Minority Identity and Self-Esteem

We review the theoretical models and the research on self-esteem among Hispanic and Asian American subgroups and compare these findings to the existing literature on African American self-image. Group self-esteem refers to how the individual feels about racial or ethnic group membership. Personal self-esteem refers to how the individual feels about the self in a comprehensive manner. We describe the major paradigms of ethnic/racial and personal self-esteem utilized in studies of Hispanics and Asian Americans. These paradigms are largely informed by the literature on ethnicity and stress the macrostructural forces that affect self-concept. Paradigms of African American self-image, however, tend to focus more on the psychological mechanisms that transform social context into personal identity. We also review empirical evidence on both dimensions of self-esteem among Hispanics and Asian Americans, and we contrast these findings to research on African Americans. We conclude by suggesting parallels between the theories dealing with ethnicity and those dealing with race, and we suggest areas for further theoretical integration and empirical research.