Some Psychological Correlates of Civil Rights Activity

Abstract

Northern Negroes and whites at varying levels of participation in college student civil rights groups were compared with selected groups of northern, Negro non-members of civil rights groups on a number of personality and demographic variables (race, geographic location). Negro Actives showed more repression and ego strength than Negto non-actives. White Actives showed less social approval motivation and less repression than Negro Actives. In contrast to studies of southern Negroes, in this study, Negro Actives came from a lower socioeconomic background than Negro non-actives; internal vs external control of reinforcement and number of non-civil rights group memberships were unrelated to civil rights activity level. Factors other than activity level are important in predicting personality and demographic differences among civil rights activists and non-activists. The importance of additonal empirical research is also discussed.