APA Dictionary of Psychology

an individual’s sense of being defined, in part, by membership in a particular racial group. The strength of this sense depends on the extent to which an individual has processed and internalized the psychological, sociopolitical, cultural, and other contextual factors related to membership in the group. Given the socially constructed nature of racial categories, racial identifications can change over time and in different contexts. For example, a mixed-race person might identify as mixed race in one context and Black or White in another. See also ethnic identity.