The collectivistic nature of ethnic identity development among Asian-American college students

Current theories of ethnic identity oversimplify the development process by failing to recognize the malleability of identity within its social context, a conceptualization of self that is particularly relevant for Asian-Americans. Further, these theories tend to view identity in static, deterministic terms, despite social psychology data suggesting that identity is a dynamic ongoing process. Data were analyzed from a sample of 87 Asian-American undergraduates, using the Ethnic Identity Development Exercise (EIDE). While many theories suggest that ethnic identity development is predominantly an internal, intro-psychic process, our data indicate that Asian-Americans are largely influenced by relationships and external forces. In addition, the avoidance of shame was found to be a strong motivating factor in determining their ethnic identification. Thus, ethnic identification theories must acknowledge the malleable and collectivistic nature of ethnic identity development among Asian-Americans. Three theoretical frameworks of research on ethnic identity are reviewed and summarized: identity formation, social identity, and acculturation.