Learned Resourcefulness in Black and White South African University Students

In the first study, a small sample of Black students in South Africa were found to have markedly higher scores than Whites on the Rosenbaum Self-Control Schedule (RSCS; Rosenbaum, 1980b). In a second study, in which acquiescence response set and social desirability were controlled, Black students (n = 100) again had markedly higher scores than Whites (n = 138). In the White group, the RSCS had sound psychometric properties, but for the Black group Cronbach's alpha was low and items failed to group together coherently in the factor analysis. In the Black group, the absence of low-resourcefulness students was noteworthy. Two possible explanations are discussed. The first is a general stress-inoculation effect in people who live under deprived conditions. The second is a selection effect: Only resourceful Blacks succeed in overcoming the practical difficulties of poverty and disruption of school activities to enter a university.