Program

Belonging and Social Identities: From Undergraduate Research to Assistant Professor

My academic career began at Truman, and early undergraduate research experiences helped me pursue graduate training in social psychology and a research focus on belonging and social identities. Because bicultural and biracial people identify with two cultures or two races simultaneously, their identification is often challenged by others through identity denial (i.e., being told to identify differently) and identity questioning (i.e., being asked about their background or ancestry). In this talk, I will discuss present studies that tested the consequences of identity denial and questioning for psychological health, and the attributional and developmental processes through which this occurs. This work furthers our current understanding of identity denial by identifying well-being outcomes of identity denial. Moreover, the association between identity questioning and well-being is clarified through the study of discrimination attribution processes and outcomes. As bicultural and biracial populations continue to grow in the United States, this research will help us work towards a more cohesive and accepting society.