¬¬Cultural and ethnic identities are not things that you are born with. Sure your ethnic heritage may determine things like the color of your skin, but an ethnic identity stretches far deeper than just skin color. Cultural and ethnic identities are things that are learned over time. They are formed through a collection of teachings, experiences, and choices. This autobiography will explore how my ethnic and cultural identities developed throughout my life. I will focus on aspects from school, from my family, and from my friends that led to the formation of my cultural and ethnic identities.
I was born biracial. My father is Italian American and my mother is 100% Filipino. As a result, I have been exposed to a wide range of beliefs, values, …show more content…
Ting-Toomey and Chung define ethnic identity as, “ancestral heritage and perceived ingroup communal ties … based on, historical origin, race, religion, language, or perceived distinctive traits as a particular group” (Ting-Toomey and Chung, 2012). As mentioned earlier, my ethnic identity started to take shape in middle school, but high school was where I fully established it. Using the Racial-Ethnic Identity Development Model, I can document the development of my Asian ethnicity. The first step of the Development Model is the pre-encounter stage. This stage is where the, “ethnic minority group members’ self-concepts are influenced by the values and norms of the larger culture … [and] individuals are naïve, unaware of being ethnic group members” (Ting-Toomey and Chung, 2012). This stage exemplifies when I was in middle school. Before I met my Filipino friends I went along with whatever the majority did. For example, at recess, a lot of the boys enjoyed playing football. I hate football, but I still played with them out of fear of being ostracized. The second step in the Development Model is the encounter stage. This is when, “a new racial-ethnic realization is awakened in the individual” (Ting-Toomey and Chung, 2012). In my life, the encounter stage was when I finally met my Filipino friends in middle school. It made me realize that, ethnically, I was Asian because I felt more comfortable interacting with other Asians as opposed to the dominant group, which was white people. The next stage is the Immersion-Emersion stage. This is when, “individuals withdraw to the safe confines of their own racial-ethnic groups and become more ethnically conscious” (Ting-Toomey and Chung, 2012). Although I had a very diverse group of friends in high school, I still mainly hung out with Asians. I felt that it was easier to make friends with them because we already had something in common, which was being Asian. The
I was born biracial. My father is Italian American and my mother is 100% Filipino. As a result, I have been exposed to a wide range of beliefs, values, …show more content…
Ting-Toomey and Chung define ethnic identity as, “ancestral heritage and perceived ingroup communal ties … based on, historical origin, race, religion, language, or perceived distinctive traits as a particular group” (Ting-Toomey and Chung, 2012). As mentioned earlier, my ethnic identity started to take shape in middle school, but high school was where I fully established it. Using the Racial-Ethnic Identity Development Model, I can document the development of my Asian ethnicity. The first step of the Development Model is the pre-encounter stage. This stage is where the, “ethnic minority group members’ self-concepts are influenced by the values and norms of the larger culture … [and] individuals are naïve, unaware of being ethnic group members” (Ting-Toomey and Chung, 2012). This stage exemplifies when I was in middle school. Before I met my Filipino friends I went along with whatever the majority did. For example, at recess, a lot of the boys enjoyed playing football. I hate football, but I still played with them out of fear of being ostracized. The second step in the Development Model is the encounter stage. This is when, “a new racial-ethnic realization is awakened in the individual” (Ting-Toomey and Chung, 2012). In my life, the encounter stage was when I finally met my Filipino friends in middle school. It made me realize that, ethnically, I was Asian because I felt more comfortable interacting with other Asians as opposed to the dominant group, which was white people. The next stage is the Immersion-Emersion stage. This is when, “individuals withdraw to the safe confines of their own racial-ethnic groups and become more ethnically conscious” (Ting-Toomey and Chung, 2012). Although I had a very diverse group of friends in high school, I still mainly hung out with Asians. I felt that it was easier to make friends with them because we already had something in common, which was being Asian. The