Description
Book SynopsisExplodes the myth that self-hatred is the dominant theme in Black identity. This book, using a thorough review of social scientific literature on Negro identity conducted between 1936 and 1967, demonstrates that important themes of mental health and adaptive strength have been frequently overlooked by scholars, both Black and White.
Trade Review"There is not a comparable book that pulls together all of the literature on race attitudes as Cross has done. This is an excellent book; it should be widely read."—
Harriette McAdoo, Howard University
"In his book, Mr. Cross presents the results of his close re-reading of the original data from the literature on black identity from 1939 to 1967. Almost without exception, he says, the scholars involved committed two significant errors: They drew conclusions about adult identity from the results of research among preschool-aged children. In addition, they used measures that assessed social attitudes—views about racial identity—but interpreted their findings as if they had also measured elements of personality, such as self-esteem and self-hatred."
—The Chronicle of Higher Education
"A major contribution to the scholarship on Black psychological identity.... Cross has carefully addressed this dominant thesis of psychology, and successfully brought it under a new scientific jurisdiction."—
James M. Jones, University of Delaware
Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Part I: Rethinking Self-Hatred 1. Landmark Studies of Negro Identity 2. Empirical Research on Group Identity and Personal Identity 3. Testing the Lewinian Hypothesis 4. Issues of Imposition, Self-Hatred, and Celebration Part II: the Psychology of Nigrescence 5. Black Militancy and the Psychology of Nigrescence 6. Rethinking Nigrescence Appendix: Summary of Forty-Five Studies of Black Identity Bibliography Index
