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Developing an Ethnic-Racial Identity Intervention from a Developmental Perspective: Process, Content, and Implementation of the Identity Project

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Handbook on Positive Development of Minority Children and Youth

Abstract

This chapter describes the process of developing an intervention grounded in developmental theory and focused on increasing adolescents’ ethnic-racial identity exploration and resolution. We begin by describing the impetus for the focus on ethnic-racial identity as a target for intervention, which includes a brief overview of prior research identifying consistent associations between developmental features of ethnic-racial identity and adolescents’ positive adjustment. We then review existing intervention efforts focused on identity, generally, and ethnic or cultural identity, specifically. In the second part of the chapter we present our approach for working with a community partner toward the development of the Identity Project intervention, discuss the mixed method (i.e., quantitative and qualitative) approach we used to develop the curriculum, and describe the curriculum. The chapter ends with a discussion of considerations for implementation, including the universal nature of the program and ideas regarding transportability.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Adriana J. Umaña-Taylor & Sara Douglass

Authors
  1. Adriana J. Umaña-Taylor
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  2. Sara Douglass
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Correspondence to Adriana J. Umaña-Taylor .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA

    Natasha J. Cabrera

  2. Fakultät für Psychologie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany

    Birgit Leyendecker

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Umaña-Taylor, A.J., Douglass, S. (2017). Developing an Ethnic-Racial Identity Intervention from a Developmental Perspective: Process, Content, and Implementation of the Identity Project. In: Cabrera, N., Leyendecker, B. (eds) Handbook on Positive Development of Minority Children and Youth. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43645-6_26

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