Identity Development Among Ethnic Minority Youth
Integrating Findings from Studies in Europe
Abstract
Abstract. In the context of increasing ethnic diversity in many European countries, a successful development and integration of ethnic minority youth becomes a central concern for the future of Europe. It is particularly important to understand specific challenges and opportunities related to identity development among ethnic minority youth. The aim of this review is to integrate recent findings on identity development among ethnic minority youth in Europe. We identified three crosscutting themes in the literature. The “intensified identity work” approach suggests that ethnic minority youth are more engaged in identity work compared to their mainstream peers. The “diverging identity outcomes” themes represents a discussion on the opposite outcomes of identity development among ethnic minority youth. The “third way or hybrid identity” approach suggests that ethnic minority youth can build on globalization and other cultural resources, as well as on their own developmental flexibility to form novel, adaptive patterns of identity. We discuss the complementarity of the three approaches and suggest directions for further studies with ethnic minority youth. We also show how the findings of this review can help practitioners and policy makers in Europe to support ethnic minority youth in their identity development.
References
2017). Ethnic minorities and minority rights in Europe: Theoretical typologies (Working paper No. 99). Retrieved from https://goo.gl/UMwM38
(2014). Emerging adulthood: The winding road from the late teens through the twenties (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
(2016). Brief report: When does identity lead to negative affective experiences? A comparison of Turkish-Bulgarian and Turkish-German adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 47, 125–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.09.010
(2011). Dual identity as a two-edged sword: Identity threat and minority school performance. Social Psychology Quarterly, 74, 121–143. https://doi.org/10.1177/0190272511407619
(2014). Emotional and behavioral problems in migrant children and adolescents in Europe: A systematic review. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 23, 373–391. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-013-0485-8
(1997). Immigration, acculturation, and adaptation. Applied Psychology, 46, 5–34. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.1997.tb01087.x
(2008). Identity-in-context is not yet identity development-in-context. Journal of Adolescence, 31, 281–289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2008.03.001
(2016). Identity processes in the global era: The case of young immigrants living in Italy. Journal of Youth Studies, 20, 79–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2016.1184240
(2016). Shedding light on the dark side of identity: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Adolescence, 47, 104–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.01.002
(2011). Identity formation in adolescents from Italian, mixed, and migrant families. Child & Youth Care Forum, 40, 7–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-010-9112-8
(2008). Identity formation in early and middle adolescents from various ethnic groups: From three dimensions to five statuses. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37, 983–996. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-007-9222-2
(2008). Capturing the dynamics of identity formation in various ethnic groups: Development and validation of a three-dimensional model. Journal of Adolescence, 31, 207–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2007.09.002
(2012). Understanding adolescence as a period of social-affective engagement and goal flexibility. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 13, 636–650. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3313
(2010). Comparative integration context theory: Participation and belonging in new diverse European cities. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 33, 1249–1268. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419871003624068
(Dean, H.Platt, L. (Eds.) (2016). Social advantage and disadvantage. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
2016). Adjustment outcomes of immigrant children and youth in Europe. European Psychologist, 21, 150–162. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000246
(2017). Ethnic, familial, and religious identity of Roma adolescents in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Kosovo, and Romania in relation to their level of well-being. Child Development, 88, 693–709. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12786
(2015).
(Identity and positive youth development: Advances in developmental intervention science . In K. C. McLeanM. SyedEds., The Oxford handbook of identity development (pp. 701–716). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199936564.013.0201968). Identity, youth and crisis.. New York, NY: W. W. Norton.
(2016). EU youth report 2015. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/diUpa7
. (2008). The new face of East-West migration in Europe. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 34. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691830802105947
(2015). Developmental flexibility in the age of globalization: Autonomy and identity development among immigrant adolescents. Annual Review of Psychology, 66, 411–431. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010814-015111
(2001). Global versus domain-specific statuses in identity research: A comparison of two self-report measures. Journal of Adolescence, 24, 681–699. https://doi.org/10.1006/jado.2001.0438
(2013). How immigrant adolescents’ self-views in school and family context relate to academic success in Germany. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 43, 175–189. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2012.00991.x
(2017). A two-way process? A qualitative and quantitative investigation of majority members’ acculturation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 60, 67–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2017.07.004
(2004). Young Muslim men in Scotland: Inclusions and exclusions. Children’s Geographies, 2(2), 257–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733280410001720548
(2016). Perceived ethnic discrimination and depressive symptoms: The buffering effects of ethnic identity, religion and ethnic social network. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 51, 679–688. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-016-1186-7
(2009). To identify or not to identify? National disidentification as an alternative reaction to perceived ethnic discrimination. Applied Psychology, 58, 105–128. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2008.00384.x
(2004). Identity strategies among adolescent girls of Moroccan descent in the Netherlands. Identity, 4, 145–169. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532706xid0402_3
(2011).
(The identity statuses: Origins, meanings, and interpretations . In S. J. SchwartzK. LuyckxV. L. VignolesEds., Handbook of identity theory and research (pp. 31–53). New York, NY: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419- 7988-9_22010). Identity status change during adolescence and young adulthood: A meta-analysis. Journal of Adolescence, 33, 683–698. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2009.11.002
(2013). Expanding the margins of identity: A critique of marginalization in a globalized world. International Perspectives in Psychology: Research, Practice, Consultation, 2, 225–241. https://doi.org/10.1037/ipp0000008
(2015). Challenges of adolescent psychology in the European identity context. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2015(147), 69–76. https://doi.org/10.1002/cad.20091
(2013).
(The school performance of the Russian-speaking minority in linguistically divided educational systems: A comparison of Estonia and Latvia . In M. WindzioEd., Integration and Inequality in Educational Institutions (pp. 45–69). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.2013).
(The problem of a definition . In T. H. MalloyEd., Minority issues in Europe: Rights, concepts, policy (pp. 14–17). Berlin, Germany: Frank & Timme.1966). Development and validation of ego-identity status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3, 551–558. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0023281
(2015). Identity centrality and psychosocial functioning: A person-centered approach. Emerging Adulthood, 3, 327–339. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696815593183
(2011). The study of adolescent identity formation 2000–2010: A review of longitudinal research. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21, 75–94. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00716.x
(2017). Adolescent ethnic identity in social context: A commentary. Child Development, 88, 761–766. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12785
(2002). Parental and peer attachment and identity development in adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 25, 93–106. https://doi.org/10.1006/jado.2001.0451
(2012).
(Positive immigrant youth adaptation in context: Developmental, acculturation, and social-psychological perspectives . In A. S. MastenK. LiebkindD. J. HernandezEds., The Jacobs Foundation series on adolescence. Realizing the potential of immigrant youth (pp. 117–158). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.2017). Relationships between ethnic identity, ethnic attitudes, and acculturative stress in Tunisian individuals in early and middle adolescence. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 37, 1309–1340. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431616659557
(2017). The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure – Revised (MEIM-R): Psychometric evaluation with adolescents from diverse ethnocultural groups in Italy. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 15(4), 395–410. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2016.1278363
(2017). Understanding the socio-economic divide in Europe. (Background report). Retrieved from https://goo.gl/p615XG
. (1992). The multigroup ethnic identity measure: A new scale for use with diverse groups. Journal of Adolescent Research, 7, 156–176. https://doi.org/10.1177/074355489272003
(2001). Ethnic identity, immigration, and well-being: An interactional perspective. Journal of Social Issues, 57, 493–510. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00225
(2007). Conceptualization and measurement of ethnic identity: Current status and future directions. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 54, 271–281. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.54.3.271
(2014). Mastering developmental transitions in immigrant adolescents: The longitudinal interplay of family functioning, developmental and acculturative tasks. Developmental Psychology, 50, 754–765. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033889
(2006). Debate in science: The case of acculturation. AnthroGlobe Journal. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/9rM4tZ
(2001). Psychometric critique of acculturation psychology: The case of Iranian migrants in Norway. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 42, 41–56. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9450.00213
(2012). Group identity and peer relations: A longitudinal study of group identity, perceived peer acceptance, and friendships amongst ethnic minority English children. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 30, 283–302. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-835X.2011.02040.x
(2008). Ethnic and national identity among second-generation immigrant adolescents in France: The role of social context and family. Journal of Adolescence, 31, 185–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2007.08.001
(2010). Acculturation: When individuals and groups of different cultural backgrounds meet. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5, 472–481. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691610373075
(2011). Discrimination and subjective well-being: The moderating roles of identification with the heritage group and the host majority group. European Journal of Social Psychology, 41, 786–795. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.825
(2018). Is integration always most adaptive? The role of cultural identity in academic achievement and in psychological adaptation of immigrant students in Germany. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 47, 16–37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-017-0737-x
(2016). Native friends and host country identification among adolescent immigrants in Germany: The role of ethnic boundaries. International Migration Review, 50, 163–196. https://doi.org/10.1111/imre.12163
(2001). The evolution of Eriksonian and, Neo-Eriksonian identity theory and research: A review and integration. identity, 1, 7–58. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532706xschwartz
(2013). Converging identities: Dimensions of acculturation and personal identity status among immigrant college students. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 19, 155–165. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030753
(2006). The role of identity in acculturation among immigrant people: Theoretical propositions, empirical questions, and applied recommendations. Human Development, 49, 1–30. https://doi.org/1 0.1159/000090300
(2008). Testing Berry’s model of acculturation: A confirmatory latent class approach. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 14, 275–285. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0012818
(2017). From tolerance to understanding: Exploring the development of intercultural competence in multiethnic contexts from early to late adolescence. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 27, 388–399. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2317
(1998). Vocational identity development: Its relationship to other identity domains and to overall identity development. Journal of Career Assessment, 6, 13–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/106907279800600102
(2016). Low ethnic identity exploration undermines positive interethnic relations: A study among Turkish immigrant-origin youth. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 22, 495–503. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000090
(2007). Stability and change in ethnic identity among Latino emerging adults in two contexts. Identity, 7, 155–178. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283480701326117
(2013). A two-factor model of ethnic identity exploration: Implications for identity coherence and well-being. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 19, 143–154. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030564
(2016). Identity processing styles during cultural transition: Construct and measurement. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 47, 483–507. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022116631825
(2018). Adaptation of young immigrants: A developmental perspective on acculturation. European Psychologist, 23, 72–82. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000313
(1998). Ethnic dimensions of poverty in Bulgaria. (Report commissioned for the Social Assessment of Bulgaria). Retrieved from https://goo.gl/64miUA
(2004). Developing the ethnic identity scale using Eriksonian and social identity perspectives. Identity, 4, 9–38. https://doi.org/10.1207/S1532706XID0401_2
(2017).
(Cultural identity development as a developmental resource . In N. J. CabreraB. LeyendeckerEds., Handbook on positive development of minority children and youth (pp. 123–137). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.2005). The social psychology of ethnic identity. London, UK: Psychology Press.
(2012). Multiple identities and religious transmission: a study among Moroccan–Dutch Muslim adolescents and their parents. Child Development, 83, 1577–1590. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01794.x
(2007). Super-diversity and its implications. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 30, 1024–1054. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870701599465
(2017). Doing ethnicity: Ethnic wordplay amongst youths. Childhood, 24, 333–347. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568216682305
(2018). Global versus domain-specific identity processes: Which domains are more relevant for emerging adults? Emerging Adulthood, 6, 32–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696817694698
(2007). The economic dimension of minority participation in Europe (ECMI Issue Brief No. 15). Retrieved from European Centre for Minority Issues website https://goo.gl/9Uw8wp.
(2008). Ethnic identity, externalizing problem behaviour and the mediating role of self-esteem among Dutch, Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 31, 223–240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2007.12.002
(