Who Do You Think I Am?

My name is Julie. I'm a senior at BASIS Scottsdale High School. I enjoy playing violin and eating ramen. 

Did you make any assumptions about me based on those three sentences? What if I told you my last name is Cho? Regardless of whether you're aware of it or not, your brain will continue to make presumptions about how I will think and act based on my Asian American identity.

Racial stereotypes are everywhere. Most people think of violent and unjust discrimination, such as the Eric Garner case, when asked about racial stereotypes. Most of the time, however, racial stereotypes pop up in everyday conversations, advertisements, television shows. Here is a short video clip to demonstrate:

Did you notice the abundance of racial stereotypes satirized by this clip? If you didn't, please watch it again. 

I'll admit I laughed a bit when I first watched this clip. But when I watched it again, I realized how insulting this video was. I'm from a Korean family; my mom doesn't wear a kimono, my dad doesn't know any martial arts, my grandpa doesn't speak in proverbs, and my house doesn't have any gongs, decorative fans, or Buddha statues. This video creates and reinforces the idea that all Asian homes—Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Taiwanese, Filipino—are exotically the same. An idea that isn't true, but still negatively affects Asians who watch the clip.

It’s the little things that add up. By a sense of competence or incompetence cued by both conscious and subconscious racial stereotypes in my daily life, I struggle with my identity. Since everyone jokes I must excel at math, I find myself discouraged and questioning my ability to learn when I don’t understand multivariable calculus. After I see that my eyes are half-closed in my yearbook picture, I wonder if the photographer would have retaken my picture if I were White. But until I take a moment to reflect on my internal conflicts, I’m unaware of the seemingly insignificant details that cause them.

Racial inequality is not simply the the product of mass genocides or crazy cults, rather the culmination of mundane remarks and actions. When we laugh at comments like “I can only see his eyes because it was dark in the picture” or “started from the border now we’re here,” we’re unintentionally reinforcing the very stereotypes that oversimplify and misrepresent people around us. Some say that it’s okay if someone jokes about his own race, but it’s not. Although the situation may appear less directly threatening, the stereotype is still strengthened. Do you want to always be expected to think or act in a certain way because of your race?

This question is what drives me to research more on race and its meaning in society. Throughout the next ten weeks, I will be interning with Dr. Brandon Yoo at ASU Tempe's School of Social Transformation to examine the effects of racial stereotypes and discrimination on adolescents of color and how these effects are either buffered or worsened by the different ways that race was presented to the individuals during childhood. Following my proposal, I will give a presentation in mid-May about what I have learned in these ten weeks (more details coming soon).

Here is a link to my project proposal:

http://hyejicho.blogspot.com/2015/01/senior-project-proposal.html

By the end of my project, I hope that both you and I will become more aware of little, everyday moments of racial discrimination and try our best to look beyond skin color.

Senior Project Proposal

Senior Project Proposal

Hyeji Julie Cho

November 10, 2014

1. Title of Project:

Who am I?: The Effects of Various Ethnic and Racial Socialization Strategies on the Outcomes of Internalizing Racial Stereotypes

2. Statement of Purpose:

There are two main questions that this research project focuses on: What are the effects of internalizing racial stereotypes and racism on individual and social outcomes of adolescents of color? How are these effects either buffered or exacerbated by different types childhood ethnic and racial socialization strategies? In a more detailed sense, I would like to concentrate on how multilingualism, as a product of multilingual parents, affects adolescents’ internalization of racial stereotypes and racism, and therefore, their  individual and social outcome, such as academics, mental health, and social interactions.

3. Background:

I have been interested in racial stereotypes since I moved to the United States from South Korea at the age of six. As an immigrant myself, I have encountered both positive and negative comments stereotyping Asian Americans, such as, “You must be good at math because you’re Asian,” or “Are your eyes open? I can’t tell.” Although they were said in joking manners, I always wondered how these potentially hurtful stereotypes came to exist.

I’ve also been obsessed with blood type stereotypes since my childhood. In Korean culture, blood type (A, B, AB, O) is one of the main distinguishing features of a person, similar to age, gender, or race.  As with different races, different blood types have their own stereotypes. For example, I’m a Type A, thought to be an introverted, considerate, and patient perfectionist. I can relate to some of these qualities; however, these stereotypes do not define my personality.

My interest in different kinds of stereotypes led me to take AP Psychology my sophomore year. I learned about different ways of categorizing personality (which was kind of a stereotype in itself): Myers-Brigg, 16PF, Type A and Type B, Temperament, and more. But, the real question I had was how do these stereotypes and prejudices influence our actual personality? This question drives my interest in my research project.

4. Prior Research:

Before explaining what kinds of prior research exists, I think it is necessary to define several terms that will be used throughout my proposal and project. According to Tatum (1997), racism can be define as “a system of advantage based on race” (p. 10), and not simply prejudice, “a preconceived judgment or opinion, usually based on limited information” (p. 5). Also, while race is defined on physical criteria, such as skin color, ethnicity is based on cultural criteria, such as language (Tatum, 1997, p. 16). Ethnic identity describes “a frame in  in which individuals identify consciously or unconsciously with those with whom they feel a common bond because of similar traditions, behaviors, values, and beliefs,” in the words of Chavez and Guido-DiBrito (1999). Finally, ethnic and racial socialization refers to “the mechanisms through which parents transmit information, values, and perspectives about ethnicity and race to their children” (Hughes et al., 2006, p. 1).

In recent decades, the number of studies on ethnic-racial socialization, racial stereotypes, and racism the U.S. has increased dramatically due to its continually growing diversity of various ethnicities, races, and cultures. Parental ethnic-racial socialization is arbitrarily divided into three categories by Demo & Hughes (1990):  individualistic/idealistic, lacking specific racial preferences, integrated/assertive,  highlighting the importance and acceptance of color heritage while still emphasizing the necessity of getting along with whites,  and cautious/defensive, asserting social distance and prejudice against whites. The terminology, however, is not standardized yet because research in the field is recent and limited.

Several studies have found a correlation between parental ethnic-racial socialization and a sense of ethnic identity (Quintana, Castenada-English, & Ybarra, 1999). O’Connor, Brooks-Gunn, and Graber’s study showed that Black girls who have received Black racial socialization from their mothers are more likely to prefer Black music and television shows over White or mixed-race ones (2000). Furthermore, by helping create an ethnic identity, parental ethnic-racial discrimination may improve adolescents’ ability to cope with racial discrimination (Spencer & Markstrom-Adams, 1999). For example, African American adolescents with parental ethnic-racial discrimination concerning racism were more inclined to select healthier and more direct approach strategies when asked to imagine situations  in which they were racially discriminated (Scott, 2003). Chavous et al.’s (2003) study suggests that a strong sense of ethnic identity is related to more positive and motivational academic beliefs in Blacks. However, no significant correlation between parental ethnic-racial discrimination and grades have been discovered.

5. Significance:

Through this research project, I hope to become more familiar with the steps of the research process and the effects of racial stereotypes on people of color.  More specifically, this research will reveal which modes of ethnic and racial socialization help adolescents cope with racial stereotypes in a healthy manner. Because 50% of the U.S. school population is expected to be made up of children of color by 2035 (Hughes et al., 2006), teachers and parents should know how to properly teach children about racial and ethnic diversity.  

Although previous research suggests links between ethnic identity and parental ethnic-racial socialization (O’Connor, Brooks-Gunn, & Graber, 2000), there are only two studies that exist today on the direct effects of ethnic-racial socialization on psychological health. Also, most research on ethnic identity has been focused on African Americans; this project will examine all races, especially those that we currently have very little knowledge about, such as Native Americans. My research project will connect the dots between ethnic-racial socialization, internalization of racial stereotypes, and individual outcomes, and social adjustment outcome across all minority groups. For others in the field, my presentation could be a reference that has integrated various pre-existing studies with new theories on ethnic and racial socialization and internalization.  Once the project is complete, I will share my findings with BASIS and, hopefully, the scientific community.

6. Description:

In order to familiarize myself with my subject, I will  read books and articles about cultural socialization and internalized racism, discuss them with my on-site mentor, and audit an Asian American Psychology class taught by my on-site mentor. Then, I will participate in the research project that my on-site mentor is conducting, helping with administering surveys to collect data. As a result of my research, I will create a presentation about cultural socialization and internalization, which will include preliminary trends of the collected data at the time.

7. Methodology:

After gaining a thorough understanding on cultural socialization and internalized racism, I will meet with my on-site mentor to contribute in the creation of more specific research questions and the logistics of creating and using a survey to adequately measure the different factors in the research question. Because this topic hasn’t been thoroughly researched in the past, a survey would be the best method  to collect data that would provide more general trends, as opposed to a case study which would result in more specific conclusions, but take more time. Possible questions on the survey include general demographic questions and pre-existing methods to measure ethnic-racial socialization and ethnic identity, such as the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure, Positive Negative Affect Schedule, Perceived Discrimination Scale (Lee & Yoo, 2004).

The sample will consist of Black, Latino, Asian, and Native American high school students in Arizona, with 100 individuals of each group. Public high schools (grades 9-12) will be selected by geographical location and distribution of races, genders, and socioeconomic statuses. Once the survey is created, I will be contacting high schools to pass out and collect the surveys myself.

8. Problems:

A problem that I expect to encounter is the refusal for schools to allow for the administration of surveys. To counteract this problem, I will contact a variety of schools from all over the state to ensure adequate sample size and diversity. If this doesn’t solve the problem, then the sample can be redirected from high school students to college undergraduate students.

Another possible problem is the selection of questions for the survey. The questions on the survey may not provide an adequate and concrete measure for the variables we are looking for. Also, the wording and order of the questions may create a bias in the answers given, or people may simply choose to answer the questions dishonestly. Also, the pre-existing measurements of ethnic-racial socialization and ethnic identity may not be completely accurate based on the younger age of the sample and the diversity of races in the sample. By revising the survey questions numerous times and testing them out in a group of people who will not be included in the actual sample, we will try to prevent biased readings and inaccurate measurements on the questions as much as possible.

9. Bibliography:

Chávez, A. F., & Guido-DiBrito, F. (1999). Racial and Ethnic Identity and Development. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 1999(84), 39–47.

Chavous, T. M., Bernat, D. H., Schmeelk-Cone, K., Caldwell, C. H., Kohn-Wood, L., & Zimmerman, M. A. (2003). Racial identity and academic attainment among African American adolescent. Child Development, 74, 1076–1090.

Demo, D. H., & Hughes, M. (1990). Socialization and racial identity among Black Americans. Social Psychology Quarterly, 53, 364–374.

Hughes, D., Rodriguez, J., Smith, E. P., Johnson, D. J., Stevenson H. C., & Spicer, P. (2006). Parents’ ethnic-racial socialization practices: A review of research and directions for future study. Developmental Psychology, 42(5), 747-770.

Lee, R. M., & Yoo, H. C. (2004). Structure and measurement of ethnic identity for Asian Americans. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 51, 263–269.

O’Connor, L. A., Brooks-Gunn, J., & Graber, J. (2000). Black and White girls’ racial preference in media and peer choices and the role of socialization for Black girls. Journal of Family Psychology, 14, 510– 521.

Quintana, S. M., Castenada-English, P., & Ybarra, V. C. (1999). Role of perspective-taking abilities and ethnic socialization in development of adolescent ethnic identity. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 9, 161–184.

Scott, L. D. (2003). The relation of racial identity and racial socialization to coping with discrimination among African Americans. Journal of Black Studies, 33, 520–538.

Spencer, M. B., & Markstrom-Adams, C. (1990). Identity processes among racial and ethnic minority children in America. Child Development, 61, 290–310.

Stevenson, H. C. (1995). Relationship of adolescent perceptions of racial socialization to racial identity. Journal of Black Psychology, 21, 49–70.

Tatum, B. (1997). “Why are all the Black kids sitting together in the cafeteria?” And other conversations about race. New York, NY: BasicBooks.

Wu, F. H. (2002). Yellow: Race in America beyond Black and white. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Yoo, H. C., & Lee, R. M. (2005). Ethnic identity and approach-type coping as moderators of the racial discrimination/well-being relation in Asian Americans. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52, 497–506.

Yoo, H. C., & Lee, R. M. (2008). Does ethnic identity buffer or exacerbate the effects of frequent racial discrimination on situational well-being of Asian Americans?. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 55(1), 63-74.