Ethnic identity and self-esteem: an exploratory longitudinal study

Abstract

Recent models of ethnic identity formation in minority youth suggest a progression over time from an unexamined or diffuse stage to an achieved ethnic identity. To examine changes with age in ethnic identity and selfesteem, eighteen adolescents from three ethnic groups (Asian American, Black, and Hispanic) were assessed at age 16 and three years later. Results of this exploratory study showed a significant change to higher stages of ethnic identity over the three-year period. Self-esteem and ethnic identity were significantly related to each other at each time period and across the three-year time span.