The Psychology in African American Essay Example for Free

The Psychology in African American Essay ?Over the last 500 years, our country has established and battled one of the largest socio-tragedies known to man: racism. While this pestilent issue has affected many ethnic groups, the most publicly known is the racial discrimination concerning African Americans. By my reasoning, along with many sociologists and psychologists, racism is the root cause of African American race socialization. Race socialization is the theory of verbal and non-verbal messages being transmitted to specific ethnic groups for the positive or negative development of behaviors, philosophies, morals, and attitudes concerning the significance and importance of racial stratification, intergroup interactions, and personal and group identity. The timespan in which I will be surveying connects milestones of race socialization with many of the most significant moments in United States history. The primary sources I will be using as support for this paper will be several works by W. E. B. Du Bois1 and a book by Dr. Faye Belgrave entitled African American Psychology: From Africa to America2. The psychological effect that racism and race socialization has had on African Americans is more than apparent not only through texts written by various sociologists and psychologists, but also throughout history. I will focus on a specific fifty-year span when race socialization took effect, racism was socially acceptable and ultimately racism was combatted. It is my purpose in this paper to discuss, examine and determine the psychological effect that racism and race socialization has had on American citizens of African descent between the timespan of 1870 to 1970. To better recognize the psychology behind African American race socialization, the idea of racism has to be understood. Racism is the belief that all members of each race possess the same characteristics and abilities. Racism came about when the Caucasian race felt superior to other ethnic groups and began categorizing them by their combined racial and ethnic traits. The problem with the categorization is that race and ethnicity are not the same thing3. Racism uses ethnic traits and forces them onto a group of people as their â€Å"race†. Ethnicity is considered to be similar cultural factors like nationality, culture, ancestry and language. While race is comparable physical appearances like skin, eyes, hair and jawbone structure. Combining these two factors and using them against people who appear to be similar is exactly where racism stems4. Another strong belief is that racism plays on the weaknesses and self esteem of the targeted group. In Dr. Faye Belgrave’s book African American Psychology: From Africa to America, she discusses how racism and racial identity are directly influenced by the Western ideology of self-esteem. Dr. Belgrave concludes that racism, in regards to anyone of African descent, should not be defined by Western ideologies because they are not of Western descent. This is explained on page 11 of her book5. In understanding what self-esteem is from an African as well as a Western perspective, one must understand the difference between Western and African conceptions of the self. Using a Western definition, self-esteem can be defined as a feeling of liking and regard for one’s self. From an Africentric perspective, the personal self is indistinguishable from the self that is derived from membership in the African community (Nobles, 1991). Therefore, one’s affiliation to one’s group defines one’s view of self. The African proverb, â€Å"I am because we are and we are because I am,† characterizes this notion of the self. Thus, the self-esteem of people of African descent may be different from that of Whites, and it also may function differently for African Americans than for Whites. Dr. Belgrave continues her thoughts on self-esteem and the many other factors that contribute to racism in chapter 9 of her book. It is the belief of many that racism is a part of human nature. I, however, believe that to be untrue because it is well known that the terms â€Å"race† and â€Å"racism† are modern inventions originating from the 1500s. Racism has historically been used as a form of oppression to make a particular group feel inferior because of a difference in inherited characteristics. The Civil War6 abolished slavery and struck a great blow to racism. But racism itself wasn’t abolished. Just as racism was created to justify slavery in the colonies, racism as an ideology was modernized and since majority of blacks still remained in the South, this affected the entire race. It now no longer warranted the enslavement of blacks, but it justified second-class status for blacks as inferior individuals. Racism also remained one of the main ways that the upper class used to keep colored and white workers divided. After the Civil War, Southern legislatures commenced the business of determining the social status of freedmen. Some laws, known as the Black Codes7, granted to freedmen were legally recognized marriages, the right to own and sell property, and the ability to enter into business relationships. However, in most cases the black codes also prohibited African Americans from serving on juries, providing legal testimony and the right to an equal education. The codes also outlawed interracial marriage and created segregated public facilities. The codes prohibited younger African Americans from associating with any white peers. This meant that their so-called education was of a severely lesser quality. Historians believe that one of the main reasons why Southern legislatures shied away from granting educational opportunities for blacks wasn’t because of ambiguous racism but because historians saw the African factor†8 as the difference between success and failure. This suggested that the white’s racist view undermined any motivation for national unification through mass education. Well-known sociologist, W. E. B. Du Bois believed that the overall shortcomings of the black race fell entirely on the fact that blacks were not given the same opportunities as whites and it affected the psyches of each member of the targeted group. In an essay by Du Bois entitled â€Å"Race Intelligence†9 Du Bois discusses the psychological effect of racism on younger African Americans: Then came the psychology: the children of the public schools were studied and it was discovered that some colored children ranked lower than white children. This gave wide satisfaction even though it was pointed out that the average included most of both races and that considering the educational opportunities and social environment of the races the differences were measurements simply of the ignorance and poverty of the black childs surroundings. 10 Du Bois spent majority of his career observing the sociological factors surrounding African Americans and the hindrances in their paths. Du Bois’ works do not focus on making African Americans appear as victims but as something to learn and grow from. Du Bois believed racism had no place in this world. When the 1900s began and the Roosevelt Administration11 took over, race socialization was still being transmitted from older generations to younger. In 1903, Du Bois wrote a collection of essays entitled, The Souls of Black Folk12. In this book, Du Bois clearly states that the â€Å"problem of the twentieth century is the color line. † The color line was the segregation between blacks and whites and what many African Americans believed would be the biggest problem for their race. This however, was untrue. What African Americans at this time didn’t know was that their daily dose of racism and discrimination was only the surface of their problems. What wasn’t seen at the time was the aftermath of what this entire decade of racism would cause for the entire race. The psychological affect of racism and eventual race socialization every future generation would face would be equally if not worse then what had already been suffered. W. E. B. Du Bois believed that one of the race’s biggest struggles was constantly seeing themselves with such little respect and diminishing their self worth because of what the so-called ‘dominant’ race thought of them. This is also shown in Du Bois’ The Souls of Black Folk: â€Å"After the Egyptian and Indian, the Greek and Roman, the Teuton and Mongolian, the Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world, —a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world. It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his two-ness, —an American, a Negro two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder. The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife, — this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self. † 13 Du Bois life mission was to make a name not only for himself but also for his race and his country. This is reflected in his diary when he wrote, â€Å"I therefore take the work that the Unknown lay in my hands and work for the rise of the Negro people, taking for granted that their best development means the best development of the world†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 14 Understanding racism in this way implores the strategy that we use to combat racism [socially] and the belief that racism has caused race socialization and directly influenced the slow progression, both academic and social, of African American people. Over the last 50 years, psychologists and sociologists alike have tried to study the effects of racism on ethnic groups, especially African Americans, and have been uninspiringly successful. I believe that Dr. Faye Belgrave has the answer why. In her book, African American Psychology: From Africa to America, she explains why: â€Å"Some of the methodological issues that were historically problematic in studying African Americans remain today. The best methods for studying African American populations may differ from the methods for studying other ethnic groups. For example, the experimental method is the favored method in psychology and has been considered the gold standard for con- ducting research. However, it may not always be the best way to arrive at an understanding of the psychology of African Americans. Other methods such as interviewing and observing may be more appropriate, depending on what is being studied. African psychology considers self-knowledge and intuition to be as important as source of knowing as observable data. Self-knowledge is derived from asking people about themselves not from observing them under experimental conditions. †15 Perhaps the reason why we’ve had such a hard time pinpointing the real root of racism and thus a ‘cure’ is because it isn’t being studied or treated properly. The concept of racism is treated like any other social problem, not the disease that it is. Racism has developed from its initial form of discrimination into an entire ideology [race socialization]. Antiracist education is crucial, but not enough. Because it treats racism only as a question of â€Å"bad notions† it does not speak to the core surface conditions that allow the acceptance of racism among large sections of the country. Entirely defeating the hold of racism on large sections of ethnic groups involves three circumstances: a larger group retaliation that ties together members of the ethnic group along the color line, attacking the circumstances (lesser pay, treatment, education, etc. ) that allow the attraction of racism to a so-called ‘superior’ ethnic group and the mindful involvement of antiracists to fight racism in all its forms and to win encouragement for interracial class unity.

John Stuart Mill :: essays research papers

John Stuart Mill 1806-1873 John had a teleological view of ethics. He is also known as the 1st advocate for women. Lived during the time of the Industrial Revolution. Born to a rich man, he was the youngest, Mr. Mill retired after having John and deticated his life to making John a genius. Mr. Mill home educated John all his life in hopes to create a genius. Not once in Johns life at home was he able to leave the compound of his fathers home. John had to educate his older brothers and sisters. At the age of 14 Johns standard or intellect was very high. At 14 he was given the summer off and went to Paris with his cousins. By the age of 15 Mr. Mill was inviting leading scholars in mathematics, literature, science†¦and want John to prove to them that he knew more in that subject than they did. The amazing thing is that he know more about those subject than the scholars. At 21 he was a genius but had a breakdown. He was sent to a rest home where no drugs where administered. It was merely a place for him to rest and relax. He was a very left brained person with all the factual knowledge he had and this place allowed him to explore the right side†¦.poems, literature†¦Mr. Mills disowned John because he want a genius and geniuses don’t go crazy. When John gets out he is perfectly fine, still and genius and sane at the same time. When John gets out he gets a job with the East India Company. With all the knowledge John had he never taught. He worked all his life and did philosophy for fun on the side. John was never mad at his father for what he did to him, instead he was mad at his mother for allowing Mr. Mill mistreat John. Strangely enough John becomes the first advocate for women. By 23 or 24 John meets a woman by the name of Harriet Taylor. She is known as the wild woman of Europe and also a radical. Harriet was married to a rich man whom she had total control over. Harriet was known to frequent the men’s clubs alone where she would drink and smoke. When she meets John she falls in love and for about 20 years they would see each other while she was still married.

Comparison of Jane Austen’s novels

Question: Does the Igbo culture fall apart solely because of external pressures of European Imperialism and Christianity or are there internal tensions that cause the culture to disintegrate? Answer: In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe explores the struggles between the old traditions of the Igbo community and the effects of Christianity on people of different calibers within that society. He also demonstrates the effects of one society thrust onto another. Before the introduction of Christianity by the white man, the Ibo society has been well-settled, with its own laws and strong religious beliefs. â€Å"The Second Coming† by William Butler Yeats describes a world about to reach yet another transition in its history, one much worse than the prior. Therefore, we observe the white man intruding the African religion which is pregnant with superstitions, and steering them towards destruction in a way that they feel it is a natural process. The Christian religion brings with itself a strong government and peaceful trade. The people become more prosperous and the white men started gaining converts. Specifically, after the church of Mr. Kiaga survives on the Evil Forest for over twenty-eight days, they won a handful more converts. Moreover, for the first time, they comprised of a woman named Nneka, the wife of Amadi. Nneka had suffered a lot on account of bearing twins and then losing them to the Evil Forest due to a perilous custom. Christianity is viewed as a refuge to keep her children. Moreover, Nwoye's feminine curiosity caused him to doubt and wonder about numerous things in Igbo culture that his father would not dwell on for long. These encapsulate the death of Ikemefuna and the abandoning of twins into the bush that cry until they die. Thereby, he sees Christianity as a solution to his problems and he seems to have found peace in leaving his father and the insensitive religion. However, the loss of old traditional values to the new religion leads to a whole new generation being lost as well. Furthermore, the internal conflict within the clan is so immense that it leads Okonkwo to thoughts of violence, destruction and war, which eventually result in the final destruction of his society. Evidence of this is seen when Obreika and Okonkwo are discussing how the white man has destroyed Abame, and how he is now doing so to Umofia, prompting Okonkwo to say, â€Å"Abame people are weak and foolish. Why did they not fight back? †¦We must fight these men and drive them from our land.† The division within the clan among those favouring the traditional and the new has built an animosity. When Okonkwo has thoughts of destroying the white man, it foreshadows a conflict and illustrates how much hatred power and division can cause. The power of internal separation is observed in its greatest advent at the very end. Observing what hatred has brought Okonkwo to, the rest of the clan surrenders to the white man and allows itself to be conquered or pacified as the white man claims. Not only they have the entire legacy of the subjects be eliminated, an entire culture and society as well. This vividly showcases the British policy of â€Å"Divide and Rule.† Nonetheless, it is the internal tensions that fuel disintegration in the Ibo culture. Had they not been disunited by the white man's eloquent oratory, they would have fought for their rights and land. The weak faith in gods and religion that a number of Igbo's possessed, led them to â€Å"accommodate change† and remain ignorant of the manipulative nature of the colonizers. This submissive attitude, an overpowering sense of inferiority coupled with lack of contact with the world outside, paved way for the external pressures i.e., Christianity and imperialism to enforce perennial domination on them.

Ethnics in Public Health Practice Free Essay Example, 2250 words

Ethics in Public Health and Ethics Ethics in Public Health and Ethics Introduction The application of ethical principles in public health practice is informed by the connection between morality and healthcare administration. Public health practice is regarded as a moral practice. It is carried out in the best interest of humanity and is anchored on the objective of improving the welfare of the human subject (Peckham & Hann, 2010). The ends of public health administration are understood within the need to protect and promote human health. The recognition of the sanctity of human life and the upholding of the objectives of good health are key considerations that underpin the practice and service of public health. Human life is considered as sacred and higher in hierarchy as compared to the lives of other living things. Therefore, the best practices and methods should be adopted in the dispensation of healthcare, on which the essence of life is centrally dependent. Deontological Ethics Theory and Public Health Practice Theoretically, the inculcation of ethics within public health practice is considered along the theory of deontology. This theory affirms the need for people to stick to their duties and obligations when undertaking various activities. We will write a custom essay sample on Ethnics in Public Health Practice or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now The deontological perspective on public health will require the public health practitioner to embrace the duty and obligation of community service by adopting approaches and attitudes that promote the welfare of the community (Bradley, Bradley & Burls, 2012). A deontological perspective on health would involve the selfless application of duty in ways that prioritize service to humanity above private interests. The role and value of ethics in public health practice also takes the dimension of society. Individuals are not considered in isolation. They are regarded as part of the wider society. A patient is considered as a unit that forms part of the wider society. The application of public health practices is usually conceptualized within the wider scope of society. The aims are usually projected towards the wider public. In this regard, it is important to recognize the value of public health practices as those that seek to make impact of a wider scale. The promotion of societal health is considered as a moral duty of the healthcare practitioner (Novick, Morrow & Mays, 2007). The healthcare practitioner has the duty of improving the health of the population by applying some basic principles that seek to preserve the health of the society as understood within the framework of morality.