The development of White racial identity ego statuses: The role of affect and cognitive strategies
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to examine the construct validity of Helms' (1984, 1992, 1995) theory of White racial identity attitude development (WRIAD) with specific emphasis on the constructs of status blends and the process of identity development. Siegler's (1996) Overlapping Waves Model (OVM) of cognitive development was adapted to Helms' WRIAD model to provide a theoretical rationale for the concept of status blends, strategy choice, and the development of cognitive strategies over time. The examination of affective arousal coupled with cognitive strategy choice and self-deceptive enhancement provided a conceptual model for predicting White racial identity development. The White Racial Cognitions Scale (WRCS) was developed for the present study to identify cognitive strategies. The final sample consisted of 118 undergraduate students who participated in the study voluntarily. The experimental group (n = 85) was exposed to a 12-week intervention, which consisted of undergraduate courses in multicultural issues. The control group (n = 33) was drawn from an undergraduate research methods in psychology course. Correlational comparisons between the WRCS and other measures of racial awareness were generally consistent with Helms' model. Preliminary results revealed strong inter-rater reliability for the WRCS. The primary analyses did not reveal evidence of White racial identity development over the course of 12 weeks of multicultural education. However, consistent with Siegler's OVM, participants were found to use multiple cognitive strategies from differing WRIAD statuses in response to a racial role-reversal vignette. These results appear to provide support for Helms' proposal of status blends. In addition, negative affective arousal and self-deceptive enhancement were found to significantly predict unhealthy WRIAD statuses, while positive affective arousal significantly predicted healthy WRIAD statuses. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Kwan, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Psychotherapy|Social psychology
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