R Racial identity. Racial identity is part of everyone's psychosocial self. It is based on a person's perception of having a group identity with those of similar racial heritage. Racial group identification generally arises from a common ancestry and accumulated historical experiences among persons who share specific characteristics (i.e., color of skin, facial features, language). Such attributes, however, have no innate psychological, social, or behavioral significance (Helms, 1990; Holmes, 1995; Ogbu, 1994).