Download Strengthening Aging and Gerontology Education for Social

Ethnic Identity & Acculturation
Importance to Elders
University of Oklahoma
School of Social Work
Master’s Advanced Curriculum Project
Dr. Lisa Byers (Cherokee)
Supported by:
Social Work Objectives
 Importance of ethnic identity to elders
 Review research
 Provide definitions of ethnic identity that is relevant to
elders and other ages of Native Americans
 Build knowledge of the importance of ethnic identity
 Significance to Psychological Functioning
 Shapes behavior, thoughts, emotions
 Orientation toward wellness, illness, and service use
 Build knowledge of macro level influences for elders
related to Native American identity
Review of Definitions
Ethnic Group:
 Subgroups that claim common ancestry & share one or
more of the following: culture, phenotype, religion,
language, kinship, or place of origin
 Native American and Individual Tribes are examples of ethnic
groups
Ethnic Identity:
 One’s sense of self as a member of an ethnic group
 Indicates a dynamic understanding of self & ethnic background
 Can change across generations, in a new culture, in different
contexts, with age & development
Aspects of Ethnic Identity
Three Aspects:
1) Ethnic Self Identification
2) Sense of Belonging to an Ethnic Group + Feelings
About Membership (Strength & Valence)
3) Ethnic Identity Development: the extent to which
an individuals’ feelings & understanding about
their group have been consciously examined &
issues surrounding ethnicity have been resolved
 Achieved Ethnic Identity
 Refer to Urban American Indian Ethnic Identity
Ethnic Identity & Social Identity Theory2
Definition of Ethnic Identity = Ethnic Component of Social Identity
 Component of self concept comes from knowledge of membership
in an ethnic group + the value attached to that membership
How Is Ethnic Identity Expressed?
 negative to positive Self identification
 Attitudes towards one’s own group and the dominant society
 What is important to note is that individuals vary from negative to
positive views of their ethnic identity
 Possible to encounter different ethnic identities among social work
clients. These identities can range from traditional to bi-cultural to
fully assimilated.
Importance to Native Elders
 Today’s elders were the recipients of active
assimilation efforts by the federal government
through the Urban Indian Relocation Program,
initiated in 1952
 Today’s elders were the direct recipients or first
generation descendants of federal government
efforts to assimilate tribal people through
boarding schools, which lasted from 1879-1918
 There will be varying levels of ethnic identity
tied to historic events within age related
cohorts that will influence an elder’s
participation in the family and tribal group
State of the Knowledge in the 20th Century:
Ethnic Identity Across Groups1
Who Was Included?
 Half-white ethnics





Greek/Italian/French
Canadians
Jews
Blacks (U.S.)
Was Identity Defined?
 2/3 of 70 studies provided no
definition
Hispanics (U.S.)
Was There a Conceptual
Framework?
Asians (U.S.) some in Great
Britain/Canada
 A quarter of the studies provided no
Who Was Excluded?
 Native Americans
framework
 Social Identity Theory (Social
Psychology)
 Acculturation and Culture Conflict
(Anthropology & Sociology)
 Identity Formation (Developmental
and Counseling Psychology)
Not traditional, not assimilated: Elderly
American Indians and the notion of ‘cohort’
Deborah D. Jackson and Elizabeth E. Chapleski
 Addresses the lack of research on the elder population
as a “distinct segment of the [Native American]
community”
 Framework relies on the construct of cohort to explore
the implications of assimilation on elder ethnic identity
 Importance to Social Work and Gerontology:
 Distinguishes the differences between age groups and
the way in which they navigate through the various
stages of the life course.
 Highlights the sub-groups and sub-cultures present
within a society and the preference of a cohort to
interact with others from the same cohort.
 Helps to understand the differences in beliefs, practices,
and values among individuals within a cohort and those
in the subsequent cohort.
Not traditional, not assimilated
Table 1. Conditions that prevailed for each
cohort during various periods of the life cycle
Age 0-9
Age 10-19
Age 20-29
Age 30-39
Age 40-49
Elder Cohort
Born 19101919
Poverty,
prejudice,
boarding
schools
Poverty,
prejudice,
boarding
schools
Poverty,
prejudice,
boarding
schools
Termination,
relocation
Termination,
relocation
Elder Cohort
Born 19201929
Poverty,
prejudice,
boarding
schools
Poverty,
prejudice,
boarding
schools
Termination,
relocation
Termination,
relocation
Selfdetermination
Elder Cohort
Born 19301939
Poverty,
prejudice,
boarding
schools
Termination,
relocation
Termination,
relocation
Selfdetermination
Selfdetermination,
MITW
Middle Cohort
Born 19401949
Termination,
relocation
Termination,
relocation
Selfdetermination
Selfdetermination,
MITW,
H&F rights
Selfdetermination,
MITW,
H&F rights
Middle Cohort
Born 19501959
Termination,
relocation
Selfdetermination
Selfdetermination,
MITW
S-D,
H&F rights,
MITW
S-D, MITW, H&F
rights, casinos
Self Identification
Self identification alone (written or
verbal) is not an indicator of one’s
ethnic identity
Please check appropriate box to
indicate your ethnicity?
American Indian/Alaska Native
“My Great-Great
Grandmother was
Cherokee”
Ethnic Identity and Social Identity Theory
 Elders along with all
individuals need a
sense of group identity
to maintain a sense of
well-being3
 Group membership
creates a sense of
belonging which leads
to a positive self
concept
 Ethnic Groups =
special case of group
membership
 If ethnic group is held
in low status within
dominant society there
is the potential that
membership within the
group could lead to
negative self-concept
Ethnic Identity Development:
How Do We Assess?
 Urban American Indian Identity Scale (UAIIS)4
 Originally developed in 1995 by Dr. Karina Walter
 Scale that asks individuals to indicate how much they agree or
disagree with items that separately assess the four identity
statuses. Can be used with reservation populations.
 Internalization
 Marginalization
 Externalization
 Actualization
 Each of 4 domains contains five identity attitude dimensions:
political (Tribal land and treaty rights), ethnic (sense of shared
heritage and "peoplehood"), racial (phenotype and blood quantum
issues), cultural (tribal values, language), and spiritual (sacred
sites, religious freedom)
Internalization Status
 Internalization of negative dominant (Euro-American) group
attitudes
 Individuals in this stage view “Whiteness” or Euro-American
values as superior to a traditional tribal worldview
 The salient cognitive and affective components of this stage
are denial of American Indian group membership to self and/or
others, devaluation of traditional tribal spiritual practices,
devaluation of land and religious freedom rights, and a hyper
vigilance in maintaining this state.
 Low esteem and high anxiety are the additional characteristics
of individuals in this stage
 Behavioral manifestations of internalization include identity
management (passing for white), denying American Indian
heritage, avoidance of American Indian individuals, groups,
and events
Marginalization
 Requires some onset event or experience that challenges the
individual’s ascription to the dominant societal values
 A sense of being different creates dissonance with one’s ability
to continue to identify with non-Indian beliefs and practices
 Contact with other tribal people in a different stage of
development may be the onset event
 Referred to as awakening to racial, ethnic, cultural, spiritual,
and political consciousness
 One does not immediately drop the old views and adopt a new
“Indian” identity. There is struggle and ambivalence as one
negotiates a new sense of self and group identity and how to be
in response to the larger society
 The experience of being caught between two worlds
characterizes this stage with its attending feelings of anxiety
and depression
 There is an increase in self esteem with a decrease in anxiety
toward the end of stage two as contact with other American
Indians increases
Externalization
 Marked by the shedding of dominant group attitudes with attempts to
immerse the self in tribal culture resulting in an increased desire to
attend cultural events, and community gatherings, become politically
active, and seek out relationships with other tribal people
 Stereotypes are replaced by an idealization of what it means to be a
Native American
 There is a desire for knowledge of traditional beliefs, spirituality, and
practices. A Pan-Indian identity may be assumed in contrast to a
specific tribal affiliation if the individual or their tribe/s is more
acculturated
 The consolidation of self and group identity is progressing
 Orientation toward the dominant group is anger and rage, which is a
primary affect in this stage
 Cognitive characteristics are hyper vigilance and suspiciousness of
dominant society and its members
 Lowered self esteem and increased anxiety accompany this stage as well
due to confrontations with individuals and organizations that espouse
the dominant societal values and views. Internal confrontations abound
as the individual addresses any remaining negative internalizations of
Native Americans
 The end of this stage is indicative of knowledge and respect for within
group diversity
Actualization
 Self acceptance, lowered anger, decreased anxiety, and
higher self esteem create an inner balance that is based
on an integrated Indian self identity and positive group
identity
 Cultural connections of a spiritual, political, and cultural
nature grow with social action as the primary means of
confronting negative dominant group attitudes and
practices
 There is a focus on tribal specific customs and practices.
A tribal identity may often replace the prior primary PanIndian identification
 The ability to negotiate two worlds is characteristic of this
stage without any compromise of the internal AI beliefs
 Interactions with White Americans are determined on an
individual level versus reacting to them as purely
dominant group members
Distinguishing Ethnic Identity from
Acculturation & Enculturation
 Acculturation refers to the process by which
individuals learn about and identify with the
dominant society.
 Enculturation refers to the process which
individuals learn about and identify with their
traditional ethnic culture.
 Acculturation and enculturation both affect
ethnic identity, but they are not the same as
ethnic identity.
Issues in Practice and Research
 Do not typically assess an elder’s ethnic identity,
but ask for ethnic self identification
 Appears to be a broad/general understanding of
ethnic identity, but defined differently in research
 Ethnic identity, acculturation, and enculturation
are critical concepts for practitioners and
researchers to understand
 Significance of ethnic identity to psychological
functioning
 Shapes behavior, thoughts, emotions
 Orientation toward wellness, illness, coping behavior,
and service use
Social Work Implications
 Be aware of ethnic identity and its complexity within elders,
their families, and communities
 Assess ethnic identity if possible
 Different strengths of the identity statuses exist across
individuals that self identify as Native American
 Ethnic identity development is fluid and changes across
time within a person
 Ethnic identity has been studied as a protective factor for
mental health
 Marginal status has been associated with a higher risk for
depression
Social Work Interventions
 For those that are marginal and not identified with a
tribal culture, American society, or any ethnic group
 Interventions to move them from a marginal status to
identification with a group is a potential intervention
dependent on the client’s identification of this as a goal
 Create macro level interventions that will enhance tribal
identification
 Interventions will be accessible for those that want to
increase their connection
 Interventions that communicate the history within the
federal government of assimilation that impacted
acculturation, enculturation, and ethnic identity to resolve
potential issues related to anger or guilt for losing a sense
of the self as a tribal member
References
1)
Jackson, D.D. & Chapleski, E.E. (2000). Not traditional, not assimilated:
Elderly American Indians and the notion of ‘cohort’. Journal of CrossCultural Gerontology, 15, 229-259.
2)
Lewin, K. (1948). Resolving social conflicts. New York: Harper.
3)
Phinney, J. S. (1998). Ethnic identity in adolescents and adults: Review
of research. In P. Balls Organista, K. M. Chun, & G. Marin (Eds.),
Reading in Ethnic Psychology (pp. 73-99). New York, NY: Routledge.
4)
Tajfel, H. (1978). The social psychology of minorities. New York, NY:
Minority Rights Group.
5)
Walters, K. L. (1995). Urban American Indian identity and psychological
wellness. Unpublished doctoral dissertation.
6)
Walter, K. L. (1999). Urban American Indian identity attitudes and
acculturation styles. Journal of Human Behavior and the Social
Environment , 2 (1/2), 163-78.
7)
Zimmerman, M.A., Washienko, K.M., Walter B, & Dyer S. (1996). The
development of a measure of enculturation for Native American youth.
American Journal of Community Psychology, 24, 295-310.