When Threat Affirms: Expanding Self-Affirmation Theory Through the Asian-White Multiracial Experience

Document Type

Journal Article

Role

Author

Published In

Journal of Humanistic Psychology

Publication Date

8-30-2026

Abstract

While existing literature on self-affirmation has advanced our understanding of its protective function when self-integrity is threatened, relatively little attention has been given to the nature and role of the threat itself. To address this gap, the present collaborative autoethnographic study explores how the second author’s Asian-White multiracial identity, initially experienced as a threat to her self-worth, ultimately became a source of meaning and empowerment, leading to a self-affirming resolution. Over the course of 2 months, she worked with the first author (a research collaborator) to analyze her essays and verbal reflections collected during a 10-week research project previously conducted with six other multiracial Asian college students. Findings indicate that, despite the challenges associated with her dual heritage, she came to embrace the multiplicity of her identity in a way that freed her from the need to conform to a singular sense of belonging. This study highlights how identity-based threat can play a central and transformative role in the process of self-affirmation.


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