Identity Development in Black Students: Issues and Suggestions for Practice

Identity development is a critical process common to the human experience across all demographics. While everyone engages in identity development, the range of nuances in identity that need to be navigated makes the process more complicated. As children progress through adolescence, developing their unique identity becomes a vital task in which they need ongoing support. As universal as identity development is for children, one particular group has a great deal to navigate in this process--Black students. The focus of this article will center on Black students developing their racial identities and how school psychologists can support them. Since the overwhelming majority of school psychologists identify as White (86%; NASP, 2021), there is a gap between their own identity and that of the Black students they work with. This article aims to equip school psychologists to bridge that gap, beginning with a description of what is known as typical identity development as studied by Erikson (1964) and many psychologists thereafter. The typical identity development section will be followed by a survey of the identity development of Black students, the ways it is influenced, and why it is crucial for school psychologists to be cognizant of the aforementioned gaps. Finally, this article will conclude with recommendations on how best to support Black students in the process of developing their racial identities.