What Makes a Distinguished Black Psychologist? An Empirical Analysis of Eminence

The present study is a qualitative analysis of the autobiographical narratives and contributions of 34 psychologists who have received the Association of Black Psychologists’ (ABPsi) Distinguished Psychologist Award. The award is one example of how ABPsi engages in activities that sustain its unique...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of black psychology 2011-05, Vol.37 (2), p.131-163
Main Authors: White, Aaronette M., Williams, Robert L., Majzler, Robert D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ability
African Americans
Afrocentrism
Associations
Autobiographies
Autobiography
Black people
Blacks
College students
Creative Development
Creative productivity
Descent
Empirical research
Graduate students
Group identity
Homogeneity
Identity
Leadership
Mentoring
Narratives
Postgraduate students
Productivity
Psychologists
Psychology
Qualitative research
Resilience (Psychology)
Resistance (Psychology)
Skills
Social activism
Social identity
Social movements
Teaching
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Summary:The present study is a qualitative analysis of the autobiographical narratives and contributions of 34 psychologists who have received the Association of Black Psychologists’ (ABPsi) Distinguished Psychologist Award. The award is one example of how ABPsi engages in activities that sustain its unique Afrocentric collective identity, activities referred to in the social movement literature as “identity work.” Although distinguished Black psychologists do not represent a homogeneous group, all tend to possess strong leadership skills, demonstrate some degree of creative productivity, and display an improvisational style of resilient survival skills. Their careers focus on issues that concretely and materially affect people of African descent. First-person autobiographical accounts of awardees are important documents in the history and ongoing development of Black psychology and serve as valuable teaching and mentoring tools. They provide the basis for identifying future distinguished talent among ABPsi members and for shaping the creative development of undergraduate and graduate students.
ISSN:0095-7984
1552-4558
DOI:10.1177/0095798410373762