African American and Identity Article Critique

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Chill, be cool man: African-American men, identity, coping and aggressive ideation examines the cultural context of aggression. They note that researchers often look at aggression deterministically, but fail to address cultural factors. The researchers seek to address this gap in their paper.

They divided their study group into three, based on the respondent's identity -- whether it was ambivalent, appraising or consolidated. The strength of racial identity among the study group was found to have an influence on the person's ability to cope with stressors, and with respect to aggressive ideation. Further, there was a link between coping and aggressive ideation as well. The findings are relevant for a couple of reasons. The first is that it illustrates a link between racial identity and the ability to cope. Individuals with a weaker sense of racial identity are less likely to cope with stressors and therefore more likely to express aggression. They note that aggression correlates with not just outward violence but depression and suicide. Among young African-American males, there are high rates of violence, suicide and depression, and the researchers sought to determine the extent to which racial identity contributes to this.

The study is also relevant because it highlights that African-American identity is complex.

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The nuances of this are not necessarily portrayed well in media, or in outsider communities, but there can be significant differences in identity perception among African-Americans, reflecting connection to history, a sense of group belonging, and feelings towards one's own identity. That all of these play a role in shaping the strength of one's racial identity, and that this in turn influences the ability to cope with stressors and aggressive ideation, is a key finding. A conclusion that could be drawn is that stronger African-American identity among young males could contribute to better outcomes in terms of higher coping ability and lower aggressive ideation.

The research was also particular to males. The authors noted that there are norms of traditional masculinity, and stressors often emerge when those norms are challenged. Transgressions will lead to attempts to restored perceived control. The authors argue that the dominant society is typically the source for masculine identity, and there can be pressures created not just with that, but with the added pressures associated with being African-American.

There are also implications for the structure of African-American societies within America. The authors note that freshman enrollment is much lower….....

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