Psychosocial and Identity Development Theories: Helm, Phinney & Schlossberg

Helm’s White Identity Development Model
Three types of racism; (1) Individual racism – personal attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors designed to assure the individual of the superiority of whites and the inferiority of non-whites; (2) Institutional racism – social policies, laws, and regulations maintain the economic and social privileges of whites over nonwhites; (3) Cultural racism – social beliefs and customs promote the idea that white culture is superior to nonwhite cultures; model is 6-status process of development
1.    Phase 1: Abandonment of Racism –
Status 1: Contact – person not aware of personal benefit of cultural/institutional racism; may enjoy being racist because they don’t realize they are; don’t really interact with many blacks unless they “seem white” but have positive attitude towards “idea” of blacks and fair treatment of them but anxious over spending time with them; eventually acknowledge that blacks are treated differently from whites in the United States
Status 2: Disintegration – conscious, but conflicted acknowledgement of person’s whiteness; dissonance occurs when whites realize culture doesn’t teach how to successfully interact with blacks; they withdraw from contact with blacks, or seek info that racism does not exist or is not the fault of white people; as developing new beliefs on this move on to…
Status 3: Reintegration – consciously acknowledges a white identity; guilt feelings change to fear and anger; either remove self from area with blacks or treat blacks as inferior
2.    Phase II: Defining a Nonracist White Identity –
Status 4: Pseudo-Independence – aka White Liberalism; actively question idea that whites are better than blacks; understand ways whites perpetuate racism; seek greater interactions of blacks; view racial differences through a white standard while expecting balcks to explain and seek solutions to racism
Status 5: Immersion-Emersion – replaces stereotypes with more accurate info; stop trying to change blacks and start trying to change whites; person tries to seek new identity; positive feelings allow person to confront and fight against various forms of racism and oppression
Status 6: Autonomy – white people internalize, nurture, and apply the new definition of white identity; race no longer a threat; person no longer feels need to oppress, idealize, or denigrate nonwhites; views broaden and become flexible; actively seek new learning opportunities of other cultures

~ I like the breakdown of phases and stages. That might be a useful way to break down my final theory. But, again, I do not want to limit my theory to one cultural grouping (white).

Phinney’s Model of Ethnic Identity Development
Based on Erikson’s theory; ethnic identity develops from shared culture, religion, geography, and language     of people who are connected; people confront stereotyping & prejudice and clash of value systems of     majority and minority groups
1.    Stage 1: Diffusion-Foreclosure – not explored feelings about own ethnicity
2.    Stage 2: Moratorium – person becomes more aware of ethnic identity issues; seek more info on ethnic or racial group; try to understand personal significance of ethnic identity; emotionally intense stage; anger towards dominant group and embarrassment about own past lack of knowledge of racial and ethnic issues
3.    Stage 3: Identity Achievement – reaches healthy bicultural identity; resolve identity conflicts and come to terms with ethnic and racial issues; secure sense of ethnic or racial identification

~ I like the simplicity of this model. While it seems very basic it makes it more all-encompassing of all individuals, which is what I am attempting to do.

Scholossberg’s Transition Theory
Transitions
Types – (1) Anticipated transitions – occur predictably; (2) Unanticipated transitions – not predicted or scheduled; (3) Nonevents – predicted events that do not end up happening; Nonevents are either (a) personal – related to individual goals; (b) ripple – felt due to nonevent of someone close; (c) resultant – caused by an event; (d) delayed – anticipating event that might still happen;
Context – refers to one’s relationship to the transition (person’s or someone else’s) and to the setting in             which the transition takes place (work, personal relationships, etc.)
Impact – degree to which transition alters daily life
The Transition Process
Reactions over time; Moving in, moving through, moving out

Coping with Transitions
Situations – Consider the following factors: Trigger: What precipitated the transition? Timing: Is the transition considered “on time” or “off time” in terms of one’s social clock? Is it viewed as happening at a “good” or “bad” time? Control: What aspect of the transition does the individual perceive as being within his or her control (for example, the transition itself or reaction to it)? Role Change: Is a role change involved, and, if so, is it viewed as a gain or a loss? Duration: Is it seen as permanent, temporary, or uncertain? Previous experience with a similar transition: How effectively did the person cope then, and what are implications for the current transition? Concurrent stress: Are other sources of stress present? Assessment: Who or what is seen as responsible for the transition, and how is the individual’s behavior affected by this perception?
Self – Personal and demographic characteristics: affects how person views life (socioeconomic status, gender, age {emphasizing psychological, social, and functional age over chronological age}, stage of life, state of health, and ethnicity; Psychological resources: aids to coping like ego development, optimism, self-efficacy, and commitment and values
Support – Types: intimate relationships, family units, networks of friends, and institutions and communities; Functions: affect, affirmation, aid, and honest feedback; Measurement: identifying person’s stable supports, supports that are to some degree role dependent, and supports that are most likely to change
Strategies – Categories: those that modify the situation, those that control the meaning of the problem, and those that aid in managing the stress in the aftermath; Coping Modes: information seeking, direct action, inhibition of action, and intrapsychic behavior

~ Schlossberg’s transition theory might actually play into my idea of identity formation. I see transitions as stemming from some form of dissonance or major change that is about to happen. This is what moves people into the next stage and helps individuals to develop themselves further. I also think the moving in, moving through, moving out is how people negotiate both culture and identity. They move into one, move through it and understand it more, and, then move out of it because the culture has developed further, or because they have found another identity to inhabit.

From: Student Development in College.