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Essay on Children of Inter-racial Parents
In order to understand how identity is transformed, it is first necessary to comprehend how identity is initially formed. Much theoretical work has been devoted to the study of identity formation. Sparked by Erik Erikson's [1946] development of the term ego-identity, sociologists have been studying the concept of identity for the past five decades. The symbolic interactionist perspective and its theoretical offshoots, in particular, have produced a large number of key works in this area. Some of the most notable are Strauss 1959; McCall and Simmons 1966/ 1978; Glaser and Strauss 1971; and Stryker 1968, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1992. Postmodern theorists are also grappling with this issue and produce concepts that are relevant to understanding the transformation of racial identity among biracial persons.
Symbolic interactionism reveals how persons discover their own identity by interacting with other actors through the use of shared gestures and symbols. In the eyes of a symbolic interactionist, the world is "a social construction" [Fine, 1990:138]. Interactions between actors are the force by which society is both maintained and propelled forward. Persons perceive themselves and their roles in society according to how they are viewed by people with whom they interact. It is through communicating with others that persons understand who they are and how they fit into society. For instance, Olympic athletes have no doubt been told by many persons throughout their lives that they are exceptional athletes. This type of recognition enables the athletes to perceive themselves as possible Olympians and encourages them to train extensively in their sport and, in fact, become Olympic athletes.
There is a constant exchange between the self and society. Because humans have minds, they are able to act as well as react. Individuals both are formed by and form society. George Herbert Mead writes that each actor "is continually reacting back against this society......
