Patterns of Racial Identity Development of African American Adolescent Males and Females

Abstract

This study examines the patterns of racial identity expression for 174 African American adolescent females and 111 African American adolescent males between the ages of 14 and 18. Participants were given the Black Racial Identity Attitude Scale (RIAS-B) as an assessment of attitudes that characterize self-concept issues concerning race. It was predicted that African American adolescents would predominantly endorse internalization attitudes, and endorse pre-encounter attitudes the least. It was further predicted that there would be a difference in pattern expression for males and females. Results revealed that African American adolescents widely endorsed internalization attitudes that represent a healthy, self-defined racial transcendence. African American adoles-centfemales endorsed significantly less pre-encounter attitudes (prediscovery of racial identity) than their male counterparts. Racial identity development as part of the global search for identity of adolescence and the present limitations in measuring adolescent racial identity attitudes are discussed.