Ethnic Identity Formation

Several conceptual frameworks have been developed to describe ethnic identity formation and multicultural populations (Berry, 1997; Costigan, Hua, & Su, 2010; Daha, 2011; Phinney, 2002; Portes & Rumbaut, 2001). Paat and Pellebon (2012) suggested that ethnic identity is “a complex construct that captures a person’s perceptions, behaviors, feelings, heritage, and sense of belonging to an ethnic or cultural group.” According to Phinney and Rotheram (1987), ethnic identity consists of the following characteristics: ethnic awareness (understanding one’s own and other groups); ethnic self-identification (the label used for one’s own group); ethnic attitudes (feelings about own and other groups); and ethnic behaviors (behavior patterns specific to an ethnic group).