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Cited by 219Racial and Ethnic Identity ResearchSocial and Intergroup PsychologyCounseling Practices and Supervision

Internalized Racism: A Systematic Review of the Psychological Literature on Racism’s Most Insidious Consequence

David, E. J. R., Schroeder, Tiera M., Fernandez, Jessicaanne·2019·Journal of Social Issues
DOI 10.1111/josi.12350
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Abstract

Abstract Racism is often thought of as existing and operating at the interpersonal and institutional levels. One aspect of racism that has been relatively forgotten, however, is its internalized component: racism that exists and operates at the internalized level. Surprisingly, even psychology—the field that is arguably best equipped to study the internalized component of racism—seems to have lagged in investigating and addressing this construct. Thus, we conducted a systematic literature review of psychological work on internalized racial oppression to better understand what is currently known, what the recent surge in scholarship has contributed, and where the research and service gaps are in order to identify areas for future growth. Overall, psychological attention on internalized racism seems to be increasing, and there have been some exciting conceptual (e.g., cognitive behavioral conceptualization, moving toward “appropriated racial oppression”) and empirical (e.g., development of scales, correlates with mental health variables) developments. However, our review also revealed a need for more work that: (1) utilizes qualitative or mixed methods; (2) focuses on the experiences of different racial and ethnic groups; (3) investigates how internalized racism intersects with other forms of internalized oppression; (4) clarifies the connection of internalized racism with other theoretically similar phenomena; and (5) incorporates social justice and advocacy in clinical and community services to balance unequal power dynamics that perpetuate racism—the root cause of internalized racism.

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  • Internalized racism goes beyond self-esteem and establishes itself among BIPOC individuals and hinders their capabilities to be resilient and their ability to help members of their community be resilient when they face experiences of discrimination.

    “Internalized racism goes beyond self-esteem and establishes itself among BIPOC individuals and hinders their capabilities to be resilient and their ability to help members of their community be resilient when they face experiences of discrimination (Bivens, 2005; David et al., 2019).”

    From Complex Racial Trauma: Evidence, Theory, Assessment, and Treatment (2023) · cites this paper as David et al., 2019

  • Internalized racism is evidenced to be linked with several psychological conditions, such as feelings of hopelessness and stress, symptoms of depression or anxiety, and poor perceptions of body image.

    “Internalized racism is evidenced to be linked with several psychological conditions, such as feelings of hopelessness and stress, symptoms of depression or anxiety, and poor perceptions of body image [4].”

    From Internalized Racism and Mental Health: The Moderating Role of Collective Racial Self-Esteem (2024) · cites this paper as [4]

  • Internalized racism is associated with psychological distress (e.g., depression and anxiety) in people of color.

    “When POC adopt oppressive messages about their ethnoracial identities, perpetuated in the White dominant culture and informed by Eurocentric ideologies and colonization, the internalization of these messages can contribute to self-loathing or worse mental health (i.e., depression and anxiety; [4,7,8]).”

    From Internalized Racism and Mental Health: The Moderating Role of Collective Racial Self-Esteem (2024) · cites this paper as [4]

  • Approximately 40% of the research on internalized racism focuses on the experiences of African Americans.

    “Although internalized racism is a risk factor for mental health outcomes in a range of marginalized populations, approximately 40% of the research focuses on the experiences of African Americans [4].”

    From Internalized Racism and Mental Health: The Moderating Role of Collective Racial Self-Esteem (2024) · cites this paper as [4]

  • Internalized racism has a negative association with self-esteem, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being.

    “Internalized racism was found to have a negative association with self-esteem, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being.”

    From Internalized Racism and Mental Health: The Moderating Role of Collective Racial Self-Esteem (2024) · cites this paper as [4]

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Authors
David, E. J. R., Schroeder, T. M., & Fernandez, J.
Affiliations
  • University of Alaska Anchorage (US)
  • University of Alaska Anchorage
Corresponding author
David, E. J. R.
ORCID
David, E. J. R.
Venue
Journal of Social Issues
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2019-09-13
Volume
75
Issue
4
Pages
1057-1086
ISSN
  • 0022-4537 (ISSN-L)
  • 1540-4560
DOI
10.1111/josi.12350
OpenAlex
W2972417819
Cited by
219
References
156
Citations by year
2026: 23 · 2025: 52 · 2024: 37 · 2023: 44 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 3
FWCI
3.99
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
Journal of Social Issues (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Counseling Practices and Supervision
Keywords
internalized racism, racial oppression, mental health, intersectionality, social justice, power relations

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