Healing the Black
Due to our earlier ancestor’s tribal rivalries, slavery, racism, segregation, oppressive issues, and racial profiling, Black people have yet to heal their Black wounds. Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome is something that has impacted the Black race for many years to come. We have yet to heal those color complex wounds, and progress beyond it. Due to the Willie Lynch Syndrome, colorism, ageism, educational status, social economic status has created division within the Black race. With so many nationalities, groups, organizations, and running circles, Black people have learned to stay divided, verses working together in unison, while still respecting one another’s differences.
Due to our Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome, Black people need help to heal their wounds. Understanding the psychology of behavior and embracing the need for therapy could be helpful, except Black people have yet to respect therapy nor psychology. Due to syphilis studies completed on Black people, injustices with the judicial system and Black people being used as guinea pigs by white America, Black people have learned to distrust psychology, believing it's some sort of hocus pocus. Psychology is something Black people also do not trust, due to Pre- conceived notions about the field. Although many people of all races have misconceptions about the field of psychology, many Black people view Psychology as a form of mind manipulation, mind trickery and a way to control or mess with someone’s head. They also believe it is a White man's science that can only benefit the White race. When many Black people think of psychology, they have visions of Freud, White men, and hypnotherapy. People who misunderstand psychology have little to no understanding that, it is a science which studies human behavior, social influence and animal behavior. Psychology bases its studies on empirical evidence. Psychology is the study of the brain and mind and how earlier experiences, forming core beliefs effect present situations. Psychology is a healing field, designed to treat and diagnose those with psychopathology and or help people with normal stress. There are also different fields in psychology, like, Clinical Psychology; Neuro Psychology; Social Psychology; Forensic Psychology; Human Factors; Applied Behavioral Analysis etc Due to people being experts at being a human and having a great understanding of their self, their friends and family, they believe they have psychology nipped in the bud, without considering the fact of their own biases, transference issues, projections, which cloud their objectivity. These differences are what separates the field of psychology as a scientifically based field, versus normal populations with pre-conceived notions about the field of psychology.
Many people assume the field of psychology can be summed up with two theorists, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Although both are two important figures in psychology, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were founding members of psychoanalysis. They did not begin the field of psychology. Many theorists in psychology exist and theorists continue to evolve. Psychology is ubiquitous and it is the study of people. Psychology began the moment humans were created. The moment Lucy, aka “The Real Eve” was created to be the mother of civilization, psychology begin to unfold then. The field was created to help bring an understanding to human behavior.
Psychology can help heal Black people. Due to many Black people lacking proper communication styles within their family systems, etc those attachment styles carry into their friendships and relationships. Many Black people would rather curse one another out and use defense mechanisms to cover their wounds. The proper psychology has not been learned to communicate pain in a healthy way. The average Black person will go from hurt, to combat in a matter of seconds, without understanding the neurotic vicious cycles which are created when one assumes something of another and projects that expectation, which triggers reactions in others. Black people have learned how to talk to one another harshly and use defense mechanisms to repair broken egos and narcissistic injury. Black people have even learned how to use retorts that appear cool so that humor makes up for hurtful situations (Laughing to keep from crying). The average Black person would rather trade wise cracks with one another, verses using healthy psychology and proper communication to hurt feelings. Respect is a huge thing one demands but never gives. Black people have yet to be apologized to by racist people, society nor the members in their family, significant others and friends that have hurt them. Therefore, they are unapologetic. Lacking empathy is a familiar trait in the Black race, because it is considered weak to show feelings. Anger is accepted but showing emotion is rejected. Whenever Black people show empathy, it must appear cool and be accepted by the race. For example, "RIP to all my n*****" or "Where i come from, it goes from respect, disrespect, total disrespect to eff everybody". Both examples communicate emotional pain, but it is communicated in a "I'm so cool and will not show weakness" kind of way. Many Black people have experienced harsh treatment and compassionless from outsiders, members in their own families, relationships and friendships, therefore, they have not learned to control their impulses nor empathize with those they harm. Hurt people are conditioned to hurt others. Instead of hiding behind narcissism, defense mechanisms, unconscious conflict, mommy and daddy issues and developing unhealthy relationship patterns, learn to embrace psychology healing you from dysfunctional behavior.
Black people are the mother and father of all races and they are strong and resilient, therefore, they have learned how to push forward in life and continue moving and living with hurt. Since slavery Black people have been mistreated and have not learned how to deal with their wounds and unconscious conflict. Transference is a form of earlier childhood experiences being projected onto new objects, for example, people, places and things. A good example is, someone who might be attracted to certain people, rather good or bad because they are familiar spirits, with characteristics of their earlier experiences. Transference shows up in many of the things we choose in life, from friendships, relationships, jobs, places etc. A woman who was abandoned by her mother or father may choose men or women in her life who are emotionally unavailable or unsupportive during the most important moments. A woman who wasn't raised with her father may have unresolved daddy issues, while men who were also not raised with their father have a need to be a woman's daddy, to make up for their loss manhood. The decisions we make are mostly unconscious, so this information may be rejected consciously because the intellectual mind does not understand why they would choose people who remind them of the disappointments of their earlier experiences, but the unconscious mind chooses people and situations to work through the conflict. The Black woman choosing men who will not father her children, consequently playing both the mother and father in her household has been common since the early 70’s. The Black man missing from the household has also been common since the early 70’s. Although some Black people were raised with both parents, many broken homes in the Black race exists. Due to this family dysfunction, many members within the Black race are choosing the wrong people and making many wrong decisions, because they have not worked through their transference issues. You will find many men who are misogynistic or disrespectful towards women because they have issues with their mother and they never saw a man love their mother properly, therefore, they grow up to be just as unloving and hateful until they become healed. We usually learn from and repeat what we see and experience. According to Melanie Klein, children learn about love from watching their parents. They repeat what they see and do not see in their relationships and friendships.
Psychology can help heal Black wounds. Dr. Joy DeGruy and Dr. Umar Johnson are both Black scholars who discuss the Black condition today.