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Differences In The Identity Formation Process Of American Indian Adolescents In Urban And Reservation Contexts, Irene Churchill

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

Currently, the majority of American Indians live in more urban and metropolitan environments. The differences in the way identity develops for American Indian adolescents is compared between growing up in an urban context and a reservation context. Two models are explained and applied to American Indian adolescents in these two settings, Oppedal’s Acculturation development model and Phinney and Baldelomar’s Cross-cultural Identity Status Model. According to the Acculturation development model, American Indian adolescents living on reservations likely have higher levels of interaction with their minority culture, therefore having higher levels of enculturation. Additionally, American Indian adolescents living in urban areas likely …