Conflict Management Styles among Elder African Americans when Coping with Racism

Defense Date

4-4-2008

Graduation Date

Spring 1-1-2008

Availability

Campus Only

Submission Type

thesis

Degree Name

MA

Department

Graduate Center for Social and Public Policy

School

McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts

Committee Chair

Charles F. Hanna

Committee Member

Douglas Harper

Keywords

African American, conflict, coping, racism

Abstract

Racism in America remains as a real and damaging social reality with psychological, biological, and social effects on the African American population. How do elderly African Americans cope with their experiences of racism? I conducted in-depth interviews with elderly African Americans to examine coping strategies in the face of racial conflict and racism. Interviewing African American women and men of all walks of life allowed me to explore the effects of racism on past life experiences and its continued effects on everyday life. My findings show that elderly African Americans utilize their social support networks, their spirituality, and their own life experiences to inform their coping mechanisms. Exploring questions that address not only the effects of racism but also the coping mechanisms used to address it will help build positive identities for African Americans and other groups who experience exclusion, oppression, and other forms of prejudice and discrimination.

Format

PDF

Language

English

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS