Sources of self-categorization as minority for mixed race individuals

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Sources of Self-Categorization 6between an object and a prototype predicts the relative ease with which it is categorized as partof that group (Mervis & Rosch, 1981). Similar work on exemplar-based processing asserts thatthe more closely a target person resembles a group exemplar, the more likely they are to becategorized as a group member (Smith & Zárate, 1992). Indeed, individuals made aware ofgroup prototypes were more likely to engage in prototype-based processing upon encounteringgroup members (Smith & Zárate, 1990). SCT directly posits that perceived commonalitiesbetween oneself and a group influence group categorization (Turner et al., 1987). For instance,the theory of normative fit asserts that prospective group members perceive their traits orbehaviors as consistent with the normative beliefs and theories (e.g. stereotypes) about aparticular group in order to self-categorize as members of that group (Turner, Oakes, Haslam, &McGarty, 1994). Multiracial individuals, having multiple possible racial categories with which toself-categorize, should base their choice on their felt similarity to a particular racial group. Inother words, the extent to which a minority-White multiracial person views him or herself assimilar to the minority group or to the White group should influence self-categorization as amember of the minority or majority group.SCT predicts that multiracial individuals will base their self-categorization on perceivedsimilarity to a racial group, but does not address what factors predict feelings of similarity to thetypical racial group member. Evidence suggests that social connectedness to the minority groupmay influence perceived similarity to racial prototypes. Research on the social networks ofminority individuals commonly finds a preference for those of a similar race (Ibarra, 1995;Mehra, Kilduff, & Brass, 1996). Similarly, Broman, Neighbors, & Jackson (1988) refer to Blackgroup identity as feeling connected to similar others. Smith and Moore (2000) find that Blackbiracial college students, compared to monoracial Black students, feel less connected to the
Sources of Self-Categorization 7overall Black community, and further suggest that feelings of lower connectedness may weakenidentification with the Black racial group. Although SCT posits that once self-categorized,individuals begin to feel particularly connected to other group members, in the form ofdepersonalization, we propose that for multiracial persons who have several racial categoryoptions, felt similarity to a particular racial group may precede self-categorization. Thus, theextent to which a multiracial individual feels connected to other members of a given racial group,the more similar he or she will feel to the prototype of that group, and be more likely to selfcategorizeas part of that racial group. Research on the development of ethnic identity has shownthat attachment or affective commitment is an important part of ethnic identification (Ashmore,Deaux, & McLaughin-Volpe, 2004; Phinney, 1992; see Phinney & Ong, 2007 for a review). Toour knowledge however, the present study represents the first attempt to test feelings ofconnectedness to a minority racial group and felt similarity to the minority group as sources ofminority self-categorization among multiracial persons.In addition to connectedness, an affective based predictor of similarity, multiracialpersons may also base their felt similarity on more observable characteristics, such as theirphysical appearance. Previous research and theorizing suggests physical appearance represents akey component of racial prototypicality or similarity to a typical member of the racial group.Russell, Wilson, and Hall (1992) discuss a number of phenotypic stereotypes associated withBlack individuals, citing hair texture and skin tone as particularly salient markers of Blackidentity. Psychologists note the enhanced ability of perceivers to categorize more typical lookingBlack, Asian, and Hispanic targets (Blair, Judd, Sadler, & Jenkins, 2002; Holguin, McQuiston,MacLin, & Malpass, 2000; Khanna, 2004; Maddox & Gray, 2002). However, most of the workon phenotypic markers of ethnic categorization has focused on perceiver categorization (how
Page 2: Sources of Self-Categorization 2Abs
Page 5: Sources of Self-Categorization 5Bru
Page 9 and 10: Sources of Self-Categorization 9For
Page 11 and 12: Sources of Self-Categorization 11pa
Page 13 and 14: Sources of Self-Categorization 13Wh
Page 15 and 16: Sources of Self-Categorization 15pa
Page 17 and 18: Sources of Self-Categorization 17sh
Page 19 and 20: Sources of Self-Categorization 19mu
Page 21 and 22: Sources of Self-Categorization 21Re
Page 23 and 24: Sources of Self-Categorization 23Ch
Page 25 and 26: Sources of Self-Categorization 25co
Page 27 and 28: Sources of Self-Categorization 27Fo
Page 29 and 30: Sources of Self-Categorization 29Ta
Page 31 and 32: Table 3Fit Statistics for All Model
Page 33 and 34: MinorityConnectedness+MinoritySimil
Page 35: Alternative Model AMinority Self-Ca

Sources of self-categorization as minority for mixed race individuals

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?