Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 17, 2025

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
The Role of Social and Personal Identities in Self-Esteem Among Ethnic Minority College Students
Melinda A Gonzales-Backen1, Larry E Dumka2, Roger E Millsap2
1Florida State University.
Abstract:
This study examined the latent personal-social identity profiles that emerged from simultaneous consideration of ethnic, national (United States), and personal identities among ethnic minority college students (N = 3,009) as well as how personal and social identities are jointly associated with self-esteem. Results indicated that the structure of personal-social identity profiles significantly differed across ethnicity, but also indicated some commonalities. The study identified three profiles among Blacks, four among Asian Americans, and two among Latinos. Some personal-social identity profiles were common across multiple ethnic groups, but others were unique within one specific ethnic group. Overall, the profiles indicated important associations between ethnic identity, U.S. identity, and personal identity. These profiles were linked with self-esteem such that individuals who reported high levels of multiple social and personal identities had the highest self-esteem compared to other profiles.
Related Concept Videos
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison
Social Identity
Self-Esteem and Culture
Role-Based Identity
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification

