Racial Code-Switching in America: Psychological & Professional Implications
Racial code-switching (i.e., adjusting one’s speech, appearance, and behavior to mirror specific norms or social groups) places a major burden on ethnic minority populations who must actively manage their social identities in academic and professional settings to avoid facing bias or exclusion. This presentation will examine racial code-switching among several large studies to highlight the important psychological and professional implications that are experienced by Americans from several distinct ethnic backgrounds.
Dr. Myles Durkee (he/him) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Pomona College and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology: Applied Developmental Science from the University of Virginia. He also completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Chicago and the University of Michigan. Dr. Durkee is a psychologist who examines the dynamics of racial code-switching, cultural invalidations, and racial discrimination to understand how these racial experiences influence important psychosocial outcomes (such as mental health, identity development & academic achievement). Broadly, his program of research examines how people of color navigate racial contexts, modify their racial behavior to fit into certain contexts, and internalize messages about their cultural identity from individuals inside and outside of their racial group.