Prosocial Behaviors of Black Adolescent Boys: An Application of a Sociopolitical Development Theory

Abstract

Sociopolitical development theory asserts that critical social analysis informs prosocial behaviors. We suggest that one aspect of Black adolescents’ critical social analysis development is an oppression analysis, in which Black adolescents consider (1) the importance of race to they are, (2) their personal feelings about their racial group, and (3) the experience of oppression for minority groups. The current study examined oppression analysis as a latent construct among a sample of 265 Black male adolescents in Grades 7 to 10 from three suburban districts in the Midwestern United States. Structural equation modeling revealed that received parental racial pride messages, but not school-based discrimination experiences, predicted Black male adolescents’ oppression analysis. An oppression analysis and school-based discrimination had direct effects on prosocial behaviors. Racial pride messages had an indirect effect on prosocial behaviors through oppression analysis. In addition, an oppression analysis had an indirect effect on prosocial behaviors through social-emotional skills. This research offers insight into the role of Black boys’ critical social analysis among individual and contextual factors in facilitating positive developmental outcomes.

Black Adolescents’ Critical Reflection Development: Parents’ Racial Socialization and Attributions About Race Achievement Gaps

“…Although racial pride socialization involves the celebration of Black history and culture, these activities do not necessarily make youth aware of structural oppression and the role of oppression in societal disparities. Results of one cross‐sectional study indicated that parents’ racial pride messages were positively associated with Black youths’ structural analysis of oppression, which was operationalized using measures of racial centrality, private regard and oppressed minority ideology (Lozada, Jagers, Smith, Bañales, & Hope, ). It appears that youths’ racial identity represents one manifestation of youths’ critical reflection, but the extent to which racial identity components are related to their attributions for race achievement gaps, and how racial socialization might predict youths’ attributions, is unclear.…”

Racial Identity, Racial Discrimination, and Classroom Engagement Outcomes Among Black Girls and Boys in Predominantly Black and Predominantly White School Districts

“…As such, the authors articulate the ''Black identity as promotive'' perspective, highlighting evidence of African Americans' historical values around education, including struggles to attain education for upward social mobility and positive community development. From this perspective, Black youth who strongly connect to their Black identity (high centrality) in ways that recognize their group's educational values and the racial biases faced by their group in educational pursuits (low public regard) may be motivated to succeed academically, especially in the face of their own race-related challenges (Grills et al, 2016;Lozada, Jagers, Smith, Banales, & Hope, 2017;White-Johnson, 2012).…”

Engaged Against the Machine: Institutional and Cultural Racial Discrimination and Racial Identity as Predictors of Activism Orientation among Black Youth

“…For racially marginalized adolescents and emerging adults in the United States, these civic responsibilities are influenced by connection with one's racial group and how one understands racial marginalization within the broader sociopolitical context (Anyiwo, Bañales, Rowley, Watkins, & Richards‐Schuster, ; Flanagan, Martínez, Cumsille, & Ngomane, ). Researchers have found that racial identity and interpersonal experiences of racial discrimination influence civic and political attitudes and behaviors for Black adolescents (Lozada, Jagers, Smith, Bañales, & Hope, ) and emerging adults (White‐Johnson, ). Less is known, however, about how experiences of institutional and cultural racial discrimination interact with racial identity to affect Black adolescent and emerging adults’ orientation toward activism.…”