The harms of racial miscategorization: Comparing multiracial individuals’ well-being in the continental U.S. versus Hawai‘i.

Abstract

Objective: The current work explores the effects of racial miscategorization (incongruence between other people's racial categorization of an individual and that individual's racial self-identification) and subjective well-being of multiracial individuals in Hawai'i versus California. We set out to examine how multiracial individuals experience racial miscategorization in more or less ethnically diverse environments and how this experience shapes the extent to which they feel a sense of belonging and inclusion. Method: The study consisted of interviews with 55 multiracial undergraduate and graduate students conducted in Hawai'i (20 selfidentified women and 9 self-identified men, with ages ranging from 18 to 47 years; M = 22.93, SD = 6.40) and California (16 self-identified women, 9 self-identified men, and 1 self-identified gender nonbinary person, with ages ranging from 18 to 31 years; M = 20.96, SD = 2.76). Results: Thematic analysis identified two central themes relevant to subjective well-being: (a) racial miscategorization and its consequences and (b) contextual differences in the experiences of miscategorization. Results suggest that racial miscategorization is a pervasive experience among multiracial people and is associated with negative psychological well-being. We also found that environments with greater representation of multiracial individuals, such as Hawai'i, are associated with less racial miscategorization, more inclusion, and better psychological well-being among multiracial individuals. Conclusions: Racial miscategorization is a prominent and aversive experience among multiracial individuals, but multiracial environments can serve as a psychological buffer. Racial miscategorization has important theoretical and practical implications for racial and ethnic identity research, which we discuss. Public Significance StatementThis study advances the idea that multiracial individuals frequently face situations in which others' racial categorizations of them (e.g., White) differ from their own racial identification (e.g., White and Black). We label this phenomenon as "racial miscategorization" and find evidence that these frequent experiences negatively affect multiracial people's well-being. Contrasting qualitative data from focus groups in California to Hawai'i, this study reveals that racial miscategorization is less common in Hawai'i than in California, and that the social and demographic contexts of each location (e.g., representation of multiracial people) shape multiracial people's incorporation of these experiences. Together, these findings highlight the importance of studying processes related to miscategorization by others, and to include environmental factors in the analysis. This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

Family Racial/Ethnic Socialization Through the Lens of Multiracial Black Identity: A M(ai)cro Analysis of Meaning-Making

“…This within-family repeated racism and invalidation is not uncommon for multiracial people whose family members do not all share their racial background (Franco et al, 2018 ). These negative messages can be particularly damaging for mental health and wellbeing (Does et al, 2021 ; Franco & Carter, 2019 ; Franco et al, 2019 ) and creates relational tension, such as feeling like they have to “pick a side” within their own identities and families, a common manifestation of monoracism (Harris, 2016 ). And while pushed to “pick a side,” they may find no one is picking their side or standing alongside them.…”

The Heaviest Drop of Blood: Black Exceptionalism Among Multiracials

“…Blacks' severe history of subjugation created deeply entrenched racial tropes, while decreasing immigration and high rates of intermarriage for Latinos and Asians seems to ease their transition into the mainstream (Lee & Bean, 2012; Lopez et al, 2017). As Latinos and Asians make socioeconomic gains, they have also become less segregated from Whites (Intrator et al, 2016), while persisting anti‐Black prejudice makes it more difficult for Black‐Whites to feel accepted by their White peers (Does et al, 2021). One caveat of note is that the Pew data used in this study was collected in the aftermath of the murders of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.…”

“…Our research also adds to the growing scholarship of multiracials and the racial hierarchy (Bratter, 2018; Davenport, 2018; Davenport et al, 2021; Gullickson & Morning, 2011; Lee & Bean, 2012; Masuoka, 2017). Specifically, our quantitative analysis on discrimination is a complementary addition to the genre which has largely been explored with qualitative evidence (Does et al, 2021; Strmic‐Pawl, 2016). We uncover a curious contrast: Despite experiencing racial discrimination at rates comparable to their minority counterparts, biracials are less likely to believe racial discrimination exists in general.…”

“…Identity aside, scholars have compared monoracials to multiracials in terms of their educational attainment and income (Alba, 2020; Hochschild et al, 2012; Masuoka, 2017), social networks and patterns of segregation from Whites (Alba et al, 2018; Bennett, 2011), rates of poverty and inequality (Bratter, 2018), and mental and physical well‐being (Bratter & Gorman, 2011; Bratter & Mason, 2016, Does et al, 2021; Miller et al, 2019). A general pattern emerges among these studies in that Black‐White biracials seem to more closely resemble Blacks, while Latino‐Whites and Asian‐Whites can be more similar to Whites.…”

“…Studies examining the identity labels intermarried couples assign to their children show a similar pattern (Lee & Bean, 2012; Liebler & DeRousse‐Wu, 2012; Tafoya et al, 2005). Scholars point out that these decisions are influenced by social and institutional norms (Hall, 1992; Root, 1992), socioeconomic class (Masuoka, 2017), gender and religion (Davenport, 2016), skin color and phenotype (Ho et al, 2011), and experiences with discrimination (Does et al, 2021; Strmic‐Pawl, 2016), among other factors.…”