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Access Type
WSU Access
Date of Award
January 2023
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Educational Psychology
First Advisor
Erika L. Bocknek
Abstract
White parent racial identity development and parent racial attitudes are influential on the ways in which White parents are discussing race with their children (Zucker & Patterson, 2018; Perry, Skinner, & Abaied, 2019; Pahlke, Patterson & Hughes, 2020). Furthermore, the development of positive healthy White identity, defined by Helms (1995) as movement through abandoning racism and defining a nonracist White identity, makes it more likely that parents will discuss the pervasiveness of racism with their children (Zucker & Patterson, 2018). Emotion-based factors, like White guilt, likely influence the ways in which White parents socialize their children and teach them to understand the impact of race and racism in society, but research has not directly illustrated this relationship ((Helms, 1995; Spanierman et al., 2012). Sample participants (N=70) included primary caregivers of children between the ages of 5 and 12. All participants identified themselves and their children as White. Using the adapted Parent Racial Socialization Measure (Pahlke et al., 2012; Pahlke et al. 2020; Hughes & Chen, 1997), participants in this sample were less likely to use ethnic-racial socialization messages related to Group difference, Racemute, and Preparation for Bias and were more likely to use messages related to Discrimination, History of Other Groups, and Egalitarianism. In accordance with White racial identity development theory (Helms, 1995), average participant scores fell within the last three statuses of White identity development (i.e., characterized by movement toward development of nonracist identity: Pseudo-Independence (34.81, SD=3.36), Immersion/Emersion (30.37, SD=5.71), and Autonomy (35.90, SD=3.96). All three moderation analyses, which used Immersion/Emersion racial identity as the predictor variable and White guilt as the moderator, were all found to be significant (i.e., Discrimination as dependent variable (β = -.266, p = .019); Egalitarianism as dependent variable (β = -.277, p = .016); History of Other Groups as dependent variable (β = -.310, p = .020). Specifically, there was a positive relationship between Discrimination and History of Other Groups racial socialization messages and White racial identity that becomes weaker as White guilt increases. Alternatively, there was a negative relationship between Egalitarian styles of messaging and White racial identity that becomes stronger as White guilt increases. Meaning, participants who identified in the Immersion/Emersion status, and therefore demonstrated willingness to confront one’s own biases and become more active in combating racism and oppression, might utilize strategies that align with color-conscious socialization. However, White guilt, and varying levels of White guilt, might also inhibit parents with this identity status from speaking with their children in color-conscious ways. The complexity of this finding is further discussed. Overall, this research adds to current literature by exploring the emotion-based mechanisms influencing White parent socialization strategies with their children.
Recommended Citation
Wood, Brooke, ""i Was Taught To Treat Everyone The Same": An Examination Of Color-Conscious Conversations In White Households And The Moderating Effects Of White Guilt" (2023). Wayne State University Dissertations. 3898.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/3898