Psychology Article Research Paper

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Psychology Article Research Paper

Article Title: Effect of Ethnic Group Membership on Ethnic Identity, Race-Related Stress, and Quality of Life

Utsey, Chae, Brown, and Kelly conducted a research study in the year 20012, which was published in the journal Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. The research article was entitled “Effect of Ethnic Group Membership on Ethnic Identity, Race-Related Stress, and Quality of Life.” There is a general perception in the society that the ethnic group membership or ethnic identity becomes the source of increasing the race-related stress and quality of life. One of the most important objectives of the research study was to examine the relationship between the psychological wellbeing and adjustment of the ethnic minority groups and the second objective of the study was to analyze the relationship between ethnic identity and quality of life.

The researchers have defined ethnicity as the group of people who share traditions, customs, rituals, as well as common historical heritage. For the purpose of this particular study, the researchers have identified the African American, Asian American and Latin American as the ethnic groups of the society. Studying the levels of racism is the society is quite important in order to find the relations between race relations and ethnic identity. The researchers have shed light on Jones's tripartite model of racism, according to which racism is practiced at three different levels in the society, which are individual, institutional and cultural racism. The individual racism is mostly practiced I face to face interactions, while the institutional racism is embedded in the social institutions of the society, which is practiced through norms, values, and policies as well. Moreover, cultural racism is practiced through the cultural views, values, and beliefs of the groups of society. According to the WHO Group, four different domains encompass quality of life, which include psychological, physical, environment and social relationships. The psychological domain is concerned with feelings of wellbeing, contentment, and balance. The physical domain is concerned with the unpleasant sensation which has the potential of causing distress and affect daily life. The environment domain is concerned with the satisfaction of an individual with financial resources. Lastly, the social relationships domain is concerned with the feelings of companionship, love, and support (Utsey et al., 369).

Ethnic identity formation and racism affect the quality of life domains by decreasing the satisfaction level of the individual due to lack of opportunities or stigmatization. The researchers have hypothesized in this particular research that there would a significant difference between ethnic groups, on the basis of ethnic identity, race-related stress and quality of life scores. Results of the research study revealed that race-related stress, psychological quality of life and ethnic identity score are higher among the African Americans, as compared to the Asian Americans or Latino groups. Moreover, cultural racism and ethnic identity played a significant role in defining the quality of life. The researchers found in the study that race and ethnicity relate to the quality of life because of the individual, institutional and cultural racism, which impacts the quality of life domains of the ethnic groups. The African American ethnic groups faced more race-related stress due to the increased racism practices in society (Utsey et al., 373).

The results of the research study which were surprising included the fact that racism and discrimination against the African American group is still an active part of the society and even after constitutional reforms and amendments, the minority groups of the United States of America are exposed to racism. The material relates to what we have learned in the class in the way that it sheds light on the impact of racism on the quality of life of the minority groups, as well as the psychological stress caused to them.

Work Cited

Utsey, Shawn O., et al. "Effect of ethnic group membership on ethnic identity, race-related stress, and quality of life." Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology 8.4 (2002): 366.