Racial Identity Models

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Racial Identity Models
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What is Racial Identity

• Racial identity is how you define yourself as a
  racial/ethnic being, how salient it is in your
  daily life, what value you assign to your racial
  makeup.
• Its an important within group difference
  identity development could affect clients'
  reactions to idea of counseling, counseling
  process, and the counselor.
• There are a number of different racial identity
  models with some similar stages. All have
  acknowledgement of sociopolitical influences in
  shaping identity.

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MID model Cross Nigrescence Sabnani et al. White ID
Conformity Pre-encounter - Low Salience - Social Stigma - Anti-Black Pre-exposure/ Pre-contact
Dissonance Encounter Conflict
Resistance/Emersion Immersion/Emersion - Regression - Dropping out - Fixation Prominority/Antiracisim
Introspection Internalization Retreat to White Culture
Synergetic Articulation/Awareness Internalization Commitment Internalization
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Possible Counseling Implications of Racial ID
models

• Conformity
• May prefer counselor from dominant group and feel
  one from own culture is not as qualified
• Might be reluctant to explore cultural identity -
  raises uncomfortable issues
• Might want problem-solving approach that does not
  address race

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• Dissonance
• Might want counselor who is knowledgeable about
  cultural group and willing to discuss racial
  issues. May not introduce racial issues, but
  responds positively to the counselor who does.
• Might be experiencing confusion and a loss of
  sense of self.

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• Immersion/Emersion (Resistance)
• Total endorsement of minority views and rejection
  of dominant culture - activist position against
  oppression.
• Psychological problems are result of oppression
  (external system).
• Rapport, disclosure, trust to counselor of
  dominant group difficult.
• Counseling is part of the establishment
• Dont personalize attacks, be nondefensive and
  open to acknowledging sociopolitical forces as
  they exist.

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• Internalization (Introspection)
• May feel like selling out when start to pull
  back from group and need assistance dealing with
  groups reactions.
• May want assistance in clarifying values and
  incorporating both functional ones from majority
  culture as well as from own group.

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• Integrative Awareness (Synergetic)
• Preference for counselor based on shared and
  understood worldview rather than race.
• Appreciate counseling strategies aimed at broader
  system change that improves world for all groups.

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Similarities and Differences

• All start with a strong identification and
  acceptance of the dominant cultures worldview,
  values, and perspectives and assumptions about
  members of minority groups. While some models
  (Helms, MID) assume this stage entails
  self-hatred, the Cross model allows for different
  reactions of low racial salience, race as a
  social stigma and then self-hating.
• All models have a period of dissonance or
  conflict where experiences that challenge the
  former conforming identity occur and are
  considered.

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Similarities Continued

• All minority models have a period of intense
  immersion into the minority group culture where
  all things White are considered bad and all
  things about their own group are considered good.
  This is a reactive time and can involve great
  emotions of anger toward the dominant group and
  intense pride in the minority group.
• All models have some transition from the
  intensity of immersion to a more individualized
  consideration of what race means for each person
  and how it fits with the totality of identity.

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Limitations

1. Identity development is dynamic. Danger in using
   stages like fixed entities instead of conceptual
   framework. Stages/statuses will mix and manifest
   in one situation or the other.
2. Not sure that everyone progresses through all
   stages. Depending on how one is raised, some
   statuses might be skipped.
3. There is an implied value judgment that
   integrative awareness is higher form of healthy
   functioning. However, a person in the earliest
   stage could be just as mentally healthy as a
   person in the last stage.
4. Need to understand how sociocultural forces
   impact development. Many of the models were
   conceptualized in the context of major social
   movements.

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White Racial Consciousness

• Not a stage theory - simply a description of
  commonly held attitudes that White individuals
  might have toward persons of color.
• Attitudes typically have an affective component
  and are acquired through observational learning.

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Oklahoma Racial Attitudes Scale

• Attitudes of Racial Acceptance
• Dominative Negative image of minority
  individuals. Pro-White and ethnocentric
• Integrative Positive attitudes toward all
  racial groups, comfort with self and others as
  racial beings.
• Attitudes of Racial Justice
• Conflictive Dont support obvious
  discrimination, but also feel that efforts to
  assist minorities discriminate against Whites.
• Reactive Feel that Whites benefit from the
  status quo so support efforts to change that.

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• Level of commitment to racial attitudes
• Avoidant - unconcerned about racial issues. A
  non-issue for the person.
• Dissonant - Uncertain about what one believes, in
  a questioning place
• Dependent - Attitudes simply reflect
  unquestioning acceptance of of views of others
  (family, community).