Creativity and Resilience in the African American Experience

In this article I maintain that aspects of Rychlak's (1994) humanistic notion of psychological agency, particularly his view of human dialectical thinking capacity, can be used to show how African Americans have sustained their creativity and resilience in spite of the continually oppressive ci...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Humanistic psychologist 2005, Vol.33 (1), p.25-32
Main Author: Jenkins, Adelbert H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African Americans
Coping Behavior
Creativity
Dialectics
Human
Humanism
Humanistic Psychology
Psychology
Resilience (Psychological)
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Summary:In this article I maintain that aspects of Rychlak's (1994) humanistic notion of psychological agency, particularly his view of human dialectical thinking capacity, can be used to show how African Americans have sustained their creativity and resilience in spite of the continually oppressive circumstances that have historically characterized their situation. To focus on dialectic thinking capacities is to emphasize the imaginative abilities of human beings. In this regard I show how humanistic psychologists and scholars in the humanities share a recognition of the active use of their imaginative faculties by African Americans. Applying such capacities to their historical circumstances has been essential to the ability of African Americans to develop their human qualities in spite of the obstacles placed in front of them.
ISSN:0887-3267
1547-3333
DOI:10.1207/s15473333thp3301_3