UC Santa Barbara

Multiracial people commonly experience racial identity denial, in which their racial identity is questioned, invalidated and/or rejected by others. The current studies examined majority-minority Multiracials’ forecasted and actual experiences with identity denial, specifically investigating whether the race of the identity denied (racial minority vs. White) and race of the identity denial perpetrator (racial minority vs. White) differentially impacted the experience of and responses to identity denial. In Study 1, an online sample of 247 majority-minority Multiracial participants (i.e., individuals with White ancestry and racial minority ancestry) imagined having either their racial minority or White identity denied by either a monoracial White or matched monoracial racial minority perpetrator. Participants who imagined having their racial minority (vs. White) identity denied forecasted stronger internal negative affect (such as shame and sadness), external negative affect (such as anger and irritation) and likelihood of identity assertion, irrespective of race of denial perpetrator. Participants also forecasted stronger external negative affective responses when they imagined the denial perpetrator was White (vs. racial minority). Using an experimental design in which 85 Multiracial participants experienced actual instances of identity denial, Study 2 similarly found that participants whose racial minority identity was denied reported stronger internal negative affect, irrespective of the race of the denial perpetrator. However, the effects of the race of the denied identity on external negative affect and likelihood of identity assertion differed as a function of the race of the denial perpetrator. When a White perpetrator denied their racial minority identity, participants reported greater external negative affect and were more likely to assert their identity than when their racial minority identity was denied by a racial minority perpetrator. Additionally, Study 2 examined three identity-specific responses – flexible self-presentation, self-perception and self-identification – to experiencing identity denial. Findings indicate that majority-minority Multiracials whose racial minority identity is denied by a White perpetrator perceive their own racial identity, present their racial identity to others and shift their racial self-identification in alignment with their racially minoritized identity. In contrast, Multiracials whose racial minority identity is denied by a racial minority perpetrator perceive their own racial identity, present their racial identity to others and shift their racial self-identification in alignment with their White identity. Surprisingly, these patterns of results are not moderated by initial levels of racial identification or feelings of autonomy in navigating between racial identities. The findings imply that the specific components of an identity denial experience (race of denied identity and race of denial perpetrator) are important for predicting how Multiracials will respond to said experiences. Furthermore, responses to identity denial are more multifaceted and identity-specific than previously demonstrated, including shifts in racial identification, flexible self-presentation and fluid self-perception.