The present study looks into the identity development of interracial adolescents, specifically Asian/Asian White adolescents. The study compares the interracial identity development with Asian and with white identity development. The results of the study showed the interracial adolescents to be similar to the Asian and to the white adolescents’ identity development. This research uses Marcia’s Identity Status Interview (1966), which measures Erikson’s (1968) explanation regarding identity development. Along with using the Asian Values Scale (Mars, 1988) to measure the degree of association with typically Asian values.

     There was no significant difference found among Asian/white, Asian, and white adolescents in the areas of occupation, religion, politics, sex roles, sexual attitudes, race, and overall identity. Asian/whites did rate race significantly less important in identity formation then the Asian adolescents. The interracial individuals felt more freedom in being interracial because most people can not categorize them. However, many Asian/White participants did report that at different times they struggled with their mixed race status and with their Asian identity. The results from the Asian Values Scale reflected significant differences between the interracial and Asian groups and the white group, showing that the Asian/white participants do associate with their Asian culture.

     This research shows a contradiction to the normally held belief that interracial individuals have a "negative identity" as proposed by Erickson and supported by many others. This study did find that interracial participants did struggle with were they fit in racially, but that the Asian/white participants actually rated race as less important in their identity formation. This shows a need for research to focus less on "normal" identity development and more on interracial identity development and on issues related to fitting into racial groups.

             Created by Carrie Ferber and Kayoko Nakamura

Contact information: Katherine Rhoades, rhoadeka@uwec.edu