Cohort Differences in the Structure and Outcomes of an African American Belief System

Abstract

The authors examine the structure of African American belief systems across different age strata or cohorts. The authors speculate that, because of negative categorical treatment on the part of the dominant culture, African Americans in different age cohorts possess and share a common schemalike set of beliefs, culminating in “double consciousness.” The results demonstrate substantial similarity across age cohorts of African Americans in their understanding of these belief systems and their tendency to share a strong sense of group attachment and self-worth. The results also indicate substantial overall mean differences in age groups. Further, the authors found that the different constructs of these belief systems relate differentially to an individual’s sense of well-being and system orientation for those who came of age during the Civil Rights era, especially as compared to those who were socialized during an earlier era.