“A Dream Deferred”: How Discrimination Impacts the American Dream Achievement for African Americans

Abstract

The American Dream (TAD) is an ideological symbol of achievement and success in American culture. Historical barriers to equal opportunities and economic attainment through racial discrimination have limited access to TAD for African Americans. Barriers of discrimination also reduce the perception of one’s life satisfaction, which can further affect the beliefs of ever obtaining TAD. The present research evaluated the effects of discrimination and life satisfaction on perceptions of achieving TAD among a sample of N = 1,081 African American adults. Results showed that higher levels of discrimination led to higher odds of African Americans believing that they would never achieve TAD. Income was also significantly associated with TAD attainment, as were age, marital status, and education level. Group differences were found for marital status, age, income, life satisfaction, education, and being worse off financially compared to one’s parents. These results support strain theory and racial threat theory by identifying the relationship between discrimination and perceptions of being able to achieve TAD. Those who reported having achieved TAD were more likely to have higher life satisfaction, more successful careers, more financial wealth compared to previous generations, and higher education levels, showing distinct group differences. The study concludes with recommendations for future research into the definition and measurement of TAD and the barriers to attainment for African American families.

Muay Thai, Psychological Well-Being, and Cultivation of Combat-Relevant Affordances

“…Firdous et al [69] further examined the relationship between academic achievement and overall life satisfaction among medical students in Pakistan (n = 200) and found a significant positive relationship between academic achievement and overall life satisfaction. In another empirical study investing life satisfaction in African American adults (n = 1081), Armstrong et al [70] found that those who reported having achieved "The American Dream" reported having higher life satisfaction than those who reported not having achieved "The American Dream". In other words, achieving their vision of "The American Dream" was strongly associated with their overall satisfaction with life.…”

“…We have now reviewed the literature on psychological well-being and found ample empirical evidence confirming that positive emotions [33][34][35][36][37][38][39], engagement [36,[44][45][46][47][48], relationships [51][52][53][54][55][56], meaning [36,[60][61][62][63][64][65], and accomplishment [67][68][69][70][71][72] are important elements that contribute to overall psychological well-being [16]. We have also reviewed recent research on Muay Thai training and found a growing body of empirical work suggesting that Muay Thai training can contribute to positive emotions [40][41][42][43], engagement [49,50], relationships [41,50,[57][58][59], meaning [42,49,…”