Identity Concerns
Identity Concerns
What do intersectionality & identity concerns mean?
Intersectionality is a theory that examines how multiple forms of oppression, discrimination, or unique experiences can shape a person’s daily life. Some of our identities are very stable and salient, other identities may be less visible or overt to the public. Distress can occur when we conflict with our identities, masking our identities, or holding internalized negative beliefs about ourselves because of a particular identity. When one’s social, cultural, or professional identity conflicts with another, a person may experience distress, anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression. Talking about your intersectionality and identity concerns with a trained provider can help to integrate your identities, belief systems, and values to promote self-regulation, well-being, and an improved sense of esteem or belonging.
Racial identity concerns can include...
- Discrimination: People may experience discrimination based on their racial or cultural identity.
- Intergenerational trauma: People may experience trauma passed down through generations.
- Internal vs. external identity: People may experience a racial identity crisis when their internal identity doesn't match how others see them. This can lead to self-doubt and feelings of not belonging.
- Stereotype threat: People may worry about confirming stereotypes about their race, which can lead to them fulfilling those stereotypes.
- Ethnic conflict: Ethnic conflicts can involve dehumanizing another population, which can lead to violence and genocide
Types of intersectionality and identity
Racial identity: Racial identity is a type of social identity, which is the part of a person's self-concept that comes from their perceived membership in a social group. Racial identities can change over time and in different contexts because racial categories are socially constructed.
Gender identity: a person's internal sense of gender, which can be different from or the same as their assigned sex at birth. Gender identity differs from gender expression, which is how a person presents their gender through physical appearance, clothing, hairstyles, behavior, and more. A person's chosen name and pronouns are common ways of expressing gender.
Cultural identity: a person’s sense of belonging to a culture or group and is part of their self-concept. It's influenced by a variety of factors, including nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality, gender, sexuality, and ability. Your cultural identity is a critical piece of your personal identity (and worldview) that develops as you absorb, interpret, and adopt (or reject) the beliefs, values, behaviors, and norms of the communities in your life. There are times in life when our personal identity may shift, change, be a source of strength, or vulnerability
Disability: A person's sense of self as a person with a disability, and their connection to the disability community. It's a key dimension of diversity that shapes how a person sees themselves, their body, and how they interact with the world. Disability identity can include living with a non-normative body or mind, conflicting with other people’s assumptions or expectations, being a member of a disability community, and accepting, adopting, or engaging with one’s disability.
How Lansing Counseling Can Help
The opportunity to process and explore the meaning of your identities and self-concept can improve your sense of belonging, emotional regulation, and integration, and make sense of how you exist with your complex identity in a multicultural world. If you would like to do this with a therapist at Lansing Counseling, please don’t hesitate to get in touch to schedule a consultation.
Lansing Counseling
5030 Northwind Dr Suite 101
East Lansing, MI 48823