Feb. 10: Frank C. Worrell, Graduate School of Education

Are Cultural Identities Developmental? Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Identity

Much of the early theorizing about racial identity (e.g., Cross, 1971) utilized a developmental framework, postulating change across a sequence of stages. Early theorizing about ethnic identity (e.g., Phinney, 1989) used Cross' model and Marcia's (1966) conceptualization of identity statuses to suggest developmental change. In this presnetation, the evidence in support of a developmental conceptualization of racial and ethnic identity are considered. An attitudinal perspective is suggested as an alternative hypothesis.