About This Project

Despite the abundant research on identity development, we still do not know much about the process, or how identity develops. The Identity Control theory (ICT) is a new promising model that provides insights on the micro-processes of identity development. However, only a handful of studies applied this theory. This small-scale qualitative study is the first attempt to use ICT to explore the processes of racial and ethnic identity development.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Most research has focused more generally on assessing college students’ identity statuses, development trajectories, and how individual’s sense of identity is associated with various outcome variables. There is little research about the process of racial and ethnic identity development.

The ICT has been used to study the identity micro-processes of several different identity domains, such as career identity, moral identity, and individual’s self-concept. It suggests the identity process operates as a self-regulating control system that works to reduce the discrepancies between the meanings held in one’s identity standard and the meanings perceived in a situation. It has not been used to study racial and ethnic identity development.

What is the significance of this project?

Previous research have explored "critical" experiences that contributed to college students' racial and ethnic identity. However, it remains unclear what made the incident “critical” and how the identity process plays out in those incidents. The findings of this study will provide insights on the identity process within the individual and more clues about how specific actors or experiences contribute to individuals’ racial and ethnic identity. Results from this study also can extend the theory substantively by providing empirical knowledge and evidence for future applications of ICT and forming the basis for a follow-up investigation exploring how individuals’ racial and ethnic identity changes on a daily basis as they interact with others.

What are the goals of the project?

This qualitative study is a first attempt to apply ICT to study racial and ethnic identity development. Using a narrative interview protocol, I will ask participants to recall and share at least 3 experiences that they think were critical to their racial and ethnic identity. 20 individuals and 3 experiences from each individual will give me enough data for achieving saturation.

The theory suggests that different domains of identities operate similarly. It is hypothesized that racial and ethnic identity will follow the control system that ICT suggested. I will use a hybrid combination of inductive and deductive coding. Inductive coding is used to explore the data; deductive coding will be used to "test" the hypothesis.