Psychiatry - November 2008 - (Page 39)

individual, as well as the valence given to race.5 Race, a social identity, may not be important (low salience) to some, may be very important (high salience) to others, may be associated with negative, positive, or neutral valence. Therefore, one cannot assume that an African American child or adult who has a RGO toward the white race suffers from low self esteem or poor mental health nor can one assume an African American with a RGO toward the African American race has high self esteem or good mental health. The Revised PCRIM model is composed of the following four stages that have major themes: preencounter, encounter, immersion/emersion, and internalization. The pre-encounter stage is characterized by the belief that African Americans identify primarily with European American/mainstream culture and reject their own culture. According to Helms, the primary theme of this stage is idealization of the dominant traditional White world view and, consequently, denigration of a Black world view.6 The second stage, the encounter stage, takes place when an event or several events occur that threaten the individual’s original world view leading to a critical evaluation of identity, group membership, and American society. In this stage, individuals realize that racism is real and this propels them into the immersion/emersion stage. The third stage, the immersion/emersion stage, is when individuals immerse themselves in African American culture in an attempt to replace the pre-encounter identity. This is a two-phase process. In the immersion phase, individuals may primarily associate with African American culture, disdain European American culture, and try to dress, talk, and act like what they perceive is “black.”6 They may also judge other African Americans based on these standards, thus categorizing whether or not others are “black enough.” Although the degree of overt manifestations of Blackness is high, the degree of internalized security about one’s blackness is minimal.6 In the emersion phase, an individual may become cognizant of his or her stereotypic views of African Americans and develop a non-stereotypic perspective. This may spark reevaluation of one’s identity, leading to signs of the fourth stage, internalization. During the internalization phase, individuals have begun to view the world in a more objective way. They are more confident and secure about their group membership. They are able to appreciate not only African American culture but other cultures as well. They still acknowledge African American/Black as their primary reference group, but they are able to develop relationships with European Americans, reject racism, and no longer judge people based on race but rather on the content of their character. Initially, it was proposed that Black racial identity development occurred in a sequential linear fashion, with the development of minority racial identity models. It is believed that all people, regardless of race, go through a process of developing racial consciousness. The process may differ in content because of different socialization experiences associated with a particular race in the US. According to Sue,9 a white identity theorist, the WRID theories are based on the following theoretical assumptions: “Racism is integral to US life and permeates all aspects of our institutions and culture. Whites are socialized into society and therefore inherit the biases, stereotypes, and racist attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of the larger society. How whites perceive themselves and process their reactions as racial beings follows an identifiable sequence that can occur in progressive (linear) or non-progressive (nonlinear) fashion. White racial identity status will affect an individual’s interracial interactions and relationships. The desirable outcome of the white racial identity Dubois was influential in developing and promoting a more realistic and objective re-examination in the African American experience and development in America. His contribution influenced Erikson and expanded Erikson’s perception of the African American identity and the variables that influence it.3 assumption that a person’s racial identity was complete after a single cycle of the stages. However, that belief failed to explain changes that may occur in late adulthood. Research and observation now have demonstrated that identity formation occurs throughout life and therefore the development of racial identity extends beyond the early-adolescent years as well. White Racial Identity Development (WRID) Model. Most racial identity research has focused on African-American racial identity development, and there has been little research that examined white racial identity development (WRID). WRID models were developed after the development process is that individuals accept their status as white persons in a racist society and define their identity in a nonracist manner.” Helms’ White Racial Identity Model. The White Racial Identity Model7 by Helms is the most commonly cited and researched model for acquiring white racial identity. It involves the interplay between perceptions and evaluations of both European Americans and African Americans. The model consists of six stages through which White Americans may progress and become racially conscious: contact, disintegration, reintegration, pseudo-independence, immersion/emersion, and autonomy. It can be further conceptualized as a [NOVEMBER] Psychiatry 2008 39

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Psychiatry - November 2008 Editor's Message Editorial Advisory Board Contents PsychRx Letters to the Editor Measuring Adverse Events in Psychiatry Nonsuicidal Self Injury in Adolescents Relative Tolerability of Alzheimer's Disease Treatments Biracial Identity Development and Recommendations in Therapy Depression and Cardiovascular Disease: Just an Urban Legend? Three Risk Management Basics Journal Watch Classified Advertising Information for Authors

Psychiatry - November 2008

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