Date of Completion
5-2-2022
Degree Type
Honors Thesis
Discipline
Psychology (PSYC)
First Advisor
Dr. Adam Fingerhut
Abstract
The ongoing prevalence of racial injustice in the United States demonstrates the growing importance of White allies and co-conspirators supporting people of Color to combat the social systems which consistently favor White individuals and disadvantage people of Color. While recent psychological research on allyship has touched on issues of racial injustice, a gap in research on transracial adoption and its impact on allyship presents an opportunity for further knowledge and progress to be made. Bridging research on transracial adoption, outgroup ally development, and factors that affect racial attitudes, the research presented in this study examines predictors of racial justice allyship among non-adopted White individuals who have an adopted sibling of Color. We hypothesize that being raised with and internalizing colorblind racial attitudes will be related to decreased racial justice allyship, and that a sense of closeness with one’s adopted siblings, as indicated by the inclusion of the adopted sibling of Color in one’s sense of self, will be related to increased allyship. To test this, a sample of White non-adopted individuals with adopted siblings of Color will be recruited from a variety of adoption-focused organizations to complete a survey on adoption experiences and racial attitudes. The results of this study will provide insights into the ways in which colorblind racial attitudes and close relationships across ethnic and racial lines can impact racial justice allyship, thus allowing for future progress in developing settings in which allyship can be increased on a large scale.
Recommended Citation
Zicker, Lydia and Fingerhut, Adam W., "Racial Justice Allyship in White Non-Adopted Individuals with Adopted Siblings of Color" (2022). Honors Thesis. 453.
https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/honors-thesis/453
