When we talk about American ethnic groups, what do we mean?

Abstract

American ethnic groups are often thought of as discrete categories to which people belong and that explain some aspects of psychological functioning. However, ethnicity is a complex multidimensional construct that, by itself, explains little. To understand its psychological implications, it is necessary to identify and assess those aspects of ethnicity that may have an impact on outcomes of interest. In this article, the author examines 3 key aspects of ethnicity: cultural norms and values," the strength, salience, and meaning of ethnic identity," and the experiences and attitudes associated with minority status. These aspects are best understood in terms of dimensions along which individuals and samples vary, rather than as categories into which individuals can be classified. agreement on its meanings and usage for psychology

Evaluating the Psychometric Properties of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) within the United Kingdom

“…Although Phinney and Ong (2007) Statistics, 2005), it is important to assess the structure of ethnic identity in this group. Of course, the same problem exists in the U.S.; many people assume that White Americans do not "have" culture or ethnicity (Phinney, 1996) 4 . Moreover, ethnic minorities make up a much larger share of the population in the U.S. than in the U.K. (Kibria, 2007).…”

“…Identity is one of three major aspects of individuals" ethnicity (along with culture and minority versus majority status; Phinney, 1996). Especially relevant to the present study have been researchers" attempts to measure individual differences in ethnic identity (e.g., Phinney & Alipuria, 1990;Umaña-Taylor, Yazedijan, & Bamaca-Gomez, 2004).…”

“…During the 1990s, American psychologists increasingly distinguished among ethnicity-related constructs such as minority versus majority status, culture, and identity (Phinney, 1996). In particular, the construct of ethnic identity (i.e., individuals" self-categorization in, and psychological attachment toward, the ethnic groups to which they belong; Phinney, 1990) has received considerable attention among American psychologists since the early 1990s (Verkuyten, 2005).…”

Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) Expansion: Measuring Racial, Religious, and National Aspects of Sense of Ethnic Identity Within the United Kingdom

“…Religious identity has not been received nearly as much attention from scholars within the field of ethnic psychology as has racial identity (see Frable, 1997), although the related concept of spiritual identity (i.e., the subjective sense of one's own situation and one's own continuity and character that an individual comes to obtain as a result of those social experiences that reflect the individual's search for meaning in life and is not necessarily associated with religion per se; Sinnott, 2001) increasingly has been the subject of theorizing and research outside the field of ethnic psychology (for reviews, see MacDonald, 2011;Roehhlkepartain, Benson, & Scales, 2011). Part of the problem regarding ethnic psychologists' lack of attention toward religious identity may be that racial identity (but not religious identity) often is treated as synonymous with sense of ethnic identity (e.g., Phinney, 1996). However, just as individuals' racial and religious group memberships may covary (e.g., in the United Kingdom, most White/European-descent persons who claim a religious group membership are Christians; whereas most Asian-descent persons who claim a religious group membership are not Christians; U.K. Office for National Statistics, 2006), so too may individuals' racial and religious identities covary, as dual aspects of individuals' ethnicity (Cadge & Ecklund, 2007).…”

A Phenomenological Exploration Of How West Indian Professionals In South Florida Perceive Their Career Construction

“…Furthermore, West Indian professionals' careers are often not explicitly reported in the literature because Black natives and immigrant groups' (i.e., West Indians, Africans, and African Americans) experiences are often homogenized (Ogbu, 1991;Phinney, 1996). For this reason, West Indians have been labeled as "invisible immigrants" (Bryce-Laporte, 1994;Foner, 2001).…”