Mixed race relationships have become a normal occurrence in the world as the interconnection between demographics increases. Love is fulfilling especially when it brings people from different cultures, religion, identity, , or race together. People gain broadened perspectives that allow them to see things differently. For example, in 2017, the world witnessed the engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, bringing together a Briton, Black and White heritage together (Caballero, 2019). The event sparked several thoughts about the interracial relationship as a certain section celebrated the union, while another section refuted its legitimacy, especially because it was associated with the royal family. One of the primary questions raised in such relationships is how the new generations would identify as when they come to age as it leads to identity conflict. This paper highlights how such interracial relationships could have both positive and negative long-term implications that could affect generations in modern society.
Causes and Implication of Interracial Intimacies
Interracial relationships are a major consequence of the rapid globalization effects that have rippled through modern society. Globalization is a major contributor to many of the psychosocial changes being experienced in the world today. Trask (2013) notes that heterogeneity of societies has been experienced, especially in the industrialized spectrum. Globalization led to the massive escalation in migration to new and developed urban cities that formed transnationalism categorized with exclusions and inclusions of social and economic inequities such as ethnicity, race, gender, and national origin (Moses & Woesthoff, 2019). The rapid growth in diverse population that results from these migrations leads to an increased potential of interracial relationships. As more people continue to migrate and make meaningful relationships, interracial intimacies and transnational families become more common. The acculturation theory proposes that cultural change occurs when different cultural backgrounds interact for long periods through continuous first-hand contact. While the interracial relationships flourish through the frequent contact of cultures, the new formed cultures and societies become part of an underappreciated part of society. These societies are responsible for the identity conflicts, racial bias, assimilation, and marginalization of multicultural individuals in the world. People take pride in their origin and a sense of belonging; highlighting a critical factor that has been undermined in modern society.
Interracial relationships also arise from the need of people to explore different cultures and expand horizons, that leads to lasting meaningful connections. According to Aron (2000), the self-expansion theory depicts that in a bid for people to broaden their perspectives and maximize on the resource potential, they utilize intrinsic motivations to expand their self-senses to acquire novelty and growth. People may choose to engage in gaining new knowledge and skills, while others may take up other interesting hobbies. Romantic relationships are also major contributors to self-expansion, as people are brought together, establishing new perspective, resources, and identities (Naeimi et al., 2021). Self-expansion shows a high tendency when relationships are in their early stages, which is highlighted in the connections made by different ethnicity regardless of the romantic relationships (Mcintyre, 2018). However, even in long-term relationships, self-expansion continues to occur as couples engage in shared activities. Nonetheless, interracial relationships are faced with a conflict issue between developed and developing societies. Beck and Beck-Gernsheim, (2013) noted that once these conflicts come to surface, new names and identities create a confusion on the implication of the self-expansion. People seeking to self-expand, have identity outcomes that shape the new generations and the relationship between the interracial couple and other races. The decision on how interracial couples are treated or perceived is affected by social constructs that continue to dictate how interracial people connect with the environment.
Identity Conflict
The identity crisis of interracial individuals has become an arising issue, especially with the increasing number of interracial marriages or relationships that give rise to the new generations. Song (2015) noted that North America multiracial families are more established, but Britain is also showing an increased number of interracial couples and families. According to the 2011 England Wales Census, mixed ethnic groups grew from 1.2 percent to 2.2 percent from 2001 to 2011. However, Song (2015) considers this percentage as an undercount. The article argued that interracial individuals cannot only be distinguished by being either being a mix Black, White or Asia, as other individuals also self-identify as interracial. As a consequence, the numbers do not reflect the actual interracial group in the British population. The term interracial defines a person that has ancestral ties with more than one racial group. Britain exhibits a trend of interracial individuals partnering up with white individuals rather than other minority groups, which could explain the mismatch in the number of interracial individuals accounted for in the census. The lack of a proper structure of identifying interracial groups compounds the risk of the identity crisis that arises when interracial individuals seek a sense of belonging in an environment that has limited sensitization.
The identity crisis stems from the development of individuals that are raised in interracial unions, that causes a ripple effect that has negative outcomes on their identity. The family plays a critical role in the identity development of children. According to Lacy and Harris (2010), children do not have the ability to valuate or interpret culture at birth. Parents are responsible for teaching and reinforcing cultural attributes that enable children to cope with different cultures and negative outcomes such as racial discrimination in modern society. Lacy and Harris (2010) refer to this process as racial socialization. Parents racially socialize their children through modelling of behaviours, exposure to native and foreign environments, and verbal behaviours that point towards how the specific races are expected to act in the society. This process helps children to see themselves as members of their respective communities. However, since interracial couples comprise of different races, it poses a critical question on which race the children are expected to lean mostly into their development. Traditionally, children mostly follow their father’s race, but they have the option of choosing, which race they identify with, which may be influenced by the geographical location the children are raised in or relate with better (Steinbugler, 2015). The influence of the child’s development has the potential to create an identity crisis, as society also continues to depict how interracial individuals are perceived.
Interracial individuals go through various phases during the determination of their racial identities that shape the role they choose to take in society. Renn (2008) conducted a review of the development and identified five levels of development for biracial individuals, namely, personal identity, choice of group categorization, denial or enmeshment, appreciation, and finally integration (Norwood, 2010). Personal identity was defined as a stage where an individual does not identify themselves through a particular racial group. Choice of group of categorizations was defined as a stage where a person chooses a race that they identify with based on cultural knowledge, social support, group status, or appearance. Denial or enmeshment has the highest potential for an identity crisis as most individuals feel guilty for not identifying with each aspect of their cultural heritage. A person may feel shame, self-hatred or anger. McKenzie (2013) noted that race has a great impact on the social identity of British women compared to other social categories associated with human oppression. This creates an issue that often derails identity development of biracial individuals. However, once a person moves past this point, they reach the appreciation stage, which is characterized by individuals having an appreciation of their diverse racial background, which can either be an association of both races or identifying as one race, while acknowledging the roots in the other race. Finally, the integration stage is defined by the incorporation of both ethnic backgrounds in a person’s identity.
The longevity of interracial relationships also impacts the identity crisis that arises within the interracial communities. Relationships thrive on the emotional connection between individuals, which exhibits itself differently in women and men. This aspect highlights a gender difference and tension in contemporary connections as highlighted (Duncombe & Marsden, 1993). As people self-expand in their interracial relationships, it is highly likely that one person will be engulfed in the culture of their partner. Langford conducted research that showed the exercise of specific methods of control and power. The article highlighted an element of women writing their narrative in their love stories. Women enjoy losing themselves in new senses of confidence, which can easily be achieved in an interracial relationship. However, when these aspects take place, women are likely to experience an identity crisis, especially when the relationship comes to an end through mutual break ups or divorce. Feng and colleagues (2012) determined that interracial marriages have a higher risk of dissolution, especially for black and white couples, which accounted for 20 percent of divorces in the UK. The number is likely to go up as more interracial unions are formed. Rebuilding a person’s social identity after a divorce threatens a person’s niche in society, especially if the cultural contact had many implications during the transition.
Conclusion
It is impossible to ignore the rising number of interracial relationships around the world. The numbers continue to grow significantly especially in places such as Britain and the United States. The effects of globalization have caused ripple effects on the formation of relationships that has impacted multiple generations leading to the exponential growth. Younger generations find themselves in uncharted territory as more social implications impact how they are treated and perceived for being raised in interracial unions. They are tasked with determining, which race they identify better with, or finding a way to appreciate each race uniquely. As people continue to self-expand their perspective, it is imperative that a resolution to the identity crisis that arises from the multiple contacts and disconnections between cultures is determined for interracial relationships to have a withstanding benefit in society.
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