Volume 18 Number 3
May 1979

Richard A. Heaps and Stanley G. Morrill

ALTHOUGH Navajo Indians have been an extremely impoverished cultural group, they have been raised in a tightly knit culture which has taught respect for mutual responsibility, sharing, and individual integrity (see Notes 5 and 8). Consequently, in spite of their economic position, one might expect to find a generally positive self-concept among those Navajo people who maintain traditional values (see Note 11). However, one might also expect that as these people come in contact with a dominant society or culture which continually emphasizes the "different" and "disadvantage" nature of the Navajo, there might be a tendency to develop self-conceptions which are generally lower than those of the dominant culture (see Notes 3 and 5). This study examined a portion of the latter proposal by comparing the self-concepts of Navajo and white high school students.

The subjects were 200 Navajo and 167 white high school students at Fort Defiance and Snowflake, Arizona. The number of students selected for the two groups was in proportion to the total student populations involved, and proportionately matched according to grade level and general ability classifications. The Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (see Note 7) was administered to the students during one of their regular classes. Scores were recorded for the counseling form of the "Scale" and contrasted by means of t-tests.

The difference between the total positive score, or overall level of selfesteem, for the Navajo and white student samples was not significant (see Table I for statistical comparisons). Differences on five subscales indicating the students' perceptions of their behavior, self-satisfaction, physical self, personal worth, and value as a family member were also found not to be significant. However, there were significant differences on four subscales, with the Navajo students demonstrating less satisfaction with their personal identities, moral-ethical self and relations with other people, and more social defensiveness than the white students.

It appears that the Navajo and white students were generally comparable to each other in those self-perceptions involving intrapersonal evaluations.

*p < .01, two-tailed test.

An examination of the specific items and the general concepts of the subscales yielding differences between the two cultural groups, when compared with social and moral values of the two cultures, suggests that the Navajo and white students were different from each other in those areas of self-perception involving social comparisons or moral values more unique and important to each culture. Since there are very real attitude and value differences, and, at times, conflict between these two cultural groups, one might expect the minority group to become confused, angry, and/or dissatisfied with the imposition of values not entirely their own (see Note 4).

It may be that measured differences in personal functioning or self-evaluations were more a function of the evaluative framework used (e.g., cultural bias in the measurement instrument) than of actual, or "natural" differences existing in comparisions across cultures.

It may also be that the measurement instrument was sensitive to actual self-concept differences in those external and moral conceptions most unique to each culture. Since some of the values which contribute to and maintain the self-concepts of American Indians appear to be different than those which contribute to and maintain the self-concepts of whites, the Navajo student may not be prepared to compete under imposed conditions within the white culture with its different value orientation (see Note 2). The consequence of being thrust into such an environment, without awareness and acquisition of commensurate values and skills, may be a lower self-evaluation specific to those values imposed by the white culture (see Note 4).

The present authors (see also 1 and 10) feel that one of the major educational and counseling tasks in working with Navajo students, other Indian students, or students from any minority or disadvantaged groups, is that of improving their self-concept or their cultural identities in those areas where a lower self-evaluation or confused identity may occur because of cross-cultural conflicts in values, attitudes, and behaviors (e.g., areas involving cultural identities, social and religious values, etc.). This is not intended to suggest a need for minorities to avoid difficulties by adopting the cultural values of a dominant group. Along with Martin (see Note 9) and Rader (see Note 10), the present authors suggest that this process of enhancing self-evaluations may be best accomplished by replacing failure, criticism, and/or conflict in these social-cultural value areas with intensive, positive feedback and opportunities for success. This may be accomplished, in part, by structuring environmental experiences (academic and social) to enhance success. To help with this process, teachers need to become aware of and sensitive to cultural differences among students they teach as well as between the students and larger societies with which they must interact (see Note 6).

Another major educational and counseling task would be to identify and discuss cross-cultural commonalities and differences in an exchange of values between minority and white students through such processes as controlled group counseling. This could facilitate an examination of those experiences and issues relevant to positive growth and identity development within different cultures, and may foster relevant change within both groups rather than one. Hopefully, such an approach would minimize the deleterious effects of extreme, rigid confrontation between divergent cultural orientations and enhance the social growth of members of both cultures.

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2. Bryde, J. F. Modern Indian Psychology, Vermillion: Institute of Indian Studies, University of South Dakota, 1971.

3 Conklin, P. "Good Day at Rough Rock." American Education, 3:2, 4-9, 1967.

4 Davis, T. and Pyatskowit, A. "Bicognitive Education: A New Future for the Indian Child?" Journal of American Indian Education, 15:3, 14-21, 1976.

5 Eaton, J. "Challenge at Many Farms." The Junior College Journal, 39: May, 35-38, 1969.

6 Evans, R. M. and Husband, M. B. "Indian Studies in the Classroom." Journal of American Indian Education, 15:1, 4-7, 1975

7 Fitts, W. H. Tennessee Self Concept Scale Manual. Nashville: Counselor Recordings and Tests, 1965.

8 Lee, D. "Individual Autonomy and Social Structure." The Personnel and Guidance Journal, 35:September, 16-23, 1956.

9 Martin, M. H. "Building the Slow Learner's Self-Esteem," Today's Education, 59: March, 46-47, 1970.

10. Rader, H. "The Ghetto Child's Self-Image." Illinois Education, 56:March, 289-300, 1968.

11. Trimble, J. E. "Say Goodbye to the Hollywood Indian: Results of A Nationwide Survey of the Self-Image of the American Indian." Paper presented at the 82nd annual convention, American Psychological Association, New Orleans, August, 1974.