery (Mahalik, Pierre and Wan, 2006). But, as reiterated again and again, when the blacks would just garner inner security in their blackness and stop being concern with the white standards at all, neither looking up on it or spiting it, then they would have higher self-esteem and they would suffer less from depression, anger, anxiety and other psychological ailments (Mahalik, Pierre and Wan, 2006). Black consciousness is a positive concept with regard to racial identity and associated with higher levels of self-esteem. Racial identity development is also a contuum wherein each black person engages in a unique process of self-actualization. Those who in the end achieved balck consciousness and became secure with their own colors are those who become more self-confident and determined to become worthy persons whatever prejudice are up against them. As said, most of them really succeeded (Davis and Gandy, 1999). Entering into adolescence with just developing identities, African-American adoloescents go through the process of identity exploration bearing into though their race and the Black culture. The process of identity formation for them involves testing and sorting of ideas as well as issues concerning their ethnic backgrounds. Racism is a perpetual problem in the American society and this would seem to be the faith of the African-American dilemma as well, that they would never escape from having race as the core of their self-conceptions throughout their lives (Scott, 2003). If this would be a philosophical issue, then the African-Americans would never be existentialists because they are strongly intertwined with their race, culture and gender that no form of self-choice would result from their decisions, and they would forever be an extension of their ethnic heritage. To sum it all up, the level of racial identity is direcly correlated with the black man's level of potentiality to become successful, as well as its level of self-esteem and its value of image. However, the level of racial identification is negatively correlated with the level of psychological distress a black man might suffer. Therefore, it could be that when a person's level of racial identitification increases, he has the greater potential of becoming successful, and he would be cherish more his image. More over, he would go through much lower level of psychological distress. The point of this paper is to let the readers more aware of the plights of the African-American youth males. Imagine the difficulty in forming one's identity, especially in those emergent years, when one is still unsure of himself and how to conduct himself in order to express who he really wants to be. Then imagine how harder it is must be for the African-American youth male, who does not have the support of the society he is surrounded with at all. Yet, they cannot say good riddance to the society because in their position, it is more important to be at least in the pleasant graces of the people around him. They have the tremendous task of reconciling their own thoughts and feelings to the norms and rules set forth by their race, their gender and the coomunity they are residing in. More oftern than not, African-Americans practices race-centrality and all their decisions take account of their ethnic heritage. They have to contend with the dilemma of any normal youth when forming their identity but they have to do it with the presence of racial discrimination making things harder for them as well as the fact that belonging in to their race provides them a disadvantage over other adolescents who have economical and educational resources to back them up. However, as we can see, more and more African-Americans are now becoming successful in their chosen fields. This is not really an unusual phenomenon. Even if their race imposes barriers on their lives, their ethnic heritage is what gives them the drive to excel as well. As any other racial group there is, being comfortable in your own skin is what matters. The point had already been hammered to us repeatedly that those African-Americans that has higher racial identity are those blacks that become self-confident, purposeful and eventually successful. Though all cards may be against them, when they learn to adjust to what their race entails them to do and embrace all of it, even those negative attributions, then they become strong and secure to deflect all these biased assumptions about them and become free to pursue what it si thay they are hoping to achieve. I do not think such ideology should apply only to a 'minoriy' group. We know how self-confidence stems from having a strict grasp of your individuality, so whatever race you belong to, if you are secure with your ethnic background and grounded on your identity, then no goal is impossible to achieve, however many challenges are in your way. References Abreu, Jose M. (2000) Ethnic belonging and traditional masculinity ideology among African Americans, European Americans, and Latinos. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, Vol 1, No. 2 pp. 75-86 Cockley, Kevin O. (2001) Gender differences among African American students in the Impact of Racial Identity on Academic Psychosocial Development. Journal of College Student Development Davis, Jessica L. and Gandy, Oscar, H. (1999) Racial Identity and Media Orientation: Exploring the Nature of Constraint. Journal of Black Studies Vol. 29, No. 3 pp. 367-397 Mahalik, James R. et al. (2006). Examining Racial Identity and Masculinity as Correlates of Self-Esteem and Psychological Distress in Black men. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development Vol. 34 pp. 94-104 Martinez, Ruben O. and Dukes, Richard L. (1997) The Effects of Ethnic Identity, Ethnicity, and Gender on Adolescent Well-being. Journal of Youth and Adolescence Vol. 26,No. 5 p.503-516 Oyserman, Daphna and Gant, Larry. (1995) A Socially contextualized model of African American identity: Possible selves and School Persistence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Vol 69, No. 6 pp. 1216-1232 Scott Jr., Lionel D. (2003) The Relation of Racial Identity and Racial Socialization to Coping withDiscrimination among African American Adolescents. Journal of Black Studies Vol. 33, No. 4 pp. 520-538 Wakefield, William D. and Hudley, Cythia. (2005) African American Male Adolescents' Preferences in Responding to Racial Discrimination: Effects of Ethnic Identity and Situational Influences. Adolescence Vol 40, No.158 pp. 237-256 Read More