Although ethnic and racial identity (ERI) are central to the normative development of youth of color, there have been few efforts to bring scholars together to discuss the theoretical complexities of these constructs and provide a synthesis of existing work. The Ethnic and Racial Identity in the 21st Century Study Group was assembled for this…

This study examined whether racial identity attitudes moderate the relationship between racist stress events, racist stress appraisal, and mental health. One hundred eighteen African American and 144 self-identified Caribbean women completed the Cross Racial Identity Scale, the Schedule of Racist Events, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the…

Raises a number of critical questions for scale development and theorizing in the field of Black racial identity. In particular, the authors suggest that research on Black racial identity would benefit from longitudinal studies and the examination of the existence of overarching racial identity constructs. (Contains 35 references, 1 table, and an…

Nigrescence is the process of becoming black, of developing a racial identity. Its stages include prechange, encounter, transition, internalization, and integrative awareness. (SK)

Describes the theoretical and empirical evolution of the revised Cross nigrescence identity model (W. E. Cross, 1991) in the context of developing a new multidimensional measure, the Cross Racial Identity Scale. The research resulted in an expanded nigrescence model, and preliminary factor analytic strategies support the existence of 6 subscales.…

The two studies in this article examine the interpretability and generalizability of nigrescence profiles based on Cross Racial Identity Scale scores across different educational contexts. Study 1 participants (N=333) came from a predominantly White institution (PWI) and were grouped into six clusters labeled Afrocentric, multiculturalist,…

In this article, the authors examine the internal consistency and structural validity of scores on the Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS; Vandiver et al., 2000; Worrell, Vandiver, & Cross, 2000) in a sample of 105 adults. Exploratory factor analyses provided support for the six-factor structure of the CRIS. Reliability estimates for the scores…

Validation work on the Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS; B. J. Vandiver et al., 2000) is described in 2 studies using African American college students. In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis supported the presence of 6 CRIS subscales. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analysis provided support for a 2-factor higher order model of the 6 CRIS…

Comments on two opening articles by Parham ("Cycles of Psychological Nigrescence") and Helms ("Considering Some Methodological Issues in Racial Identity Counseling Research"). Shows how the Nigrescence process has been a constant of Black history, having evolved in response to the efforts of White slave owners to deracinate…