Hundreds of years later, the descendants of African diaspora struggle to process any form of trauma, which typically results in delayed progress in emotional development.
Professor William E. Cross Jr. included a theory of Nigrescence in his groundbreaking book Shades of Black: Diversity in African American Identity, which was published in 1991.
[2] African Americans then proceed through a series of distinct psychological stages as they move from self-degradation to self-pride over time.
Encounter Immersion/emersion Internalization Active resistance Redirection Internalization Testifying Information processing Activity Transcendental The pre-encounter stage is characterized by an idealization of the dominant traditional white world view and the denigration of a black world view.
On the other hand, people experiencing passive or assimilating pre-encounter, tend to believe that personal effort will guarantee “passage” into white culture, i.e., the realization of the American dream.
The encounter stage is characterized by a conscious awareness that the white world view is no longer viable, and that one must find a new identity.
The struggle that follows the confrontation is composed of a mixture of feelings such as confusion, hopelessness, anxiety, depression, and anger.
This most likely happens to black adolescents who can't find meaningful purposes for themselves and who they really are in the existing education system; they may show strong hostility and anger toward others.