Cultural Identity
Theories, Approaches, Stages & Types
Sarah Amira de la Garza, Professor
From Martin & Nakayama, chapter 5
COM263: Intercultural Communication
Arizona State University
Identities & Culture
Baby Boomer
Yogi
Woman
I AM
Heterosexual
Spiritual
Identity
identity The concept of who we
are. Character- istics of identity
may be understood differently
depending on the per- spectives
that people take—for example,
social science, interpretive, or
critical perspectives.
Two Theories of Identity
Items for the Future
impression management theory :
The ways by which individuals attempt to control the
impressions others have of them.
identity negotiation theory:
A theory that emphasizes the process of communicating one’s
own desired identities while reinforcing or resisting others’
identities as the core of intercultural communication.
Three Perspectives on Identity &Communication
The First Step to Decluttering
Social Science
Identity created by self (by relating to groups)
Emphasizes individualized, familial, and spiritual
self (cross-cultural perspective)
Interpretive
Identity formed through communication with others
Emphasizes avowal and ascribed dimensions
Critical
Identity shaped through social, historical forces
Emphasizes contexts and resisting ascribed identity
Social Science Approach
Identity created by self (by relating to
groups)
• Emphasizes individualized, familial,
and spiritual self (cross-cultural
perspective)
Three Dimensions of Identity (S.S.)
(Roland, 1988)
individualized
identity The sense
of self as
independent and
self-reliant.
individualized
identity The sense
of self as
independent and
self-reliant.
spiritual identity
Iden- tification
with feelings of
connectedness to
others and higher
meanings in life.
Interpretive Approach
• Identity formed through
communication with others
• Emphasizes avowal and ascribed
dimensions
Interpretive Approach to Identiy
(Hecht, et al)
core symbols The fundamental beliefs that are
shared by the members
of a cultural group.
Labels, a category of
core symbols, are names
or markers used to
classify individual, social,
or cultural groups.
avowal The process by
which an individual portrays himself or herself.
ascription The process
by which others attribute
identities to an individual
emphasizes that
identities are negotiated,
co-created, reinforced,
and challenged though
com- munication with
others; they emerge
when messages are
exchanged between
persons
Critical Approach
• Identity shaped through social,
historical forces
• Emphasizes contexts and resisting
ascribed identity
Critical Approaches to Identity
Martin & Nakayama
Contextual Identity
Formation The driving
force behind a critical
approach is the attempt to
understand identity
formation within the
contexts of history,
economics, politics, and
discourse. (Lacan)
interpellation The
communication process by
which one is pulled into
the social forces that place
people into a specific
identity.
This gives rise to
resistance.
The Dynamic Nature of
Identities The social forces
that give rise to particular
identities are never stable
but are always changing.
Therefore, the critical perspective insists on the
dynamic nature of
identities.
What is Your Identity?
• In what settings do you rely on a social
science approach?
• When is an interpretive approach
useful?
• What about the critical approach?
MAJORITY, MINORITY, AND BIRACIAL IDENTITY
DEVELOPMENT STAGES
Like the developmental models that come
out of learning theory, those who have
studied race and culture have identified
stages that are reflected in the identities
that individuals develop regarding ethnicity.
MINORITY IDENTITY DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
1. Unexamined Identity
• Lack of exploration of ethnicity
• Acceptance of majority group values
• Positive attitudes toward the majority
group
• Lack of interest in issues of ethnicity
MINORITY IDENTITY DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
2. Conformity
• Internalization of dominant group norms;
desire for assimilation into this group
• Negative attitudes toward themselves
and their groups until an experience
causes them to question the dominant
culture attitudes
MINORITY IDENTITY DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
3. Resistance & Separatism
• Growing awareness that not all dominant
values are beneficial to minorities
• Often triggered by negative events
• Blanket endorsement of one’s group’s
values and attitudes
• Rejection of dominant group values and
norms
MINORITY IDENTITY DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
4. Integration
• Ideal outcome of identity development—
achieved identity
• Strong sense of their own group identity
and an appreciation for other cultural
groups
MAJORITY DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
1. Integration
• Lack of exploration of ethnicity
• Acceptance of majority group values
• Positive attitudes toward the majority
group
• Lack of interest in issues of ethnicity
MAJORITY DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
1. Integration
• Lack of exploration of ethnicity
• Acceptance of majority group values
• Positive attitudes toward the majority
group
• Lack of interest in issues of ethnicity
MAJORITY DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
2. Acceptance
• Internalization of a racist
(race as the basis for determination of
power and order)ideology (passive or
active acceptance)
• The key point is that individuals are not
aware that they have been programmed
to accept this worldview.
MAJORITY DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
3. Resistance
• Moving from blaming minority members
for their situations and beginning to
blame their own dominant group
MAJORITY DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
4. Redefinition
• Nonacceptance of society’s definition of
white
• Able to see positive aspects of being
white
• Becoming comfortable with being in
dominant group
MAJORITY DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
5. Integration
• Ideal outcome of identity development—
achieved identity
• Strong sense of their own group identity
and an appreciation for other cultural
groups
BIRACIAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT STAGES
1. Possible Cycling Through 3 Stages
• Awareness of differences and resulting
dissonance
• Awareness that they are different from
other children
• Sense that they don’t fit in anywhere
BIRACIAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT STAGES
2. Struggle for Acceptance
• May feel that they must choose between
one race or the other.
BIRACIAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT STAGES
3. Self Acceptance & Self Assertion
• Ability to see the dual and dialectic
nature of one’s identity
• Abandons need to choose and
transforms contradictions into tensions
• Speaks for one’s individual identity as a
function and/or product of one’s biracial
Social & Cultural Identities
•GENDER IDENTITY
•SEXUAL IDENTITY
•AGE IDENTITY
•ETHNIC & RACIAL IDENTITIES
GENDER IDENTITY
The identification with the cultural notions
of masculinity and femininity and what it
means to be a man or a woman.
SEXUAL IDENTITY
One’s identification with various categories
of sexuality.
AGE IDENTITY
The identification with the cultural
conventions of how we should act, look,
and behave according to our age.
RACIAL IDENTITIES
Identifying with a particular racial group.
Although in the past racial groups were
classified on the basis of biological
characteristics,
most
scientists
now
recognize that race is constructed in fluid
social and historical contexts.
ETHNIC IDENTITY
(1) A set of ideas about one’s own ethnic
group mem- bership; (2) a sense of
belonging to a particular group and
knowing some- thing about the shared
experience of the group.
“HYPHENATED AMERICANS”
U.S. Americans who identify not only with
being U.S. citizens but also as being
members of ethnic groups.
Continued…