“Carrying the culture … ”: Ethnic identity development in black African adolescents

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolandie du Plessis ◽  
Luzelle Naudé
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Ethnic Identity Development ◽  
Black African

scholarly journals Theoretical and Methodological Contributions of Narrative Psychology to Ethnic Identity Research

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moin Syed
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Ethnic Identity Development ◽  
Narrative Psychology ◽  
The Past ◽  
Methodological Tool ◽  
Quantitative Rating ◽  
Theoretical Issues

The purpose of this chapter is to showcase how narrative, or the stories that people tell about their experiences, is a useful theoretical and methodological tool for understanding ethnic identity development. Over the past two decades, research on ethnic identity development has primarily relied on quantitative, rating-scale instruments (Phinney, 1992; Sellers et al., 1998). While this methodology has contributed to a strong knowledge base regarding the correlates and developmental course of ethnic identity (Quintana, 2007), what has been lacking is an analysis of the lived experiences that constitute one’s ethnic identity and contribute to its development. To this end, the chapter includes a synthesis of published and ongoing studies to illustrate how a narrative approach can contribute to theoretical issues of major importance to the study of ethnic identity: how ethnic identity develops, the role of context in development, and the dimensionality of ethnic identity. These examples highlight the close connection between method and theory, as well as how narrative research can inform subsequent survey-based work.

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