An Empirically Supported Reconceptualization of African-U.S. Racial Identity Development as an Abnormal Process

Abstract

Transformational, developmental process theories of African-U.S. racial identity development are flawed because they conceptualize ontogenetic experience without embedding it in phylogenetic dictates. As a result, culminating psychological states are not depicting identity progression but actually mask a sophisticated regression to a “deracinated,” psychologically misoriented orientation. Therefore, African-U.S. racial identity development is reconceptualized as an abnormal psychology feature of the behavior of otherwise normal persons. This thesis is supported empirically by survey research showing that low identity statuses and purported high identity states evince similar anti-African/Black correlation patterns. African-U.S. identity metamorphosis appears to be a process of identity diffusion, not identity progression. Recommendations for racial identity theory and research and counseling and clinical practice are provided.