Racial Identity, Africentric Values, and Self-Esteem in Jamaican Children

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between Black identity, Africentric values, and self-esteem among 161 Jamaican children. The Children’s Africentric Values Scale, the Children’s Racial Identity Scale, the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale, and a background questionnaire were administered to participants. It was hypothesized that Black identity would be positively correlated with Africentric values and self-esteem. It was also predicted that the correlation between Black identity and Africentric values would be stronger than the correlation between Black identity and self-esteem. Results indicated that Africentric values, Black identity, and self-esteem were correlated for female adolescents but not for male adolescents. Unexpectedly, self-esteem accounted for more variability in Black female identity, thus serving as a better predictor than Africentric values. The results suggest the need to explore gender differences in racial identity development, in addition to cross-cultural issues.