Internalized racism

Internalized racism is a form of internalized oppression, defined by sociologist Karen D. Pyke as the 'internalization of racial oppression by the racially subordinated.' In her study The Psychology of Racism, Robin Nicole Johnson emphasizes that internalized racism involves both 'conscious and unconscious acceptance of a racial hierarchy in which whites are consistently ranked above people of color.' These definitions encompass a wide range of instances, including, but not limited to, belief in negative racial stereotypes, adaptations to white cultural standards, and thinking that supports the status quo (i.e. denying that racism exists). Internalized racism is a form of internalized oppression, defined by sociologist Karen D. Pyke as the 'internalization of racial oppression by the racially subordinated.' In her study The Psychology of Racism, Robin Nicole Johnson emphasizes that internalized racism involves both 'conscious and unconscious acceptance of a racial hierarchy in which whites are consistently ranked above people of color.' These definitions encompass a wide range of instances, including, but not limited to, belief in negative racial stereotypes, adaptations to white cultural standards, and thinking that supports the status quo (i.e. denying that racism exists). Internalized racism as a phenomenon is a direct product of a racial classification system, and is found across different racial groups and regions around the world where race exists as a social construct. In these places, internalized racism can have adverse effects on those who experience it. For example, high internalized racism scores have been linked to poor health outcomes among Caribbean black women, higher propensity for violence among African American young males, and increased domestic violence among Native American populations in the US. Responses to internalized racism have been varied. Many of the approaches focus on dispelling false narratives learned from racial oppression. An example of opposition to internalized racism is the 'Black is beautiful' cultural movement in the US, which sought to 'directly attack ideology' that blackness was ugly. Although some definitions of internalized racism only include when racial stereotypes are internalized by the racial marginalized groups, internalized racism has been used to discuss much more than this. The creators of the Appropriated Racial Oppression Scale (AROS) note that perhaps a more accurate phrase would be 'appropriated racial oppression,' because this distances the usage away from potentially 'victim blaming' implications that the internalization of racist ideals and attitudes is due to some failure of the oppressed. Additionally, the term 'appropriation' indicates that internalized racism is learned from context, and therefore a product of socialization in a racialized society. Alternatively, Bianchi, Zea, Belgrave, and Echeverry propose that internalized racism is a 'state of racial self-conceptualization,' conforming to racial oppression, as opposed to dissonance, resistance or the internalization of a positive racial identity. Internalized racism has also been referred to as indoctrination and mental colonization. These phrases draw attention to the historical context of colonialism being used to create and maintain a system of white superiority. Internalized racism is also explored in the Nigrescence model, introduced by William E. Cross in 1971. It explains how internalized racism in Black Americans involves the belief that white cultural values are superior than their own. Cross writes, “The driving force behind this need requires Afro-Americans to seek approval from whites in all activities, to use white expectations as the yardstick for determining what is good, desirable or necessary.” This conviction can be corrected when black individuals self-determine their identities apart from the influence of their white counterparts. Scholars have picked different dimensions to categorize internalized racism. Psychologists David and Okazaki proposed that examples of internalized racism could be divided into the following: 'internalized inferiority, feelings of shame and embarrassment, physical characteristics, within-group discrimination, and minimization or acceptance of oppression.' Alternatively, Campón and Carter use this list: 'appropriations of negative stereotypes, thinking that maintains status quo (denying racism), adaptation to white cultural standards, devaluation of own group, and emotional reactions.' These categories influence how scholars organize their measurements of internalized racism. Academics have attempted to create reliable measures of internalized racism, in order to test its correlation to health outcomes and other variables of interest. Some examples of existing scales are the Nadanolitization (NAD) and Internalized Racial Oppression Scales (used for Black Americans), the Colonial Mentality scale (used for Filipinos), and the Mochichua Tepehuani Scale (used for Chicanx/Latinx populations). The Appropriated Racial Oppression Scale (AROS) is designed as measure for all racial minorities. In the AROS, Campón and Carter use items such as 'There have been times when I have been embarrassed to be a member of my race,' 'I would like for my children to have light skin,' and 'People take racial jokes too seriously' to assess an individual's level of internalized racism.