The purpose of the article titled “Concordance in Self and Ascribed Ethnic Labels Among Asian American Adolescents” by Lisa Kiang and Jason Luu is to look at whether the ethnic labels that Asian American adolescents choose for themselves match with the labels that others impose on them. Kiang and Luu’s (2013) goal in this research study was to determine if there was a connection between the labels that adolescents ascribe themselves to those ascribed by others. The three relationships that were examined in this study were adolescent European Americans, Asians, and non-Asian ethnic minority peers. Kiang and Luu (2013) focused this study on Asian Americans, as they are an understudied population in terms of psychological literature in the United …show more content…
They also may change over time. It has been argued by early theorist that identity or self may change with relationships and ones setting or background. There are many unanswered questions to ethnic labels as research is still emerging. Questions and research are still looking at the distinction between one’s self identification compared to the identification that others impose on them. “Although identity development is a social process and likely interacts with others views and perceptions, the multiple conceptions of the self that stem from the individual and from others may or may not converge” (Kiang & Luu, 2013, p. …show more content…
An Asian adolescent who identifies as an American may experience conflicting views from others of those questioning how the individual views themselves, as well as others trying to force their views onto them. For this reason, this study by Kiang and Luu (2013) looked at examining whether adolescents of Asian American ethnicity had a corresponding ethnic label to define themselves that was the same as or different than the ethnic labels that their peers of European, Asian, and non-Asian ethnic minority groups imposed on them. In addition, the study also sought to determine if there were psychological or social adjustment liabilities, both concurrently and overtime, when the labels identified by self didn’t correspond to the label ascribed by their peers (Kiang & Luu,
Stroink, M, & Lalonde, R. (2009). Bicultural identity conflict in second-generation asian canadians. The Journal of Social Psychology, 149(1), 44-65
In the early years of my life, adapting to the foreign customs of America was my top priority. Although born in America, I constantly moved back and forth from Korea to the US, experiencing nerve-racking, yet thrilling emotions caused by the unfamiliarity of new traditions. Along with these strange traditions, came struggles with accepting my ethnicity. Because of the obvious physical differences due to my race, the first question asked by the students in elementary school was, “Are you from China?” These inquiries were constantly asked by several of American students until middle school which transformed to “You must be good at math” referencing the stereotypical intellect that Asian are perceived to have. Through continuous insult on my Asian heritage, I began to believe and later hate the person I was due to criticism made by teenagers which I started to see true despite all the lies that was actively told. This racial discrimination was a reoccurring pattern that
In this paper I will be sharing information I had gathered involving two students that were interviewed regarding education and their racial status of being an Asian-American. I will examine these subjects’ experiences as an Asian-American through the education they had experienced throughout their entire lives. I will also be relating and analyzing their experiences through the various concepts we had learned and discussed in class so far. Both of these individuals have experiences regarding their education that have similarities and differences.
Verkuyten, M., and G. A. Kwa. "Ethnic Self-Identification, Ethnic Involvement, and Group Differentiation Among Chinese Youth in the Netherlands." Journal of Social Psychology 136 (1996): 35-48.
This model examines the relationship between the dominant culture and one with minority status, such as Latinos. Attitudes towards self, same minority group, different minority groups, and the dominant group are examined through five stages within the model. These include conformity, dissonance, resistance and immersion, introspection, and integrative awareness. The stage most pertinent to Antonio at this time is the Dissonance stage. During this stage, one starts to acknowledge the existence of racism, that he cannot escape his own heritage, and experiences conflict between shame and pride felt for his culture. This same shame versus pride conflict is also extended to members of his own minority group. Held stereotypes about other minority groups are now questioned as well. One in the Dissonance stage is also starting to realize that not all beliefs held by the dominant group are valuable or even accurate (Sue & Sue, 2003). Because of the two incidents Antonio endured during his freshman year and their emotional impact on him, he is becoming aware that even though he has “assimilated,” others of the majority group will still identify him as different. Antonio is also experiencing conflict between what members of the minority group (his parents) and the majority group feel are important; his parents believe he
The establishment of identity is an important, complex task for all adolescents, and is considered a major developmental task for all adolescents. It is particularly complicated for adolescents belonging to ethnic and minority groups. Ethnic identity of the majority group of individuals is constantly validated and reinforced in a positive manner where as the minority group is constantly ridiculed and punished in a negative manner. What does this say for those adolescents who are the minority and not the majority? It is important to study or research ethnic identity because it provides better knowledge to help one understand striving for a sense of unity and connectivenesss in which the self provides meaning for direction and meaning of ethnic identity (Spencer, 1990). It is also important to study or research the differences between these groups due to beliefs and values.
When analyzing aspects of our identity that shape our attitude, behaviors and experiences we must include concepts of sex, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, age, socioeconomic class, religion, and ability. It’s essential that we understand our own and others identities in order to better understand our social relationships and our interactions with one another.
This stage of my adolescent life was very memorable. This was the time when my life was becoming more complicated as I struggled to find my own racial identity, and constantly questioning myself, “Who am I?” “Where do I belong?” while facing the pressure of “fitting in” as a biracial teen in prejudicial Asian society.
"Identity is a dynamic feature of social life. That is, it is something that is constantly evolving and changing. For some people, identity can change rapidly and dramatically, of course, but for most of us our identities evolve slowly and imperceptibly" (Livesey, n.d., p.1).
People identify themselves using not only qualities within them, but through culture and family as well. Through these few examples, it is easy to see some of the foundations that can foster an entire, complex identity. It is understandable how interesting and varied humans can be, drawing from so many directions to build who they are. Identity is not very complex at all, it comes through living day to day.
For those Asian Americans who make known their discontent with the injustice and discrimination that they feel, in the white culture, this translates to attacking American superiority and initiating insecurities. For Mura, a writer who dared to question why an Asian American was not allowed to audition for an Asian American role, his punishment was “the ostracism and demonization that ensued. In essence, he was shunned” (Hongo 4) by the white people who could not believe that he would attack their superior American ways. According to writers such as Frank Chin and the rest of the “Aiiieeeee!” group, the Americans have dictated Asian culture and created a perception as “nice and quiet” (Chin 1972, 18), “mama’s boys and crybabies” without “a man in all [the] males.” (Chin 1972, 24). This has become the belief of the proceeding generations of Asian Americans and therefore manifested these stereotypes.
A person can have more than one identity to be recognized as but when identity are thought of, people will mostly focus on the external markers of identity; what we can see on our self, physically.
People confuse race (biological) and ethnicity (cultural) when trying to identify themselves (Sheldon & Parker, 1992). The wording or definition of race or ethnicity is not specifically stated either, which can cause confusion for participants. Some problems that occur when not specifying race or ethnicity are that it can be interpreted differently depending on the individual. The use of terms like “Asian” or “Hispanic” can
?A definition of race might rely on an outward manifestation such as color or some other physiological sign. Race and ethnicity (and to some degree nationality) also imply a shared socio-cultural heritage and belief system. Finally, race and ethnicity harbor a physiological self-identification. Indeed, this factor is perhaps the most important in defining the identity of an ?ethnic? or ?racial? individual. It implies a conscious desire on the part of a person to belong to an aggregate of people, which possesses unique cultural characteristics, rituals and manners and a unique value system.
Times are changing and I feel like I am forced to conform to the everyday social norms of America, which makes me feel impuissance. Racial identity, which refers to identifying with a social group with similar phenotypes and racial category, is the only experience that I have with life (Organista, 2010). Racial ethnicity was used to build my self-esteem and to keep me in the dark when it came to how society treats individuals of darker complexion. However, once I left the confines of my family and neighborhood, I was forced to befriend and interact with individuals that had different cultural values and beliefs than me. This experience caused me to learn how to appreciate other racial and ethnic groups and their cultural values and belief. This is an accurate definition, of acculturation because I was able to understand and fit in with individuals different from me, while maintaining my own culture and ethnic identity. Therefore, knowing the importance of my ancestry, while acculturating and developing my own identity was all used