The Mixed ManWoman: Lets Do Some FactFinding

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The Mixed Man/WomanLets Do Some Fact-Finding

• Brandon L. Holston
• EDCI 5300
• Dr. Beth Christian

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Introduction

• Many children in the world today are considered
  to be biracial, and they are not always easily
  spotted. Most biracial children have mastered
  the art of blending in with their peers, so
  as not to be subject to ridicule for their
  differences. This presentation Is going to point
  out many of the identity issues and concerns that
  biracial children have.

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Overview

• Multiracial individuals represent an expanding
  population of America's diverse society. Results
  from Census 2000 showed that of the total 281.4
  million people in the United States, 6.8 million
  or 2.4 of the population indicated their
  background consisted of more than just one race.
  Ninety-three percent of the multiracial
  population reported belonging to two racial
  groups, 6 reported belonging to three racial
  groups and the

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Overview (contd)

• remaining 1 reported belonging to more than
  four races. Nearly 3 million, or 42 of
  respondents within the two or more races
  population were under the age of 18 (U.S. Bureau
  of Census, 2001), and it is safe to assume that
  many are students in our public school systems.

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Interesting Piece of Knowledge

• Historically, multiracial individuals have been
  stereotyped as socially inept individuals who
  lack culture and are destined to have social and
  psychological problems associated with racial
  identity (Stonequist, 1937). The following
  slides give examples of what to look for in
  reference to social and psychological problems.

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What To Look For

• Poor academic achievement
• Poor social skills
• Aggressive behavior towards parents
• Suicidal ideation and behaviors
• Negative attitudes about adults
• Substance abuse
• Social isolation
• Sadness and depression

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What To Look For (contd)

• Psychosomatic disorders
• chip on the shoulder attitudes
• Off task behavior
• Intra-familial conflicts

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Picture This

• Most times in multiracial homes, parents tend to
  identify with a sole racial background and stem
  all family values from there. Not always a good
  idea. Picture this.your mother is French and
  your father is African. You look more like your
  father, but all your values and life-learned
  lessons come from the identity behind your
  mothers heritage. Not your fault. Your parents
  merely decided to stick with one heritage. Common
  mistake.

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Common Mistakes

• Parents tend to
• (1) deny or minimize the significance of race as
  an important factor in identity development, 
• (2) incorporate the identity of only one parent
  by immersing the family solely in that parent's
  particular community, or 
• (3) encourage multiracial children to embrace all
  aspects of their multiracial heritage.
• The following is a short list of what should
  happen

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What Should Happen

• Multiracial children should be encouraged to
  acknowledge and discuss their racial heritage
  with their parents, extended family members, and
  other important individuals in their lives.
• Parents must be able to perceive their child's
  racial heritage as being different from their
  own. They should be willing to make changes that
  will contribute to the development of a positive
  racial identity in the child.

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What Should Happen (contd)

• Multiracial children should be given the
  opportunity to develop relationships with people
  from culturally diverse backgrounds. This can be
  accomplished by attending a culturally diverse
  school and by living in a culturally diverse
  neighborhood.
• The family should form an identity as a
  multiracial UNIT.

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More Things To Look For

• May experience self as not fully belonging to any
  of the comparison groups
• May have difficulty incorporating two different
  heritages into one identity
• May experience racism from two ethnic groups
• May have difficulty dealing with integrating two
  distinct parenting styles and beliefs
• May experience pressure from one parent to
  identify more with his/her race that with the
  other parent's

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More Things To Look For (contd)

• Often identify or over identify with one parent
  and one racial group while developing ambivalence
  toward the other parent. May feel embarrassed by
  this other parent's race.
• May have feelings of guilt or embarrassment about
  family and self-racial differences.
• May have difficulty finding others who understand
  their struggle (i.e. parents, peer, or friends).

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Still More Things To Look For

• May experience social pressure to identify with
  one group and label self as such (many black
  children experience pressure to identify as
  "black" even if they prefer to identify as
  "white" or "mixed").
• May attempt to separate off aspects of themselves
  in response to loyalty and acceptance needs

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Conclusion

• It is almost impossible this day in age to
  encounter someone who does not have any issues or
  concerns about their heritage, whether mixed or
  otherwise. We live in a world where society
  alone has taught us we are different, but more
  so, that we should be more similar. Thats why we
  as a culture have so many conflicts as it is..we
  want so hard to believe that we are too much
  alike to be different, when the reality of it all
  is that difference is what makes us uniquenot
  similarity. We are NOT a cultural world, we
  are, however, a MULTICULTURAL world.

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REFERENCES

• Brandell, J. (1988). Treatment of the biracial
  child Theoretical and clinical issues
• Ponterotto, J. M. Casa, L. A. Suzuki, C. M.
  Alexander (Eds.), Handbook of Multicultural
  Counseling (pp.53-72). Thousand Oaks, CA SAGE
  Publications, Inc.
• Stonequist, E. V. (1937). The marginal man A
  study in personality and culture and conflict.
  New York Russell Russell.
• U.S. Bureau of Census. (2001). Mapping census
  2000 The geography of U.S. diversity.
  Washington, DC U.S. Government Printing Office