Culture and Social Outcomes among Inner-City African American Children: An Afrographic Exploration

Abstract

This study employs the Triple Quandaryframework as a paradigmfor describing the cultural orientations of 50 inner-city African American sixth graders. The implications of the relative endorsement of these orientations and some specific expressionsfor social outcomes of empathy, Machiavellianism, delinquency, and aggression were also examined. Three cultural orientations-Anglocultural, marginalized minority, and Afrocultural as well as the component Afrocultural expressions of spirituality, communalism, and affect were operationalized. Results indicated greater endorsement of an Afrocultural orientation than of either of the other two. Greaterdivergence betweenAfrocultural variables and the other cultural orientations were associated with lower levels of undesirable attitudes and behaviors. This was particularly true of an Anglocultural orientation. Findings are discussed in terms of the methodological limitations and the apparent negative impact of an Anglocultural orientation among African American children. Directions forfuture research are considered.