Date of Award
2025
Degree Type
Open Access Dissertation
Degree Name
Psychology, PhD
Program
School of Social Science, Politics, and Evaluation
Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair
Tiffany Berry
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Michelle Sloper
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Saida Hesmati
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Laura Wray-Lake
Terms of Use & License Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Rights Information
© 2025 Adriana Ariza
Keywords
Critical consciousness, Ethnic identity, Positive youth development, Racism, Black youth
Subject Categories
Developmental Psychology | Psychology
Abstract
Young Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in the United States continuously defy the odds through resilience, resistance, and the pursuit of liberation, yet they are historically understudied as agents of their own positive development within the context of racial oppression (García Coll et al., 1996). This explanatory sequential mixed-method study examined how 393 BIPOC-identifying youth (ages 18-25) thrive amid racial oppression. Survey results initially indicated that higher levels of perceived racial discrimination were related to higher levels of thriving, as measured by the 5Cs model of positive youth development (Lerner et al., 2005). In alignment with previous theoretical postulations, results demonstrated ethnic identity development and critical consciousness were also related positive youth development (Christophe et al., 2018; Hope et al., 2019). Further, results revealed that ethnic identity development and critical consciousness fully mediated the relationship between perceived racial discrimination and overall levels of thriving. Interview findings ( N = 11) further explained how the process of developing ethnic identity and critical consciousness functions as a vital form of resilience to racial discrimination. These processes equipped young BIPOC with a critical understanding of racial injustice, a strong sense of connection to their community, and motivation to contribute to social change. Additionally, racial differences were captured by exploring relationships between racial discrimination, ethnic identity, and critical consciousness individually for groups of Latinx and Black youth. These findings provide evidence for the urgent need to foster the development of ethnic identity and critical consciousness among young BIPOC, while we simultaneously work to dismantle racial oppression.
ISBN
9798291550458
Recommended Citation
Ariza, Adriana. (2025). Resisting Racial Oppression: Ethnic Identity & Critical Consciousness as Pathways to Thriving for Young Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. CGU Theses & Dissertations, 1016. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/1016.
