Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Analysis Of Ethnic Labels: Essemtialism Vs. Circumstantialism, John Holloway

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Labeling was used through the daily life of most people and is critical in the idea of ethnicity. The purpose behind this experiment was to test Lindenwood student’s thought process behind ethnic labeling. Mainly the experiment was meant to develop the idea of whether an individual was more circumstantialist or essentialist in nature when dealing with ideas of labeling. The hypothesis was that the Lindenwood students would tend to lean toward the essentialist group thought process due to the diversity of the student body. Essentialist believed their biological parents passed on ethnicity. While circumstantialist believed ethnicity was created by behavior …