Proposal to study whether society is causing biracial children to struggle with their identity.
This paper is a proposal for a study on biracial children. More specifically, the paper proposes to study the hypothesis that biracial children are more likely to experience difficulties with their identity than children of a single race due to societal opinion, but by developing cultural-awareness, especially through education and counseling, society can counter this problem. Furthermore, the paper suggests that it can be demonstrated that society affects the identity formation of interracial children and has an effect on social cognition and self-image. Ultimately, the goal of the paper is to produce a series of recommendations for helping biracial children build a positive racial identity through social acceptance.
“Because these prejudices exist in society as a whole, it is likely that educators and counselors hold some of them as well, even if only unconsciously (Schwartz, 1997). In this case, it is inevitable that biracial students will perceive such attitudes, and develop a negative image that compromises their sense of self and their personal ability to succeed. For this reason, it is important for people working with biracial children to consider their personal views, especially because of the significant worth that children place on their approval. Educators and counselors must convey love, support, and acceptance to biracial students.”