Ethnic identity and its relationship to self-esteem, perceived efficacy and prosocial attitudes in early adolescence EMILIE PHILLIPS SMITH,KATRINA WALKER,LAURIE FIELDS,CRAIG C. BROOKINS AND ROBERT C. SEAY This study examined the relationship of ethnic identity to self-esteem, perceived self- efficacy and prosocial attitudes. The sample included 100 male and female early adolescents, ranging from 11 to 13 years old, from different racial/ethnic backgrounds. Structural equations modeling was used to examine the latent structure of the multi- dimensional constructs and their interrelationships. Self-esteem and ethnic identity factors emerged which were related and which evidenced efficacy-mediated effects upon prosocial attitudes. The findings suggested that ethnic identity and self-esteem are distinct but related contributors to young people's perceptions of their ability to achieve academically, to find meaningful careers and to value prosocial means of goal attainment. # 1999 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents Introduction Interest in how young people develop a sense of themselves as part of an ethnic group has been studied for over half a century in the U.S.A. (Clark and Clark, 1939, 1947). As various ethnic groups begin to comprise larger proportions of the American population, it is likely that more attention will be given to issues of diversity and pluralism (Goebel, 1993). Though some are concerned that an emphasis on ethnicity might be socially divisive (Schlesinger, 1991), others have suggested that ethnicity might be an important source of strength and call for empirically based studies of the role ethnicity plays in human development (Spencer and Markstrom-Adams, 1990). In a society characterized by differential and/or inequitable treatment based upon ethnic group membership, more research is needed on the study of ethnicity and youth. Specifically, scholarship is needed that conceptualizes and identifies the components of a healthy sense of ethnicity and examines whether a well-developed ethnic identity is or is not helpful. This paper is part of an emerging body of research examining the relationship between ethnic identity and a range of outcomes for adolescents including self-esteem, academic and career efficacy and prosocial predilections. Defining ethnic identity The term ``ethnicity'' (from the Greek term ethnikos, for ``a people'' or ``a nation'') is used to refer to a social group of people whose defining characteristics may be based upon physiology, language, ancestry, culture and/or nationality. Ethnic identity , as defined by Rotheram and Phinney, refers to ``one's sense of belonging to an ethnic group and the part of one's thinking, perceptions, feelings, and behavior that is due to group membership'' (1987, p. 13). Reprint requests and correspondence should be addressed to Emilie P. Smith, Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, U.S.A. (E-mail: emilie@sc.edu). 0140-1971/99/060867+14 $30Á00/0 # 1999 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents Journal of Adolescence 1999, 22, 867±880 Article No. jado.1999.0281, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on