White Racial Identity Development

 


 

The events of the past month have us thinking about what it means to be white. Exploring what a white racial identity is a process. For fellow white students, we encourage you to think about these stages as part of the development of a healthy white racial identity. As @psychforthepeople shared, the work of Dr. Janet Helms illuminates what it means to develop a healthy white racial identity. The process involves becoming consciously aware of the ways in which racism advantaged white people and deliberately  working towards an antiracist perspective. Dr. Helms outlines 6 stages of white racial identity development: 

  1. Contact: ignorance or obliviousness to race and racism in the United States (for example, by  viewing racism as an issue of the past when Barack Obama was elected President of the U. S. in 2008). 

     



  2. Disintegration: Becoming aware of race-related issues and feeling confused (for example, hearing about George Floyd’s murder and not knowing how to react because you thought racism did not exist anymore). 

     


     

  3. Reintegration: Idealization of white culture and intolerance of non-white culture (for example, believing that white people are superior to everyone and that Black people are to be blamed for their own problems). 

     


     

  4. Pseudo-independence: Starting to think and learn about racial issues without necessarily integrating them into one’s own life (for example, being open to reading books about racism, but still not recognizing ways in which you are a part of racist systems). 

     


     

  5. Immersion/Emersion: Attempting to redefine Whiteness from an antiracist perspective and to reeducate other white people (for example, being more willing to truly confront one’s own biases and to talk to other white people about racism).

     


     

  6. Autonomy: Increasing awareness of Whiteness, reduced feelings of guilt, acceptance of one’s own role in perpetuating racism, and willingness to give up benefits of racism in favor of working toward an antiracist society (for example, feeling more comfortable in openly talking about and challenging white identity and in being more involved in antiracist efforts). 

     


     

Understanding your own racial identity is crucial in learning how to interact with people from diverse backgrounds respectfully and compassionately. It is important to note that these stages are not necessarily linear - one can move between them depending on different situations. It takes consistent work to move amongst these stages toward autonomy. Read more about white racial identity development: Helms, J. E. (1993). I also said, “White racial identity influences white researchers”. The Counseling Psychologist, 21(2), 240-243. 


#uafshcc #nanooknation #universityofalaska #antiracism #blacklivesmatter