Sources of self-categorization as minority for mixed-race individuals: Implications for affirmative action entitlement.
Multiracial individuals are in the unique position of being able to categorize themselves as members of multiple racial groups. Drawing on self-categorization theory, we suggest that similarity to the minority ingroup depends on self-perceptions of physical appearance and connectedness to the minority ingroup. Moreover, we argue that similarity to the ingroup determines self-categorization as minority, which predicts category-based entitlements such as perceived eligibility for minority resources (e.g., affirmative action). Using path analysis, we found support for this model on a convenience sample of 107 mixed-race minority-White participants. The results suggest that affective processes rather than observable characteristics such as prototypical physical appearance better predict self-categorization among mixed-race individuals.
Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8040, USA. goodj@eden.rutgers.edu
Jessica J
JJ
Good
George F
GF
Chavez
Diana T
DT
Sanchez
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000145:classification* / Q000523:psychology*; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011640:Public Policy; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000145:classification* / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012919:Social Behavior; D012933:Social Identification; D012938:Social Perception; D013240:Stereotyping; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult