Ethnic Identity and Discrimination: An Exploration of the Rejection-Identification Model in Arab American Adolescents

Research examining the rejection-identification model of ethnic identity in Arab American adolescents is scarce. This exploratory study investigates various factors in relation to a sample of 60 Arab American adolescents’ (aged 12–18 years) ethnic identity including discrimination and academic and global self-concepts. Ethnic identity was measured using the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure, which is composed of two factors including Affirmation/Belonging and Ethnic Search. The Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents was used to measure academic and global self-concepts. In addition, the lead author developed a questionnaire asking participants to self-report whether either they or another Arab student they knew had been treated badly or differently because of their ethnicity. Discrimination experience and Affirmation/Belonging were significant predictors of scholastic competence, while Affirmation/Belonging was the sole significant predictor in Global Self-Worth. High levels of ethnic identity in the area of Affirmation/Belonging seemed to play a protective role in global self-concept in the face of discrimination. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.