African American Health and Posttraumatic Slave Syndrome: A Terror Management Theory Account

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explicate a terror management theory (TMT) analysis of the poor social and psychological well-being of African Americans by drawing upon a model of cultural trauma to explain the antecedents and effects of posttraumatic slave syndrome. Cultural trauma is defined as a state that occurs when a people's cultural worldview has been destabilized to the point where it does not effectively meet its TMT function of providing a buffer against basic anxiety and uncertainty. The article outlines how the impact of slavery was a significant trauma to African American people, which was carried forward through successive generations; providing an explanation of their current anxiety-related conditions, poor health, and maladaptive behaviors. Findings from health and justice research and qualitative data from narratives of African Americans are presented to substantiate the adaptation of a model of cultural trauma for understanding the contemporary situation of African Americans.

Black women's help‐seeking and self‐care strategies: A phenomenological exploration

“…The first research question sought to understand Black women's mental health stress. Black women in this study reported that their mental and physical health deteriorated due to repeated, often daily oppressive situations related to their intersectional identities, which is consistent with existing literature (Alves‐Bradford et al., 2020; Halloran, 2019; Maddox, 2013). They coped with their oppressive experiences by putting forth a positive image of themselves and suppressing their emotional reactions.…”

Next Wave of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome Survivors

“…With respect to gendered racism, Black women professionals in this study share many adaptive survival behaviors akin to those found in the earlier conceptual work on PTSS (DeGruy, 2005). These oral histories and traditions of survival behavior are interwoven and passed down from prior generations through familial relationships, community bonds, and social transmission (Ani, 1994;DeGruy, 2005;Martin & Martin, 2002;Halloran, 2019). For example, Imani shared her experience of being raised by a village of relatives who, paradoxically, nurtured her and yet reinforced self-doubt and White supremacy values.…”

“…Voices described in Table 1 and examples of Umoja and Ujamaa's reports of emotional distress related to their being dark-skinned are attributes of habitual covert and passive-aggressive attacks on their personal characteristics, professional acumen, and reinforce colonial beauty standards. Umoja's willingness to endure, even alter herself (also referred to as code-switch or double consciousness) might be assessed by mental health experts who rely on the DSM as a schizophrenic way to cope with isolation and internalized racism (Cross & Strauss, 1998;Du Bois, 1920/2011Halloran, 2019). Moreover, existing between dual identities-Blackness while navigating everyday Whiteness-becomes part of Umoja's adaptive survival skills.…”

A Connectedness Framework: Breaking the Cycle of Child Removal for Black and Indigenous Children

“…The literature on cultural trauma has focused on genocide survivors, Indigenous peoples and Holocaust survivors, and post slavery trauma with African Americans. The effects of slavery have been described as post traumatic slave syndrome, or PTSS (Halloran, 2019). Leary (2005) mentioned an example of intuitive responses of African Americans in settings that are mostly white.…”