Black Racial Identity and the Expression of African Cultural Values: A Convergent Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

Despite decades of research on Black racial identity and African cultural values, there has been a lack of research that integrates the two topics using a mixed methods approach. Thus, using a convergent mixed methods strategy, the researcher investigated how African cultural values may be expressed as perceived through Black racial identity and how African cultural values may be expressed in daily life, in previous counseling experiences, or through coping. Quantitative methods were used to examine how African American adults (n = 80) perceive themselves on the basis of Black racial identity using convenience and snowball sampling. Correlation analysis showed a positive moderate relationship among the private regard and centrality subscale dimensions (r = .448, p < .01) using Spearman's correlation. Multinomial logistic regression was also conducted, and age, gender, and number of children were found to predict racial identity group membership amongst participants. Most significantly, the analysis showed some of the predictors (i.e., age) were significant and likely to predict centrality and private regard membership category. Therefore, age was a predictor of racial identity attitudes. Participants were ranked into categories, high, moderate, or low based on Black racial identity (racial centrality or private regard) scores. Five participants participated in semistructured interviews with the following Black racial identity profiles: moderate centrality, high centrality, and high private regard. Results of the semistructured interviews were merged with the Black racial identity categories. Six themes emerged from the qualitative interviews associated with the African cultural values of creativity, purpose, and self-determination as expressed in daily life, therapy experiences, and coping: (a) Revitalization of Heritage; (b) Collaboration, Accountability, and Black Prioritization; (c) Autonomy; (d) the Presenting Concern, Black History, and its Contextual Present; (e) Illuminated Persistence; and (f) Reawakening. Clinical considerations, implications, and future directions for research are then discussed.