Summary Of When We Talk About American Ethnic Groups

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“When We Talk About American Ethnic Groups, What Do We Mean?” an article written by Jean S. Phinney. The article in general talks about American ethnic groups; how they are categorized and what it means to be in an ethnic group. The three key aspects of ethnicity are: cultural norms and values; strength, salience, and meaning of ethnic identity; and the experiences and attitudes associated with minority status. He states to have a better understanding of the concepts of being a part of an ethnic group, it is necessary to know the variables of ethnicity to understand its purpose. His first goal in the article was to look at the three aspects of ethnicity which interprets its psychological importance: culture, ethnic identity, and minority status.…show more content…
He uses the term ‘ethnic group’ to refer to members of non-dominant groups in which his discussion is only about American ethnic groups. When he uses the term ‘ethnicity’, he uses it to encompass ‘race’. He avoids using race because of how it has a disagreement on meanings. The term ‘ethnicity’ in this case is used to refer to the groupings of Americans based of race and their culture of origin. He states there are at least three aspects of ethnicity that may account for its psychological importance. They are: the cultural values, attitudes, and behaviors that distinguish ethnic groups; the subjective sense of ethnic groups; the subjective sense of ethnic group membership that is held by group members; and the experiences associated with minority status, including powerlessness, discrimination, and

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