Finding the Black Self: A Humanistic Strategy

Abstract

This brief paper develops a humanistic strategy for study of Black self-definition. It contrasts the distinction between personality and culture traditionally conceived in the social sciences with the way in which these important constructs are regarded by those utilizing humanistic strategies. Particular attention is given to the utility of humanistic strategy for penetrating Afro-American presentations of self, and an effort has been made to explore humanistic developments in anthropology, history, and sociology, as well as psychology.This brief, admittedly exploratory paper seeks, as its title suggests, to set forth a strategy for the study of the Black self, and in that sense aims at being a catalyst for further discussion rather than setting forth hard and fast methodological guidelines. That study of the Black self is important is suggested by Wyne, White, and Coop (1974), who observed: Numerous texts and research articles have been written on selfconcept, but very little attention has been given to research or theory regarding the development of self in black Americans. There is still more heat than light surrounding self perceptions of black individuals. (p. xii) at University of Manitoba Libraries on June 18, 2015 jbp.sagepub.com Downloaded from

Synthesis of Research on the Role of Culture in Learning Among African American Youth: The Contributions of Asa G. Hilliard, III

“…A bedrock of Western psychology is the construal of the self as individual (Johnson, 1985; Markus, 1977). Hilliard and others who led the Black psychological paradigm shift concluded from their examinations of African traditional philosophical systems and socialization practices that there was great value placed on the idea of individual’s sense of self being connected to kinship networks, a relational sense of self (Nobles, 1976; p’Bitek, 1998; R. S. Jones, 1980).…”