Sociocultural, sociohistorical, and sociopolitical effects on African American women's sense of self

• Main Author: Leathers, Leslie Carol
• Other Authors: Liu, William Ming
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: University of Iowa 2010
• Subjects: Educational Psychology
• Online Access: https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/538; https://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1723&context=etd

The current study was an attempt to increase understanding within the field about the self-conceptualization processes of African American women given the perceptions/ stereotypes that exist about them. Grounded theory methodology was utilized to ascertain participants' understanding of themselves as well as whether historical and/or contemporary perceptions/stereotypes impacted how they saw themselves. The African American women in this study tended to define themselves in positive terms. Often their self-definitions included perceptions/stereotypes that are typically thought to be socially desirable (e.g., strong and independent). The participants' self-definitions tended to exclude perceptions/ stereotypes that carry more negative connotations (e.g., loud and unintelligent). Future research should investigate the implications of perceptions/stereotypes for self-concepts of African American women who are also members of other traditionally oppressed groups.