Author(s): Ayleen Lara
Mentor(s): Kent Hinkson
Institution UVU
The current literature indicates cultural invalidations harm the overall well-being of minority individuals and groups. Cultural invalidations are defined as insults and identity threats that undermine the validity of a person’s ethnic/racial authenticity for demonstrating behaviors not traditionally associated with their ethnic/racial group. Research fails to dive deeper into other implications involved in cultural invalidations, such as ethnic identity strength, another important factor in well-being and belonging. In the present study, the relationship between cultural invalidations using the Racial Identity Invalidation Scale (RIIS) and ethnic identity strength using the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) while also observing differences in correlation between ethnic groups, gender, age groups, and sexual orientation. We hypothesized experiencing cultural invalidations negatively correlates with ethnic identity strength. We also predicted significant correlational differences between demographic groups. Additional qualitative questions were added after the RIIS and MEIM surveys to acquire contextual details about the situations where cultural invalidations occurred. We asked the participants, “Can you describe a time you questioned the validity of your ethnic/racial identity?” and “If applicable, can you describe the time you may have invalidated someone else’s ethnic/racial identity?” We used Chat GPT as a language processing system to analyze reoccurring themes for these responses. We found a statistically significant negative correlation between Identification and Invalidations, r(198) = -.263, p = 0.01. Correlational differences between age groups, sexuality/gender, and ingroup/outgroup invalidations were analyzed. The LGBTQ+ group includes people who identify as nonbinary, bisexual, gay/lesbian, pansexual, and questioning. While there was no statistical significance between sexuality/gender and source of invalidation (ingroup/outgroup invalidations) observed, there were significant differences between age groups. Ages between 18 and 25 were significantly correlated with low identification scores on the MEIM and higher invalidation rates in the RIIS (0.254**). Many vital themes were found in the cultural invalidation open-response questions, including relevant issues such as racial profiling and assumptions, ethnic identity rejection, mixed identity challenges, language and cultural competence, intersectionality and privilege, and cultural confusion/identity crisis. These results have implications for cultural invalidation as a factor of ethnic identity development and are relevant to many contexts and age groups.