DEI · Identity Development
The seven stages of racial and social-identity development — mapped from the clinical research of Derald Wing Sue and contextualized in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging by Sahar Muhsin Laufman.
For people racialized as white or holding dominant-group identities. Progresses from naiveté through conformity, dissonance, resistance, introspection, and integrative stages toward antiracist commitment. Research confirms: your stage of white identity awareness predicts racist and internal interpersonal characteristics.
For people of color and those with marginalized identities. Follows a different arc — from conformity (internalizing dominant norms) through dissonance, immersion, emersion, internalization, and integrative commitment. POC identity formation differs between cultures, sub-cultures, and individual factors.
Answer 4 questions to get a directional read. This is not diagnostic — it's a starting point for reflection.
When someone names racism in a situation, my first response is usually:
When I think about my own racial identity:
My relationship to systemic racism and oppression:
When I cause racial harm (even unintentionally):
Click any stage to expand. These are developmental stages — progress is non-linear. Regression is normal. Movement forward requires practice, not perfection.
Described by simple racial curiosity — comparable to a 2-year-old. By the time children reach toddler age, research (replicated over decades) shows they have already absorbed society's racial hierarchy. The classic doll-test studies demonstrate this: even very young children, across racial groups, associate positive attributes with whiteness and negative with blackness. Naiveté is brief. It ends the moment a child is exposed to a culture structured by race.
This stage is developmental — you grow out of it, not through it. The question is what you grow into: conformity to the dominant racial narrative, or awareness.
Marked by contradiction. "I'm not racist, but I would never let my daughter date a Black guy." "I support DEI" — while everyone hired to leadership is white, able-bodied/minded, of a certain age. This stage consists of minimal awareness of Self as a being with racial identity, strong belief in the universality of dominant values and norms, and limited accurate knowledge of other ethnic groups — relying instead on social stereotypes. For people of color, this stage often involves devaluation of one's own racial group and idealization of whiteness.
Movement out of conformity usually requires a disorienting encounter — a relationship, an event, or information that cannot be reconciled with the conformist worldview. Seek out perspectives and experiences that challenge what you assume to be universal.
Occurs when inconsistencies that have previously been compartmentalized are forced to the forefront of consciousness. For instance: doing a diversity report and recognizing your company is far behind on inclusion markers compared to international peers. What follows is acknowledging whiteness (or other identities of privilege) to some degree, and re-examining cultural values as not necessarily universal. This stage is uncomfortable by design. It is the first genuine rupture in the conformist worldview — but it is fragile. Without support, the impulse is to retreat back to the safety of conformity.
Stay with the discomfort. It's data, not failure. Find a community of others in or beyond this stage. Don't retreat into defensiveness — the dissonance is the doorway, not the destination.
Begins a more authentic acknowledgment of racism and oppression — in society, in others, in oneself. For white people, problematic perceptions of other white people can form. White guilt and fragility often develop. This coincides with white liberal syndrome which manifests either as paternalistic protector (white savior) or over-identification with a minority group as an escape from one's own whiteness. In this latter case, people with privilege often find this role is not appreciated and experience rejection. In response, the person may return to the protective confines of dominant culture (conformity), experience conflict (dissonance), or move forward (introspection). For people of color, this is the immersion stage: deep investment in one's own racial/cultural group, often accompanied by anger at the dominant group — a necessary passage, not a pathology.
Guilt is not the endpoint. The question is: what do you do with the anger and discomfort? Channel it into learning — not performance, not self-flagellation. For people of color: the anger is legitimate. The question is whether it fuels your liberation or consumes your energy.
A compromise from the extremes of unconditional acceptance of privilege identity and the rejection of white supremacy. Less defensive responses, less guilt-based motivation. This stage is marked by redefining what it means to hold a privileged identity — by seeking individual and group reformation. A transitional phase, similar to the dissonance stage in its liminal quality. Progress comes from asking the essential questions: "Who am I in relation to my whiteness / privilege?" "Who am I as a racial/cultural being?" Answering these involves dialogue and observation within one's own social group, as well as interactions with members of various minority groups.
This is the internal work stage. Journal. Talk with others at similar stages. Read beyond the 101 level. Ask the hard questions: What does it mean for me to be racialized? What am I doing with the answer?
A non-racist identity is formed, emerges, and becomes internalized. This phase is characterized by understanding Self as a racial/cultural being, appreciating racial/cultural diversity, and a commitment to eradicating oppression. There is comfort around — and strong connectedness with — members of culturally diverse groups. The identity is secure enough that it does not require constant external validation or performance. For people of color, this is the internalization stage: a secure, positive racial identity that does not depend on rejecting or conforming to the dominant group.
Integration without action is incomplete. The final movement is from internal security to external commitment — using the secure identity as a platform for systemic change, not just personal comfort.
The final phase: commitment to antiracist action. "White privilege is the ability to acknowledge it but do nothing about it." This phase is characterized by social action, consequent change in behavior, and increased commitment to countering oppression. Life is not linear, nor is this model absolute. Movement into this phase can be lonely and isolating — there is strong pressure in society not to rock the boat. Regression back to earlier phases is still possible. This is why it is important to form alliances with people of color and other liberated people working toward collective liberation.
This stage requires community — without it, isolation pushes you backward. Build alliances. Mentor others in earlier stages without condescension. Remember that you can regress — vigilance is not paranoia, it's practice. "White privilege is the ability to acknowledge it but do nothing about it." Do something.
"Life is not linear, nor is this model absolute."
These stages are a map — not the territory. You may occupy different stages in different contexts. The same person can be at integrative commitment with their gender analysis and conformity with their racial analysis. The goal is to see yourself clearly, reduce the gap between who you present as and who you are, and commit to the work of moving forward.
Adapted from the clinical research of Derald Wing Sue, contextualized in Sahar Muhsin Laufman, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging in the Workplace & Everyday Life (Bookboon, 2022), Chapter 1.3: Identity Formation.