Understanding African American Culture and Family Dynamics

• African legacy, history of slavery and discrimination, and the victim system are key factors that have shaped and molded American Americans.

• Recognizing the cultural context of the importance of family, differentiating between family dynamics, and understanding cultural dynamics and culture of African Americans is key when working with African Americans.

• The roles of African American couples differ: women tend to take on more roles than of a White woman, while the father’s absence often is viewed as not providing effectively for the family.

• African Americans experienced trauma from years of slavery, demolition of culture, and family.

• Thompson, licensed clinical psychologist chosen to be interviewed, explains that many African Americans

• She mentions that being direct, authentic and honest are essential when working with African Americans in the helping profession.

• Africentricity is a cultural ideology that focuses on the cultural, family structure, and guides social workers to understand the struggles and background of American Americans in the macro level.

• Pushing reliance, supporting a social context, and using africentricity can serve as a sufficient strategy when working with African Americans.

• When focused on intervention opportunities, it’s important to push the power of heritage, culture, and spiritually by using the africentricity approach.

• As a social worker promoting reliance, it’s important to recognize how race, class and gender impact their clients differently.

• Since matching a client with a helping professional with the same race and ethnic background is not always available, the africentricity approach helps increase social competence and helps to understand people who are different.

• Because of years of environmental discrimination that many African Americans go through, it has impacted their finding for culturally accepted mental