Allport’s intrapsychic model missed multi-level identity dynamics

Evidence

The Multidimensional Model of Black Identity argues for bidirectional effects of race on psychological well-being. Situations can influence race centrality, which in turn can moderate other psychological outcomes, such as self-esteem. But it is likely that one’s stable ideological beliefs may influence the likelihood of perceiving race-relevant cues, and more, how one responds when they are salient. Finally, the ideological dimensions of identity represent a “worldview”; that is, a system of thought that dictates the desirability of individual and collective behaviors as a preferred pathway to well-being. One can find similar thoughts in Allport’s writings, but his conjectures about how introand extro-punitive mechanisms combine were quite conceptually primitive. Moreover, because Allport’s model focused on the intrapsychic dynamics of ego-defenses, he did not capture the interplay of multiple levels of analysis and synthesis. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1079

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the chapter’s overall thesis of updating Allport’s 1954 framework with later theoretical advances.