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Structural and Social Psychological Influences on the Adolescent Self-Concept, Adult Achievement and Adult Mental Health of African American Males

Mizell, C. Andre
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1393070452

Abstract Details

1997, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Sociology.
This study investigates the impact of structural and social psychological factors on the adolescent self-concept, adult achievement and adult mental health of African American males. The underlying aim is to better understand how African American males negotiate their life course in order to achieve maximum potential and maintain social psychological balance including good mental health. Three primary questions are asked: 1) What are the sources of African American male achievement? 2) Do structural (e.g., family composition and region of origin) and social psychological (e.g., self-esteem and aspirations) factors have different effects for those who begin in poverty compared to their non-poor counterparts? and finally, 3) Do the benefits of material success for adult mental health differ depending on the African American male's adolescent poverty status? The variables pinpointed in this investigation include the traditional structural variables such as poverty status, educational achievement, family structure and region of origin, but also social psychological variables such as self-esteem, mastery and mental health (e.g., depression). The current work views both structural and social psychological factors as important determinants of African American male outcomes. The analysis employs data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) data set. The current sample spans from 1979, when respondents were 14 to 22 years of age, to 1992, when the age range is 27 to 35 years old. The respondents used in the initial phase of this study are all African American males who numbered 1,558 in 1979 and 1,304 in 1992. The models developed for the African American sample are then compared to models for same cohort White males. The analysis compares the outcomes for those who are poverty stricken with those who are not during the 1979 survey. A general theory of socialization and social learning is used to explain the adult outcomes of the sample. Given the unique status of African American males in this country, this work considers whether the processes that shape outcomes are different in groups based on adolescent economic status and race.
Elizabeth G. Menaghan (Advisor)
Robert L. Kaufman (Committee Member)
Linda J. Myers (Committee Member)
Ruth D. Peterson (Committee Member)
172 p.
Sociology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Mizell, C. A. (1997). Structural and Social Psychological Influences on the Adolescent Self-Concept, Adult Achievement and Adult Mental Health of African American Males [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1393070452

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Mizell, C.. Structural and Social Psychological Influences on the Adolescent Self-Concept, Adult Achievement and Adult Mental Health of African American Males. 1997. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1393070452.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Mizell, C.. "Structural and Social Psychological Influences on the Adolescent Self-Concept, Adult Achievement and Adult Mental Health of African American Males." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 1997. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1393070452

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1393070452
284
© 1997, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.