Thesis advisor: Janet E. Helms / Part-White Multiracial adults undergo a unique racial identity development process within a racially stratified society. Theorists suggest that different ways of self-designating either improve or impede healthy psychological outcomes for Multiracial people, but virtually no theoretical rationale or empirical studies account for the internal mechanisms underlying self-designations and mental health outcomes. People of Color and White racial identity theories were used to investigate racial dynamics implicit in the identity development and self-designations of Multiracial individuals. The current study examined the relationships between racial self-designations, internalized racial identity, and well-being in part-White Multiracial adults. Part-White (Asian/White or Black/White) Multiracial adults (N = 169) completed a measure of frequency of use of five multiracial self-designations, People of Color and White Racial Identity Attitudes Scales to assess their internal race-related processes (i.e., statuses), and the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (Derogatis, 2001) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1979) to assess healthy and unhealthy psychological outcomes. Multivariate Multiple Regression Analyses were conducted to examine the relationships among racial self-designation and well-being, racial self-designation and internalized racial identity, and internalized racial identity and well-being. Results specific to racial self-designations were (a) greater disorientation about racial dynamics predicted more frequent identification as White and Multiracial, (b) withdrawal from Whiteness increased monoracial minority self-designation and decreased self-designation as Multiracial (c) more complex appraisals of Whiteness predicted more frequent use of most self-designation choices, and (d) an intellectualized view of Whiteness reduced use of the monoracial minority designations and increased identifying with no racial groups at all. Self-designation use was not related to psychological outcomes, but racial identity statuses were. Overall, the results of the study supported examining racial self-designation, internalized racial identity and well-being in a single study. As expected, internalized racial identity was predictive of self-designations and well-being. This study provides initial support for adding conceptual and empirical complexity to discussions about the mental health and wellbeing of Multiracial people. Methodological limitations and implications for future theory, research, and practice are discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

Nous posons la question de la relation entre les langues et l’identité d’individus d’origine-exyougoslave nés en France ou venus jeunes avec leurs parents avant la dissolution du pays en 1991. Les expressions identitaires et les pratiques langagières déclarées ont été collectées auprès de quinze personnes en utilisant deux méthodes : l’entretien semi-directif et le questionnaire. Les noms employés pour désigner l’identité nationale ont été comparés aux dénominations officielles actuelles des États issus de la disparation de la Yougoslavie et ont permis de mettre à jour le maintien de l’identité yougoslave parallèlement à l’utilisation des noms actuels. Les informations ainsi obtenues permettent de distinguer la part individuelle de la (re)présentation identitaire et le rapport entretenu avec la langue d’origine, qui est la fois l’outil communicationnel et l’un des éléments d’affirmation identitaire. Les pratiques langagières déclarées informent sur l’autoévaluation bilingue et dévoilent une forte détermination à l’approfondissement des compétences linguistiques en langue d’origine. Différentes situations de bilinguisme ont pu être constatées. Les compétences à l’oral sont déterminées, le plus souvent, par les compétences communicationnelles (pratiques langagières en famille ou dans le cadre professionnel). L’étude du bilinguisme, dans ce qu’il révèle de la relation ente langues et identité, fait apparaître très nettement le rôle de la langue d’origine comme « marqueur » d’identité. Les réflexions exprimées sur l’identité nationale montrent qu’elle est aussi problématisée à partir du rapport entretenu avec le pays d’accueil (et le plus souvent de naissance) la France. Ainsi, l’identification française influence d’une certaine manière le rapport à l’identité (ex)-yougoslave, d’une part par la relation des noms entre langue et pays (France-français ; Yougoslavie-yougoslave), mais aussi, par le fait que le maintien de l’utilisation du nom yougoslave reste possible en France où elle ne fait pas polémique. La relation entre les deux identités principales (française et ex-yougoslave) doit être envisagée comme une construction « mixte », même si l’identification française est parfois considérée avec une certaine distance. / We are questioning the relationship between language and identity of ex-Yugoslav youth, born or settled in France before the dissolution of the country in 1991. Expressions of identity and language practices were collected from fifteen people through two methods: semi-structured interview and questionnaire. The names used as national self-assignment were compared with the official names of the current states stemming from ex-Yugoslavia and revealed the maintenance of a Yugoslav identity along with the use of current state or national names among the studied sample. Thereby, obtained informations helped to distinguish the individual identification process from the interaction through the original language, which is both communication tool and an element of identity affirmation. Declared language practices inform on bilingual self assessment and reveal a strong commitment to the development of language skills in original language. Different situations of bilingualism have been identified. The speaking skills are usually determined by communication skills (language practices in family or in the workplace). The study of bilingualism, in that it reveals the relationship between language and identity, shows very clearly the role of the original language as "marker" of identity. Expressed reflections show that national identity is also problematized from the interactions with the host country (most often birth pace), France. Thus, French assignment influence in some way the report to (ex-)Yugoslav identity, by the relations between language and names of countries (France-French; Yugoslavia -“Yugoslav”), but also by the fact that it is still possible to use “Yugoslav” as self-assignment in France, where it is not controversial. The relationship between the two main identities (French and ex-Yugoslav) should be considered as a "mixed" construction, even if the identification with French is sometimes regarded with a certain distance.

Der Begriff der ‚Selbstbezeichnung‘ gewann seine Bedeutung und Bedeutsamkeit zunächst in politischen Kontexten. Um ihn an theoretische Konzepte anschlussfähig zu machen, werden im Folgenden probeweise zwei Differenzierungen vollzogen, die sich im weiteren Verlauf jedoch beide wieder aufheben.