Racial Trauma & African Americans
Understanding How Racial Trauma Impacts African Americans
Racial Trauma & African Americans ~ A substantial amount of my research and studies has been dedicated to understanding the collective dysfunctionality of African Americans. I have analyzed and developed theories to explain the behavior of African Americans as it pertains to the general inability to effectively respond to opportunities in life or to guard against the nefarious and pestilential machinations that are designed to perpetuate a substandard of existence for them. I have invested much into the understanding of the influence of cognitive distortions and cognitive biases on the social mobility and pathological behavior of a large portion of the African American community. In addition to anatomizing the paradigms of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, I have developed a number of theories that rest along the lines of cognitive theory.
The first theory I developed was the Collective Cognitive Bias Reality Syndrome theory, which is a theory that seeks to explain the manner in which cognitive distortions influence how blacks think, process stimuli, form habits and behave — through a systematic process of deviated rationalization — serving to create a reality that is oppugnant to the one they seek. Subsequently, I developed the Collective Dominative Cognitive Bias theory to explain the dominance of the influence distorted cognitions in governing the entire existence of a significant number of African Americans. Most recently, I developed the Cognitive Assimilation Deficiency theory and the Cognitive Accommodation Deficiency theories to explain the inability of African Americans to successfully engage neoteric stimuli that they perceive to be a threat.
What I have discovered during the process of my work is that there is a common denominator that cannot be ignored. That common denominator is trauma. The birth of three new branches of science has led to a recent explosion of knowledge about how the effects of psychological trauma impact humans. These new schools of scientific study are neuroscience, the study of how the brain supports mental processes; developmental psychopathology, the study of the impact of adverse experiences on the development of mind and brain; and interpersonal neurobiology, the study of how our behavior influences the emotions, biology, and mindsets of those around us (Kolk, 2014).
Get your signed copy of The Mis-education of Black Youth in America!
What we now know is that trauma, regardless of type or origin, compromises the brain area that communicates the natural physical, embodied feeling of being alive. These changes in the brain explain why traumatized individuals become hypervigilant in perceiving threats at the expense of being able to live their lives in a spontaneous manner. These changes also help us understand why traumatized people so often keep repeating the same problems and why they have such trouble learning from experience. What was once believed to be the results of moral failings, signs of the lack of willpower, or bad character, is actually due to the changes in the brain caused by traumatic experiences (Kolk, 2014).
The principal aim of psychology is to develop an understanding of the individual variation in the functioning of humans through the use of broad hypotheses, theories and research that is capable of not only explaining the variations in human behavior, but creating the mechanisms and instruments through which we can predict poor behavior in order to intervene in a manner that palliates or even reverses the behavior.
While the average person will view variation in human behavior as coincidence or an abstract anomaly, the psychologist, and the inherent analytical thinker, always believes that there is a discoverable and measurable explanation for every occurrence. While we may not always be able to readily identify the origin of the behavior, we understand that causality is discoverable.
When it comes to the counterproductive and antisocial behavior of African Americans, it has been the common practice to study it as a pathological behavior. In other words, it has most commonly been examined under the model of psychopathology; however, I have discovered that while pathology must be investigated when studying and developing treatments for antisocial behavior, the trauma model, which does not place an emphasis on pathology, is able to explain both, poor and palmary responses to stressful and traumatic events. Additionally, the trauma model also offers suggestions about the best methods of intervention to efficaciously address and improve functionality after a traumatic event. More importantly, the vast majority of these intervention models are cost-effective and non-stigmatizing.
Understanding the Trauma Model
Trauma is a single or repetitive event that overwhelms the nervous system due to a real or perceived threat. When there is a real or perceived threat, we, as humans, organize our functioning for the purpose of responding to the threat.
For those who may be wondering why a perceived threat could cause damage, and compromise the brain, it is because our nervous system does not do a very good job of distinguishing between a real or perceived threat. Additionally, what is considered dangerous is not universal among humans. Experience and the ability to reason can play an immense role in determining how a person perceives a particular situation. For instance, in the same home, a parent raising a fist at a three-year-old will likely incite fear, which can lead to a traumatic experience. Conversely, the same parent raising their fist at their eight-year-old sibling will be responded to differently, because the older siblings experience, and ability to process what is happening, allows them to ascertain that the parent is simply gesturing in a playful manner.
Get paid to complete surveys online. Join Toluna Online Surveys.
The fact that perception frames the idea of what is dangerous, means past experiences play an important role in determining how people interpret a situation in order to determine if a situation or experience is dangerous. For instance, a man who, as a boy, was traumatized by domestic violence that was characterized by loud shouting matches between his parents, may tend to become anxious and agitated when amongst a room full of excited, and elated football fans. Although the situation is not hostile, the association of loud raised voices and excitement with violence, this man experiences a physiological effect. This same man, when in the midst of a boisterous crowd, now holds his seven-year-old son’s hand anxiously, now the boy becomes nervous in crowds. This simple example not only illustrates the role of perception in determining what is dangerous, but it also illustrates how we can literally learn what is dangerous through relationships, in addition to direct experience.
Get Your Black Men Lead Apparel
How does trauma impact human behavior? When there is an assumed threat, living organisms will respond to one of four basic ways: emotional withdrawal, physical distance, by freezing and aggression. In instances where large groups of people are experiencing danger simultaneously, the entire range of responses can be observed. These variations in threat-response can be observed during any type of perceived threat among groups. There is no response to threats that can be considered universally better than the rest. The best response is determined by the situation and its underlying influence. The most optimal functioning is experienced when humans are able to use any of these responses in the appropriate situation at the appropriate time.
Trauma occurs in two primary phases. The first phase is the arousal phase, which is where our nervous system revs up for the purpose of efficaciously responding to the threat. During this initial phase, our sense of time will become narrowed — losing our sense of the future — being completely focused on the moment at hand. Next, we lose our capacity for empathy, becoming more self-consumed, transitioning to primitive responses, such as fight-or-flight. Additionally, we will rapidly scan our immediate environment to detect any additional threats. We will also naturally gravitate to people who are similar to us while becoming increasingly suspicious of those we consider to be different. People who are highly functional will be able to determine the most appropriate course of action despite being emotionally aroused by a traumatic experience — creatively creating or inventing new responses to the perceived threat, and they have the capacity to immediately self-correct when the initial response is not proving efficacious.
The recovery phase of trauma is the period in which we begin to develop coping mechanisms to assist us in processing the experience. The most functional individuals will actually learn from their traumatic experience, developing an elevated sense of confidence and preparedness for future situations that are similar in nature. They will be able to function at a higher level than they did prior to the trauma.
Poor recovery from a traumatic experience can manifest itself in a number of different ways; however, the most common response is constant hypervigilance, a response in which the person lives their lives as if their traumatic event is perpetual. The person who responds to trauma in a non-efficacious manner will remain sensitive and vigilant, constantly looking out for dangers. They will generally have exaggerated responses to minimal or non-existent threats. There will go to great lengths to avoid encounters with people or situations that have the capacity to trigger re-experiencing the threat, or they will become numb to real and perceived threats, failing to accurately perceive dangers. One way that some individuals are able to remain numb is that they continue to create dangerous situations that serve to further desensitize them to the presence of danger.
Generally, the level at which an individual is able to recover from trauma will determine how well they will be able to function in the future. The manner in which we respond to trauma will have a massive impact on how well we are able to deal with future stresses in life.
One of the most effective indicators of the likelihood of a person successfully recovering from trauma is the presence of high-quality relationships that help them develop the coping skills that will be vital to their recovery and future responses to threats — real or perceived.
Racial Trauma & African Americans
Racism Perceived as Danger and Trauma
It is not uncommon for large-scale catastrophic, traumatic events to impact large groups, even thousands or millions, as a normal course of human existence. These Aeschylean events can range from terrorist incidents, war, earthquakes, hurricanes, and social upheavals.
The type of trauma that I focus on primarily is trauma that is the result of racial and social biases that serve to negatively impact opportunity, safety and peace of mind for African Americans. I view racial trauma in several distinct ways. First, I study intergenerational trauma that has been passed down from generation to generation, being inextricably bound to slavery. Because freed slaves were never treated for their trauma, they passed on their trauma to their progeny in a number of ways, including biological, psychological, and philosophical transmission (Lev-Wiesel, 2007; Danieli, 1998; Kellermann, 2001).
The next form of trauma that I am concerned with is domestic and environmental trauma, such as child molestation, physical abuse, or witnessing violence. While this is not directly associated with racial bias, it definitely impacts how racial trauma is perceived and engaged. Finally, I also look at the contemporary racial trauma, which is characterized by racially, culturally or socioeconomically-motivated antagonistic behavior from people outside of the cultural periphery of African Americans, specifically whites.
Like other forms of trauma, African Americans experience trauma and danger that can be directly related to race, and these events overwhelm the nervous system. These dangers may be real or perceived discriminatory acts, threats, police incidents, harm and injury and shaming, and humiliating events. These types of events tend to stand out in the memory of African Americans, producing long-term negative effects on how we perceive our social environments and ourselves. Just as with the general population, there are some African Americans who are stronger and deal with trauma more effectively than others. The problem is that a substantial number of African Americans are living at or below the poverty line, meaning that this particular socioeconomic group is less likely to be prepared to successfully respond to racial trauma.
The second manner in which African Americans are damaged due to racial trauma is through witnessing harm and injury to another African American. This type of trauma is widely recognized in the child abuse treatment field of psychology. Children and adults who witness child abuse, or come in contact with a child abuse victim, will also suffer trauma.
One of the most prevalent ways that African Americans experience trauma is by living in difficult social conditions that are directly related to race and poverty, resulting in traumatic events that occur as a result of these conditions. Segregation, based on class and race is very common in the U.S. While federal law prohibits discrimination, including segregation, based on race, this does not protect African Americans from being isolated based on their inability to afford inclusion. The communities in which African Americans live are generally aggressively policed, socially isolated, have less access to resources for daily living and have high levels of exposure to alcohol, drugs, and guns.
As with any group, the recovery from trauma will vary, depending on how well-prepared each person is.
Conclusion
There is a wealth of qualitative and quantitative data that suggests that the elevated rate of social and health problems for groups of African Americans may, at least partially, be explained through the use of the trauma model. One reason that I favor this model as a guide in understanding black behavior is that it is not a deficit model, meaning that it will carry less stigma, and it will create better opportunities for professionals to work with individuals and groups. The trauma model proposes that African Americans can recover from trauma through effective interventions that are designed to improve coping skills while decreasing and avoiding re-experiencing the trauma. Fortunately, these types of coping skills can be taught to African Americans through a wide range of community-based programs, such as support centers, mental health centers, schools, and churches.
While there is still a substantial amount of work to be done, there is reason to be optimistic when it comes to creating change.
By
Rick Wallace, Ph.D., Psy.D.
Support the Black Men Lead rite of passage program for young Black males at https://www.theodysseyproject21.top/black-men-lead or you can contribute directly through the Cash app at $TheOdysseyProject21
Other Resources by Dr. Rick Wallace include:
The Mis-education of Black Youth in America
The Invisible Father: Reversing the Curse of a Fatherless Generation
Visit The Odyssey Project Site Here
Bibliography
Danieli, V. (1998). Minority Students in Gifted and Special Education Programs: The Case for Educational Equity. The Journal of Sepcial Education, 41-43.
Kellermann, N. P. (2001). Transmission of Holocaust Trauma – An Integrative View. Israel Journal of Psychiatry, 256-267.
Kolk, B. V. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score. New York: Penguin Publishers.
Lev-Wiesel, R. (2007). Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma Across Three Generations: A Preliminary Study. Qualitative Social Work.
Over the past 20 years, Dr. Wallace has invested more than 45,000 hours of research into understanding the scientific implications of white supremacy and how they have directly impacted African Americans in all nine areas of human activity, which include economics, education, entertainment, labor, law, politics, religion, sex and war. He has spent a substantial amount of time attempting to answer the question of why blacks seem incapable of overcoming the barrier of racism despite the fact that the solution has been placed before them.
The preponderance of the evidence that Dr. Wallace has examined has provided him with a lucid perspicacity of the complex dynamic at play — a dynamic that includes psychological, sociological, economic and political oppression that is executed through multitudinous pernicious machinations. He has used this information to develop what he calls The Black Community Empowerment Blueprint 1.0. This blueprint is a comprehensive strategy that addresses every area of concern for the black collective in great detail. Dr. Wallace has also disseminated his findings in a number of literary works, including his latest book, The Mis-education of Black Youth in America.
Currently, Dr. Wallace is moving into the second phase of his research, transitioning from inductive research to deductive research for the purpose of advancing and introducing certain scientific theories associated with the African American experience. To this date, Dr. Wallace’s research has proven to be immensely valuable, as he develops social programs to counter external influences, lectures to African Americans across the nation and develops a comprehensive blueprint capable of facilitating the complete elevation and empowerment of African Americans, as well as the complete diaspora in time, but the cost of research can be quite exorbitant, especially when he is investing between 55-85 hours per week.
To this point, all funding has been covered by Dr. Wallace himself. He is currently seeking research funding, but due to the specific focus of his research, traditional channels, such as government, academic and private grants are not an option. While he currently has a couple interested sponsors, both of them are non-blacks, which speaks volumes. While Dr. Wallace has committed to proceeding at all cost, the support of the community and people he is fighting for will prove highly beneficial in multitudinous ways.
To Book Dr. Wallace, email: info@theodysseyproject21.com