This document outlines a research study examining the relationships between Afrocentricity, racial/ethnic identity, and agentic identity in people of African descent. The study will assess these concepts using questionnaires measuring levels of transformative awareness and conceptualization of Afrocentricity, as well as the widely used CRIS-2 racial identity scale. It hypothesizes that higher levels of transformative awareness and more accurate conceptualizations of Afrocentricity can predict stronger agentic identities and internalized racial identities. The methodology section describes plans to administer the questionnaires and CRIS-2 to a sample of 400 Black adults, then use canonical correlation analysis and structural equation modeling to analyze the data and test the hypotheses. The study aims to provide

1. A F R O C E N T R I C I T Y A N D A G E N T I C I D E N T I T Y
M A Y 1 0 , 2 0 1 5
B Y
P A M E L A D E N I S E L O N G
E D U C A T I O N A L P S Y C H O L O G Y S T U D E N T
Black Racial/Ethnic Identity Development:
Mixed Methods Anti-racism Research Project

2. Research Question
Do predictive relationships exist between the
conceptualization of Afrocentricity, racial/ethnic
identity attitudes (as measured by the CRIS), and the
presence of agentic identity among persons of
African descent ages 18 and over?

3. Essential Concepts

4. Hypotheses
 Participants’ level of transformative awareness
predicts racial identity attitude on the CRIS (Cross
Racial Identity Scale).
 Participants’ conceptualization of Afrocentricity and
level of transformative awareness predict the
presence of agentic identity.

5. Findings and Limitations of Reviewed Research
 Development and Racism
 Normative (common and widespread) to the human development and racial/ethnic identity processes of “black”
persons (Seaton & Yip, 2008; Swanson et al, 2010; Vandiver et al, 2002)
 Negative effects on academic performance (Seaton & Yip, 2008)
 Detriments to psychological well-being and mental health (Lee & Ahn, 2013; Yip et al, 2006; Williams et al, 2012;
Settles et al, 2010)
 Emphasized reactive parental socialization that mediates/moderates the detrimental effects of racism on black
human development
 Little research on identification of and outcomes related to factors/protocols beyond mediation/moderation of the
detrimental effects of racism on black human development
 African Agency
 Emphasis on African agency and home education (Smith & Williams, 2009; Mazama & Lundy, 2012)
 Research reflecting on the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s
 Afrocentric (Query 4 databases [Academic Search Complete, ERIC, PsychINFO, and Race
Relations Abstracts] for publication years 2000 and 2014. Screen read and/or reviewed
abstracts of approximately half of the 367 journal entries returned with “Afrocentric” as a
search term)
 Conceptually divergent interpretations of “Afrocentric”
 Emphasis on “Afrocentric” program intervention outcomes after a tragedy (engagement with the criminal system,
drug treatment)
 Racial/Ethnic Identity (MEIM, MIBI, CRIS-2, ASCS)
 Returned research emphasizes comparative, divergent, and convergent aspects of racial/ethnic identity
 The CRIS is one of the most commonly cited assessments of black racial/ethnic identity (standalone or paired)

6. Racial/Ethnic Identity Attitudes (CRIS-2)
 The Cross Racial Identity Scale - 2 (CRIS-2) is a 40-
item measure of racial/ethnic identity. The CRIS
proposes 3 racial identity attitudes and 6 measurable
racial identities.
• Pre – Encounter
• Assimilation
• Miseducation
• Self-hatred
• Immersion-Emersion
• Anti-white
• Internalization
• Afrocentric (which is self defined on the CRIS)
• Multiculturalist Inclusive

7. The Afrocentric Paradigm
Afrocentricity – Dr. Molefi Asante’s (1989, 2007) and
Dr. Ama Mazama’s (2003) conceptualization of an
“Afrocentric paradigm.” The Afrocentric Paradigm is a
cultural-historical lens through which phenomenon
involving persons of African descent are interpreted.
Asante’s conceptualization of Afrocentricity has practical
application to the daily life and cultural practice of
African persons.

8. Five Levels of Transformative Awareness
Dr. Asante proposes agentic identity (relocation to
the center of one’s own subject trajectory from the
margins of others) arises after achievement of an
Afrocentric awareness beyond four precursor levels
of awareness:
5. Afrocentric Awareness
4. Interest-concern Awareness
3. Personality Awareness
2. Environmental Awareness
1. Skin Awareness

9. Agentic Identity = Afrocentric Awareness
 The present research conceptualizes Agentic Identity
as Afrocentric Awareness (the fifth Level of
Transformative Awareness).

10. Hypotheses
 Participants’ level of transformative awareness
predicts racial identity attitude on the CRIS (Cross
Racial Identity Scale).
 Participants’ conceptualization of Afrocentricity and
level of transformative awareness predict the
presence of agentic identity.

11. Conceptual Correlations/Predictions
RACIAL IDENTITY ATTITUDE (CRIS-2) LEVEL OF TRANSFORMATIVE AWARENESS CONCEPTUALIZATION OF AFROCENTRICITY
Pre-encounter Assimilation Skin Awareness Anti-European
Pre-encounter Miseducation Skin Awareness Anti-European
Pre-encounter Self-hatred Skin Awareness Reactionary pro-black
Immersion-Emersion Anti-white Environmental, Personality, Interest-concern
Awareness, Afrocentric Awareness
Anti-European, Reactionary pro-black,
Reconstructive and Agentic
Internalization Afrocentric Afrocentric Awareness Reconstructive and Agentic
Internalization Multiculturalist Inclusive Interest-concern, Afrocentric Awareness Reactionary pro-black, Reconstructive and
Agentic
The most agentic identity is assumed to arise from participants for whom Afrocentric
Awareness is of primary salience and who also correctly conceptualize Afrocentricity as
Reconstructive and Agentic and anti-racist in essence.

12. Methodology
 Research Sample
 Four hundred adults ages 18 to 65 with equitable gender
representation of the target population
 Instruments
 Administration of the CRIS-2
 Created questionnaires
 20-item Questionnaire of Transformative Awareness
 15-item Questionnaire of Personal Conceptualization of
Afrocentricity
• Establish content validity by submitting created questionnaires to 3-
4experts well versed in the Afrocentric Paradigm
• Construct validity – See Structural Equation Model (slide 14) for test
of convergence and Alpha coefficients between test
prompts/questionnaire items.

13. Data Analysis – Hypothesis 1
 Canonical Correlation Analysis—assesses shared
variance between Set/Canon 1 (Racial Identity) and
Set/Canon 2 (Conceptualization of Afrocentricity).
Age, gender, education, income are additional variables and are a part of the CRIS data collection.

14. Data Analysis – Hypothesis 2
 Structural Equation Modeling
…conceptualization of Afrocentricity and level of transformative awareness predict the presence of agentic identity.
ᵝ ≥ .20 & r2
s ≥.40

15. Contributions of Present Research
 Tests the practical application of the Afrocentric
Paradigm.
 Determines how one’s conceptualization of Afrocentricity
relates to one’s racial/ethnic identity on the most popular
racial/ethnic identity measure (CRIS - 2).
 Provides evidence for common language, conceptual
understanding, and nomenclature regarding both
“Afrocentric” and “Afrocentricity.”
 With additional study, provides a research base for
community and educational programming for persons of
African descent.