2012 NASPA Annual Conference  Phoenix, Arizona  March 10–14, 2012 Ethnic Identity Development for Korean Transracial Adoptees: Changing the Way We Understand Asian Identity Monday, March 12, :00-2:00pm Dr. Joy L. S. Hoffman Shane Carlin Danielle Howard Sarah Wilcox-Elliott

Problem 2 million Korean adoptees in the U.S. (Korean American, Adoptee, Adoptive Family Network; Current theory models ineffective Unique developmental challenges (Brodzinsky, Schechter, & Henig, 1992; Friedlander, 1999; Tizard & Phoenix, 1994) Minimal research on adult adoptees who have attended college

Literature Racial and ethnic identity development – Monoracial (Cross, 1971,1978; Ferdman & Gallegos, 2001; Helms, 1993,1995; Jackson, 2001; Kim, 2001) – Multiracial (Renn, 2000, 2003; Wijeyesinghe, 2001)

Literature Ethnic identity development for transracial adoptees (Andujo, 1988; Friedlander, 1999; Bush, 1995; McRoy, Zurcher, Lauderdale, & Anderson, 1982; Tizard & Phoenix, 1994) Loss, grief, and healing for adoptees (Brodzinsky, Schechter, & Henig, 1992; Grotevant, Dunbar, Kohler, & Esau, 2000; Lifton, 1994; Stein & Hoopes, 1985)

Research Questions How do lived experiences affect ethnic identity development for transracial Korean adoptees? What are the various life experiences that contribute to or limit positive ethnic identity development of transracial Korean American adoptees? What are the common and shared experiences related to loss, grief, and healing for transracial Korean American adoptees?

Research Design Grounded theory Individual face-to-face interviews with 12 transracial Korean adoptees Follow-up phone interviews, member checks, and journals Research journal Open, axial, and selective coding to generate a theoretical model

Central Phenomenon: Exploring Identity

Environmental Context

Systems of Support

Missing Pieces

Healing

Implications Theory Practice Mattering (Schlossberg, 1989) Future Research Adoptive parent perceptions Other transracial adoptee populations Influence of course curriculum How support systems influence healing

Panel Discussion Shane Carlin Danielle Howard Sarah Wilcox-Elliott

Brainstorm Session What is already being done? Idea sharing Things to consider

Thank you! Joy Hoffman: Danielle Howard: Sarah Wilcox-Elliott: Shane Carlin:

References Andujo, E. (1988). Ethnic identity of transethnically adopted Hispanic adolescents. Social Work, 33(6), Brodzinsky, D. M., Schechter, M. D., & Henig, R. M. (1992). Being adopted: The lifelong search for self. New York, NY: Anchor Books. Bush, M. (1995). Transracial adoption: Factors promoting racial identity and self esteem. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED385801) Cross, W. E., Jr. (1971). Toward a psychology of Black liberation: The Negro-to-Black conversion experience. Black World, 20(9), Cross, W. E., Jr. (1978). The Thomas and Cross models of psychological Nigrescence: A review. Journal of Black Psychology, 5, Ferdman, B. M., & Gallegos, P. I. (2001). Racial identity development and Latinos in the United States. In C. L. Wijeyesinghe & B. W. Jackson III (Eds.), New perspectives on racial identity development: A theoretical and practical anthology. (pp ). New York, NY: New York University Press.

References Friedlander, M. L. (1999). Ethnic identity development of internationally adopted children and adolescents: Implications for family therapists. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 25(1), doi: /j tb01109.x Grotevant, H. D., Dunbar, N., Kohler, J. K., & Esau, A. M. L. (2000). Adoptive identity: How contexts within and beyond the family shape developmental pathways. Family Relations, 49(4), Helms, J. E. (1993a). An overview of Black racial identity theory. In J. E. Helms (Ed.), Black and White racial identity: Theory, research and practice (pp. 9-32). Westport, CT: Praeger. Helms, J. E. (1993b). The beginnings of a diagnostic model of racial identity. In J. E. Helms (Ed.), Black and White racial identity: Theory, research and practice (pp ). Westport, CT: Praeger. Helms, J. E. (1995). An update on Helms’s White and people of color racial identity models. In J. G. Ponterotto, J. M. Casas, L. A. Suzuki, & C. M. Alexander (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural counseling (pp ). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

References Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network (KAAN). (n.d.). Our community. Retrieved from Jackson, B. W., III. (2001). Black identity development: Further analysis and elaboration. In C. L. Wijeyesinghe & B. W. Jackson III (Eds.), New perspectives on racial identity development: A theoretical and practical anthology (pp. 8-31). New York, NY: University Press. Kim, J. (2001). Asian American identity development theory. In C. L. Wijeyesinghe & B. W. Jackson III (Eds.), New perspectives on racial identity development: A theoretical and practical anthology. (pp ). New York, NY: New York University Press. Lifton, B. J. (1994). Journey of the adopted self: A quest for wholeness. New York, NY: Basic Books. McRoy, R. G., Zurcher, L. A., Lauderdale, M. L., & Anderson, R. N. (1982). Self-esteem and racial identity in transracial and inracial adoptees. Social Work, 27, Renn, K. A. (2000). Patterns of situational identity among biracial and multiracial college students. The Review of Higher Education, 23(4),

Reference Renn, K. A. (2003). Understanding the identities of mixed-race college students through a developmental ecology lens. Journal of College Student Development, 44(3), Schlossberg, N. K. (1989). Marginality and mattering: Key issues in building community. New Directions for Student Services, 48, Stein, L. M., & Hoopes, J. L. (1985). Identity formation in the adopted adolescent. New York, NY: Child Welfare League of America. Tizard, B., & Phoenix, A. (1994). Black identity and transracial adoption. In I. Gaber & J. Aldridge (Eds.), In the best interests of the child: Culture, identity, and transracial adoption (pp ). London: Free Association Books Ltd. Wijeyesinghe, C. (2001). Racial identity development in multiracial people: An alternative paradigm. In C. L. Wijeyesinghe & B. W. Jackson III (Eds.), New perspectives on racial identity development: A theoretical and practical anthology. (pp ). New York, NY: New York University Press.

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