Racial Socialization in the United States

Our review, situated within the context of the United States, explores how societal forces shape youths’ racial socialization processes. Specifically, we explore how youth learn beliefs about race through interactions with their environment, how these processes affect youths’ engagement with race in multiple contexts, and how they contribute to the perpetuation and dismantling of racial inequality. First, we discuss key psychological theories that inform our understanding of racial socialization. Second, we discuss how families, peers, media, and environmental cues shape racial socialization processes. Finally, we discuss interventions to enhance racial socialization and offer directions for future psychological research to advance our understanding of both racial and broader socialization processes in the U.S. and internationally.