Developing racial identity can be complicated for individuals because they must balance self-perceptions, stereotypes and biases, and socialization processes. Racial identity development is more difficult for people with multiple or mixed racial backgrounds. Biracial individuals are the offspring of individuals with differing racial heritage. Interracial is the term given to describe the marital process, and multiracial, a newer term, describes individuals from two or more heritages (Kerwin & Ponterotto, 1995).

Butch's story describes this complex process, which occurs with people of mixed racial heritage. The reader should pay close attention to the negotiation process that must occur with each component of Butch's racial background, including acceptance from various racial groups, pressures to accommodate to particular racial groups, and intragroup oppression from racial groups. The reader should pay close attention to the negotiation process that must occur with each component of Butch's racial background, including acceptance from various racial groups, pressures to accommodate to particular racial groups, and intragroup oppression from racial groups.

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Ethnicity is associated with nationality and country of origin. Examining ethnicity provides clues about individuals' values, beliefs, and behaviors and often yields more information than race, particularly on intragroup differences. This is critical in working with clients of Asian or Latino descent. Generic information on racial characteristics provides a helpful starting place for clinicians, but specific information about ethnicity adds to the richness of understanding. In this chapter, Maribel, a Puerto Rican, describes growing up in a poor, Spanish-speaking household; moving around the country; and feeling like a minority everywhere she went. She talks about what she feels was her double life, her pride in her educational accomplishments, and the price she paid for her acculturation and her gender role shifts. As you read, notice how she experienced the frequent moves of her family as she was growing up and how the exposure to racism affected not only her blended identity but also her decision to become better educated to increase her social status options. Also, notice the losses that came with her gains and how she manages her American identity blended with her identity as a Puerto Rican. Following the story, we explore the relationship between ethnicity and racism, language, social class, gender socialization patterns, and gender role shifts that occur as the identity of the individual shifts. The clinical intervention discusses some ideas for working with ethnic minority couples who are in cultural transition from hierarchical gender roles to more egalitarian modes of relating. Finally, the countertransference section includes a discussion about possible reactions clinicians may have when working with couples who exhibit power imbalances.

In Bob's story we read about how he views himself in terms of his cultural identity and the shifts that occurred in his religious life as a result of family relationships, his move from the South to the Northeast, and his rethinking about his role in society and in his family. He also talks about what influenced his first career choice as a minister in an Evangelical Christian church and what accounted for the choice of his second career as a teacher. As you read, pay attention to his shifts in personality traits and in his understanding of his religious affiliation and other shifts in his cultural identity.

Our social-class status distinguises us from other people, yet it is sometimes so invisible that, although differences between us are recognized, we do not attribute them to class.

Anthony's story is one of changes within social class. The reader should note the effect that change in social class status has not only on his self-concept and identity but also on his social activities and interpersonal relationships.

Karen writes about her 14-year marriage to Steve, the discovery of her attraction to another woman, and the steps she took after that discovery. She tells us about her subsequent relationships, her unfortunate encounters with violence and homophobia, and how she dealt with her family of origin and the work related issues of her coming out. As you read, notice the fluctuations in her identity awareness.