Uncle Tom and Mr. Charlie: Metaphysical Pathos in the Study of Racism and Personal Disorganization

The commonly held hypothesis the Negro Americans are very likely to experience "crisis of identity" and exhibit low self-esteem is questioned. After a brief description of the prevailing view, several major theoretical statements explaining the assumed state of affairs are presented. The third section reviews a variety of empirical evidence revealing considerable ambiguity over, if not directly challenging, currently held assumptions. The concluding section presents a series of alternative perspectives which suggest hypotheses which conflict those derived from the traditional position.