What Is the Definition of Ethnic Identity?

Ethnic identity refers to how an individual associates with a particular ethnic group. This identity also refers to the sense of belonging with an ethnic group, with the held beliefs, attitudes, and life perceptions partly influenced by ethnic identity. Ethnic identity has been a cause for discrimination, with people missing out on education, employment, and equal access to amenities due to ethnic identity. Ethnic identity is a multifaceted component encompassing concepts such as ethnic awareness, ethnic attitudes, and ethnic behaviors. Ethnic awareness refers to an individual's understanding of their ethnic group and the aspects that differentiate it with other ethnic groups. Ethnic awareness makes people pledge allegiance to their ethnic groups and strive to adhere to distinctive practices. Ethnic awareness could later breed ethnic loyalty where a member of a particular ethnic group is overly committed. Ethnic attitudes refer to the beliefs one holds about their ethnic group. These attitudes could be positive or negative depending on experiences for being a member of the group or interacting with people from the same ethnic identity group. Increased interactions with members of other ethnic groups could alter the held ethnic attitudes.

Ethnic identity development is a progressive process that starts during birth. Ethnic associations among adolescents and youths could be reinforced or disoriented in their adulthood. This development is influenced by cultural and physical characteristics that foster solidarity among the individuals with the highlighted characteristics. Society's tackling of issues faced by particular identity groups denotes the treatment the group members receive from other group members. If a group receives massive attention due to distinctive incidents, it may constantly face attacks or acquire sympathizers. In the modern world, people are striving to ditch their identities as they strive to portray the cool and sophisticated image of the modern population as created by social media. However, ethnic identity is crucial to psychological functioning due to being a defining factor in the self-concept. The accruing importance of ethnic identities has resulted in the classifications of ethnic majorities and minorities. The ethnic majority refers to the dominating group in a population depending on the numerical characteristics. On the other hand, ethnic minorities are the members of an ethnic group considered inferior to ethnic majorities due to their minimal numerical representation.

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