Mental health is defined and a diagnostic system of ordered and disordered African (Black) personality functioning is discussed. The discussion first is grounded in the backdrop of briefly stated but fundamental "Advances in Black Personality Theory." Mental health is then shown to be rooted in the original human's biogenetic nature, and, hence, the natural order. Both ordered and disordered personality functioning are considered in this context. The nosology systematizes 18 of the disorders of the African personality (a) with one another and (b) with the nosological system prevalent in Euro-American psychology (DSM-ILI). Two cases (one actual, one contrived) are presented to illustrate practical usage of the nosology.

The comparative research framework, contrasting distinct groups by statistical significance tests, is examined for major epistemological and practical problems inherent in its usage with African-European (Black-White) groups. Three axioms are given regarding the proper and improper usage of this approach in the context of epistemological soundness. Published examples of proper and improper usage are presented. Three kinds of proper usage are identified. And, the intricacy in determining whether a given implementation of this research framework is proper or improper is discussed.

Addiction to substances is among the self-destructive disordersfound in the Azibo nosology. It is theorized that underlying these disorders is psychological misorientation that results from a distortion in African Self-Consciousness (ASC). To explore ASC and the relationship between it and misorientation behavior for a population of 101 African American males suffering from crack-cocaine addiction, the ASC scale and a background questionnaire measuring misorientation behaviorwere administered, andfactorand chi-square analyses were conducted. The results ofafactor analysis of the ASC scale yielded twofactors and indicated that there may be some distortion inASCfor this population. Chi-square analyses revealed no significant difference in misorientation behavior between the first and fourth quartile groups created on the two factors. Chi square analyses conducted on the total sample classified into three ASC orientation groups (incorrect ASC orientation, ASC orientation unclear, ASC orientation correct); however, they did yield significant differences in misorientation behavior Results are discussed in terms of Kambon 's (1992) African personality theory, the Azibo nosology (Azibo, 1989, in press), and psychodynamics perhaps characteristic of this population.