The main issue that children face during this stage is self-identification. Adolescents are making the transition to adulthood and trying to figure out exactly who they are. Children during this time, often experience an identity crisis as they explore many different beliefs and value systems in the search for self-identity (Woolfolk, 2013, p.102). Societal forces, such as race, sex and class, also play an important role in self-identification, especially in regards to African American youth. Erikson believed that the search for identity encompassed not only how an individual viewed him or herself but also how they were viewed by society (Brittian 2012). African Americans, between the ages of 12 and 18, grapple with the same issues all adolescents experience, such as physical changes and the desire for autonomy. However, African American adolescents also deal with racial prejudice and the role that it plays in shaping their self-perception. According to Brittian (2012), the way that African Americans handle issues of race, rather problematic or constructive, has a major impact on the formation of their self-identity. Identity is the focal point of the adolescence stage and when children can’t decide who they are or their place in society, they become hampered by an identity
Multiracial students face many problems coming to terms with their racial identity due to the inability to fall under a mono-racial category. In recent years, the amount of biracial births are out numbering the amount of mono-racial births, and these children will soon be entering the school system (Root 1996) with new unique problems when concerning their own racial identity. According to Poston, “Racial identity is defined as "pride in one's racial and cultural identity" (1990, p. 152 as cited in counseling biracial students). Compared to mono-racial peers, multiracial students are faced with constant conflicts over how to embrac...
For a nation flying its diversity flag with boastful pride, the United States exudes historic and current intolerance towards the microcosmic melting pot of mixed children. Self-identity is an unavoidable concern of interracial young persons maturing in present-day America. Society seems concerned with the issue of where the embodiments of multi-races belong as well. Where in the pecking order of society are products of miscegenation placed? For an adolescent already searching for an established sense of self, this impression of being an outsider nationally due to an interracial background significantly affects the coming of age quest.
...wed as young adults almost ready for the life in society almost unfit for high school at their age. Race is another important factor that influences student’s perceptions society. Asians are expected to be more academically distinguished and stuck-up. African Americans are expected to stand lower academically and more likely to get into trouble similarly to Hispanics. All of the sometimes imagined or overgeneralized assumptions greatly influence relations within individuals and groups.
For my summary, I am writing to teachers who will relay information back to high school students through the addition of racism to their cirriculum. My purpose is to convince the teachers that racial identity is a crucial topic that high school students need to be more aware of. The advantage of informing high school students of the role that racism plays throughout society is to assist the students in being less racist and treating non-whites fair. Racial identity is a very secluded topic among people today. For this reason, many students are not aware of racism or the effect it may have on the relationships between blacks and whites. Through my summary I am hoping to be able to help my audience talk about racial identity in the least offensive
According to Erikson, when adolescents are unable to find ownership of an identity, their lives can spiral off in several directions. In some ways they will reverse the role of their desire, slipping into a socially unacceptable role or a role that does not match who they wish to become (Feldman, 2012). Other teenagers will forego social interactions, leaving them to feel sad and alone in the world (Feldman, 2012). Teenagers thrive off of finding an identity to center themselves around, and when they fail to identify one, the adolescent crisis ensues (Feldman, 2012). There are several factors that can distract an adolescent from identifying a personal identity and pursuing a life of well-being...
To understand the world we live in works the way it does, it is important to acknowledge the influences socioculture plays on learning, as well as, the role it has on society. Not only do our surroundings constantly influence us, but also the knowledge and skills we acquire from our family or other members of our culture have effects on who we are. They also give us the power to understand who we are and develop our identity as well. Once we understand that language, gender, sexuality, and race make up and impact our identities, we are then able to find solutions that public school systems can implement to better meet the needs of marginalized students in each of these categories.
Experiences of racial discrimination start from the time of adolescence and continue to the time of adulthood. Due to the fact that racial discrimination is long term, it can mentally tramatize and physically harm African Americans (Harrell, 2000). There are various aspects to racism, thus it is defined in many ways. In this current study, racism is defined as one racial group dominating another racial group and viewing the dominated group as lesser and inferior. As a result of this inferiority, the lower group does not have access to the same society resources as the high group (Harrell, 2000). Some evidence documents that adolescents' reports of personal racial discrimination are associated with externalizing behaviors and internalizing behaviors, including anger, aggressive behavior, delinquency, depression and anxiety (Lambert et al., 2009). Racial identity has been considered to understand associations between racial discrimination and outcomes. This current study looks at the importance of specifically racial identity as opposed to social
Martinez, R. O., & Dukes, R. L. (1997). The effects of ethnic identity, ethnicity, andgender on adolescent well-being. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 26(5), 503-516. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/ehost/ pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=de686f82-f1bf-4124-8ab7-806a38e7b20b%40sessionmgr4&vid=6&hid=21
Cater, the author of the book Keepin’ It Real: School Success Beyond Black And White, became interested as of why minority students were faced with white society challenges in school systems? In her book, Keepin’ It Real: School Success Beyond Black And White, she offers an insightful look at the educational attainment in low-income urban communities. Carter suggest that these students are embraced the dominant opportunity ideology, they acknowledge the dominant cultural to obtain status and goods. However, they use their own cultural to gain status in their own communities. She conducted a research to study the importance of cultural authenticity for minority, such as African American and Latino, students. She examines how cultural authenticity influences minority students’ relationship with the values they believe are privileged in schools. Cultural authenticity reflects on the beliefs and values of everyday society. Carter questioned, why do so many African American and Latino students perform worse than their Asians and White peers in class and on exams? And why might African Americans and Latino students are less engaged in