Religious Socialization and Self-Definition Among Black Undergraduate Women Attending Predominantly White Institutions

Abstract

To date, few scholars have explored religious and spiritual socialization among emerging adult Black women. In this study, we analyzed semi-structured interview data from 50 Black undergraduate women to explore associations between childhood religious socialization messages and current religious beliefs in emerging adulthood. Consensual qualitative methods revealed two broad domains and six themes. The first domain, “religious alignment,” included: (1) internalizing religion and (2) educating others on religious beliefs. The second domain, “religious departure,” included: (3) modifying religious expectations to fit developing beliefs, (4) employing religion as a pathway to self-acceptance, (5) picking and choosing battles within their religious community, and (6) choosing an alternate religious or faith system. Findings highlighted how the women started to take ownership of their religious experiences, as well as how they used religious practices, such as prayer, to cope with gendered racism. Authors discuss the implications of emerging adulthood on Black women’s religious identities.

A reconsideration of group differences in social psychology: Towards a critical intersectional approach

“…A significant number of studies and storytelling projects have used critical intersectional approaches to illuminate both risk and neglected intersections, potentially facilitating more targeted interventions and social change. Research in developmental science, for example, examines the evolving nature of ethnic‐racial identity, highlighting important intersections across race, gender, socioeconomic position, and social identity broadly, including both positive and negative implications across educational settings (Ghavami et al., 2016; Jackson et al., 2022; Leath et al., 2023; Leath & Jones, 2022; Lei & Rhodes, 2021; Rogers, 2020). Psychological and health‐focused research has used intersectionality to understand gendered racism (Jones et al., 2021; Lewis et al., 2017; Opara et al., 2023; Spates et al., 2020; Syed & Ajayi, 2018), disability (Bailey & Mobley, 2019), reproductive justice (Ross, 2017), sexual harrassment and sexual violence through a racism lens (e.g., racialized sexual harassment) (Buchanan & Ormerod, 2002), the experiences of stigmatized, low‐income women and heightened risk for certain health outcomes (e.g., HIV, food, and housing insecurity) (Guidroz & Berger, 2009; Versey & Russell, 2022), issues for policy and practice (Fine et al., 2021; Hankivsky & Jordan‐Zachery, 2019; Thornton‐Dill & Zambrana, 2009; Yuval‐Davis, 2009), and studies centering on the lived experiences of (and erasure of) Black women in academia and research (Alexander‐Floyd, 2012; Bailey & Trudy, 2018; Lewis, 2023).…”

Perspectives on Sexual Socialization from a Sample of Black Heterosexual College Women

“…These socialization agents were not as open about talking and discussing sex and sexuality in detail. These messages reinforced the expectations that have been handed down over the years within home, religious, and school environments (Leath et al, 2021, 2022) and demonstrate the reciprocal interactions across these systems of influence purported by the bioecological systems model (Tudge et al, 2016).…”

Correlates of Spirituality among African American and Black Caribbean Emerging Adults

“…Historic figures such as Harriet Tubman , Sojourner Truth (died 1883), Mahalia Jackson (1911Jackson ( -1972, and Jarena Lee (1783Lee ( -1864 are noted for their spiritual connections to God, which upheld their resilience and resistance within anti-Black and misogynistic societal contexts (Lee 1849;Patterson 2013;Truth 1998;Weisenfeld and Newman 2014;Wilson 2019). Spirituality remains a mainstay for contemporary African American women of all ages, with recent scholarship showing that it often serves as a source of strength and inspiration for African American emerging adult women (Leath et al 2022;Patton and McClure 2009). As such, our finding that African American emerging adult women reported higher levels of spirituality than their male counterparts is consistent with previous empirical literature on gender differences and historical accounts of the centrality of spirituality for African American women.…”