|
Interpretation of Multiracial Status & It's Relation to Social Engagement and ... |
|
|
|
The Interpretation of
Multiracial Status and Its Relation to Social Engagement and
Psychological Well-Being
Kevin R.
Binning
1
Miguel M.
Unzueta
2,* and Yuen J.
Huo
2
Ludwin E.
Molina
3
1
Stanford University
2
University of California, Los Angeles
3
University of Kansas
*Correspondence concerning this
article should be addressed to Miguel M. Unzueta, UCLA Anderson School
of Management, University of California, Los Angeles, 110 Westwood
Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095. [e-mail:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
].
Kevin R. Binning and Miguel M. Unzueta contributed
equally to this article. Their names are presented in alphabetical
order. The data reported in this article are part of a larger data set
collected with a UCLA Center for Community Partnership Grant awarded to
Yuen J. Huo.
Copyright © 2009
The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues
ABSTRACT
This research examines how multiracial
individuals chose to identify themselves with respect to their racial
identity and how this choice relates to their self-reported
psychological well-being (e.g., self-esteem, positive affect) and level
of social engagement (e.g., citizenship behaviors, group alienation).
High school students who belong to multiple racial/ethnic groups (N =
182) were asked to indicate the group with which they primarily
identify. Participants were then classified as identifying with a
low-status group (i.e., Black or Latino), a high-status group (i.e.,
Asian or White), or multiple groups (e.g., Black and White, etc.).
Results showed that, compared with multiracial individuals who
identified primarily with a low- or high-status group, those who
identified with multiple groups tended to report either equal or higher
psychological well-being and social engagement. Potential explanations
and implications for understanding multiracial identity are discussed.
|
E-Library