Ethnic identity and identification with the majority group: Relations with national identity and self-esteem

Abstract

Literatures on ethnic identity and acculturation have supported orthogonal conceptualization and separate measurements of ethnic identity and identification with the majority group or the larger society. The author further argues to conceptually differentiate identification with the majority group and identification with the larger society. A study with Asian American students (n=91) and African American students (n=115) in a large US Midwestern public university revealed no correlation between ethnic identity and identification with White Americans for Asian Americans and a small negative correlation at marginal significance for African Americans. These results support the orthogonal model. While identification with White Americans positively predicted national identity in regression analyses for both samples, ethnic identity also added a unique positive main effect, and additionally through an interaction effect suppressed the strength of identification with White Americans, for predicting national identity among American-born Asian Americans. Bicultural identity integrating ethnicity and nationality was suggested as the identity mechanism explaining this result. Thus, identification with the majority group and national identity were empirically shown to be different concepts, and ethnic identity can contribute to national identity. Suggestions for future research include regional comparative studies and deeper analysis of bicultural integration.