Commentary on: Why Do Pacific People with Multiple Ethnic Affiliations Have Poorer Subjective Wellbeing? Negative Ingroup Affect Mediates the Identity Tension Effect, (Manuela & Sibley, 2012)

Abstract

This commentary is a response to the article described above. While applauding the attention given to the multi-ethnic population, it queries some aspects of the study design and findings. Specifically, I examine the assumptions underpinning the use of a Pacific measure of family wellbeing to evaluate families that are not only Pacific origin, ask some questions regarding the sampling methods and content, and question the inference that because people with Pacific/non-Pacific multi-ethnic affiliations have lower self-esteem, mediated by less warmth towards Pacific peoples, that this necessarily reflects the internalisation of negative beliefs espoused by the dominant Pakeha (white) ethnic group. Alternative possible explanations for this are explored.