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The Social Negotiation of Ambiguous In-Between Stigmatized University of Massachusetts Boston ScholarWorks at UMass Boston Graduate Doctoral Dissertations Doctoral Dissertations and Masters Theses 12-1-2011 The oS cial Negotiation of Ambiguous In-Between Stigmatized Identities: Investigating Identity Processes in Multiracial and Bisexual People Vali Dagmar Kahn University of Massachusetts Boston, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.umb.edu/doctoral_dissertations Recommended Citation Kahn, Vali Dagmar, "The ocS ial Negotiation of Ambiguous In-Between Stigmatized Identities: Investigating Identity Processes in Multiracial and Bisexual People" (2011). Graduate Doctoral Dissertations. Paper 59. This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Doctoral Dissertations and Masters Theses at ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE SOCIAL NEGOTIATION OF AMBIGUOUS IN-BETWEEN STIGMATIZED IDENTITIES: INVESTIGATING IDENTITY PROCESSES IN MULTIRACIAL AND BISEXUAL PEOPLE A Dissertation Presented by VALI SUSAN DAGMAR KAHN Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY December 2011 Clinical Psychology Program © 2011 by Vali Susan Dagmar Kahn All rights reserved THE SOCIAL NEGOTIATION OF AMBIGUOUS IN-BETWEEN STIGMATIZED IDENTITIES: INVESTIGATING IDENTITY PROCESSES IN MULTIRACIAL AND BISEXUAL PEOPLE A Dissertation Presented by VALI SUSAN DAGMAR KAHN Approved as to style and content by: _________________________________________ Karen L. Suyemoto, Associate Professor Chairperson of Committee _________________________________________ Jean Rhodes, Professor Member _________________________________________ C. Heike Schotten, Assistant Professor Member _________________________________________ Alice S. Carter, Program Director Clinical Psychology Program _________________________________________ Jane Adams, Chairperson Psychology Department ABSTRACT THE SOCIAL NEGOTIATION OF AMBIGUOUS IN-BETWEEN STIGMATIZED IDENTITIES: INVESTIGATING IDENTITY PROCESSES IN MULTIRACIAL AND BISEXUAL PEOPLE December 2011 Vali Susan Dagmar Kahn, B.A., Bryn Mawr College M.A., University of Massachusetts Boston Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Boston Directed by Professor Karen L. Suyemoto To date, most bisexual and multiracial identity models in psychology capture a largely internal developmental process (Collins, 2000; Kich, 1992; Weinberg, Williams & Pryor, 1994). However, individuals learn to manage their socially stigmatized identities in social interactions (Goffman, 1963). While the demands to socially negotiate stigmatized identity affect all minority peoples, individuals with in- between ambiguous stigmatized identities, such as multiracial and bisexual people, must negotiate also being situated at the margins of their own reference groups (e.g. heterosexual and gay/lesbian). Using a comparative grounded theory approach, this study explored the question: How do experiences of socially negotiating an in- between ambiguous stigmatized identity influence one’s identity development? And ! "# the sub-question: What are the similarities and differences in these processes for multiracial and bisexual people? Ten self-identified biracial/multiracial Asian-White, heterosexual individuals and ten bisexual White individuals between the ages of 20 and 36 years participated in semi-structured interviews addressing the following areas of inquiry: (1) Contextualizing current identifications and establishing shared understandings, (2) Experiences of social negotiations, and (3) Effects of these experiences on identities. Issues regarding the rigor and credibility of the study (Morrow, 2005) were addressed through peer debriefing; inquiry auditing; and member check discussions. Analysis followed a constant comparative method (Creswell, 2007) and a multi-step process resulting in a theory describing three negotiation cycles and associated identity effects common to both kinds of identities (multiracial and bisexual), with additional identity specific (multiracial or bisexual) variations: the first cycle was Catalyzing Experiences, the second was Active Negotiations, and the third Emerging Sense of Agency through New Understandings, Perspectives, and Positive Experiences. Cycles were described by multiracial and bisexual participants as fluid, iterative, and interacting. The model developed in this study offers a way of understanding stigma management strategies and their relation to influencing identities and stigmatizing processes. This deeper understanding can help clinicians and community organizers create inclusive environments and develop interventions to assist multiracial and bisexual individuals develop skills to deal with social stigmatizing processes, resolve initial questions, and develop a greater sense of agency in identity choice and ! # performance. ! #" ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation is dedicated to all of the people who have supported my emotional and intellectual development and encouraged me to be a creative thinker and to bring this creativity into my research and clinical work. ! #"" TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................. vii LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES ............................................................. x CHAPTER Page 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................... 1 Specific Aims......................................................................... 1 Overarching Research Question ............................................ 2 2. BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE..................................... 4 Historical Background, Definitions, and Categorical Constructions of Race and Sexuality as Stigmatized Statuses ............................................................................. 5 Racial and Sexual Orientation Identities: Individuals’ Meaning Making of Group Meanings and Social Negotiations...................................................................... 19 Processes of Social Negotiations for Stigmatized Identities . 33 3. METHODS.................................................................................... 44 Philosophy of Science and Research Design......................... 44 Procedure ............................................................................... 55 4. RESULTS...................................................................................... 67 Cycle 1: Catalyzing Experiences........................................... 70 Cycle 2: Active Negotiations................................................. 88 Cycle 3: Emerging Sense of Agency through New Understandings, Perspectives, and Positive Experiences. 124 5. DISCUSSION................................................................................ 150 Connections to Symbolic Interactionism............................... 152 Connections to Identity Models in Psychology..................... 154 Methodology Strengths and Limitations ............................... 165 Implications for Clinical and Community Interventions....... 170 Future Directions ................................................................... 175 ! #""" APPENDIX A. RECRUITMENT MATERIALS .................................................. 180 B. PRE-SCREEN QUESTIONS ...................................................... 187 C. INFORMED CONSENT AND CONSENT FOR AUDIO RECORDING OF INTERVIEW........................................... 188 D. DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE....................................... 194 E. DEBRIEFING CARD.................................................................. 203 F. MEMBER CHECK MATERIALS .............................................. 204 G. SAMPLE INTERVIEW .............................................................. 211 H. COMMUNITY RESOURCES .................................................... 212 REFERENCES ......................................................................................... 214 ! "$ LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Tables Page 1. Multiracial Participant Background Information........................... 53 2. Bisexual Participant Background Information .............................. 54 Figure Page 1. The Process Through Which Socially Negotiating a Socially Ambiguous In-Between Stigmatized Identity Influences Identity Formation in Multiracial and Bisexual People......... 149 ! $ CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Specific Aims Despite great strides made by the civil rights movements of the 1960’s, 1970’s, and 1980’s, there remains discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and race in this country (Yoshino, 2007). As a result, a system of social hierarchy remains where the White racial group and the heterosexual group are privileged, receiving social and legal benefits, while non-White and non-heterosexual groups are oppressed and denied many of these same benefits. These inequalities are maintained and enacted not only structurally but also through social interactions. Systems of categorization help to maintain group boundaries and a mentality of “us” versus “them”. Categorization of an out-group in conjunction with linked undesirable characteristics leads to loss of status and constitutes an “othering” process where those with less power are pushed out into the margins, ensuring the maintenance of status and power
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