Ethnic Identity And Ethnic Development Essay - 1472 Words

Ethnicity is defined as the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition. While this definition suggests a black and white concept, ethnicity is often complex and misunderstood due to the breadth of the topic. Frequently in society, young people inherit their ethnic identity at birth based on the culture they are born into. However, during puberty they often begin to doubt/explore their identity and strive to discover what ethnic group they belong in and not just the one they were assigned. This complex process has spurred psychologists to delve into the phenomenon of how differing cultures undergo this process of â€Å"finding themselves†. This research has culminated into a theory based on stages of ethnic development by Phinney Ong. This paper will investigate further into this topic, in concern to Scarlett O’Hara, a fictional character portrayed in the film classic â€Å"Gone with the Wind†. While many models exist to describe the phenomenon of ethnic identity, the model in question is the Ethnic Identity Development model proposed by Phinney and Ong in 1992. Their theory contains underpinnings of both Erikson and Marcia and is divided into three stages: Unexamined Ethnic Identity, Moratorium, and Ethnic Identity Achievement. 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