A Reckoning of Racial Realities / Nigrescence and The Building Blocks of Identity Development…

“Racism significantly impacts racial identity development in the United States...

Adams (2005) stated that, “Race is the sharpest and deepest division in American life, and because of the long standing divide, achieving equal access to and benefits from institutions of higher education has been an ongoing struggle for people of color in general, but particularly for African Americans. (p. 285)”

 

Given the realities that are being brought into the collective consciousness of Black and Brown people under whatever settler/colonial experience they awaken within, the need to reconcile this longstanding dissonance of their subjective reality with a racial realness that aligns with an objective reality that is healthy and more conducive to the worthy and progressive ideal they deserve; receive greater consideration. Said differently, when one becomes aware of the truth of their plight and the conditions they suffer at the hands of an oppressive society, they are required to take steps to detach from the negative attachments to their self concept to improve how they view themselves with the added advantage of developing a more accurate view of the society that set the conditions for their oppression.  

 

 

“William Cross developed Nigrescence theory in 1971, a theory considered the seminal Black racial identity development model (Vandiver, Cross, Worrell & Fhagen-Smith, 2002). When Cross wrote about Nigrescence in 1971, he referred to it as “an identity change process as a Negro-to-Black conversion experience, the kind of process that could be seen in Black behavior during the Harlem Renaissance” (Cross, 1991, p. 189).”

 

• The pre-encounter stage, where the Black being is still in a state of indoctrination where they are in a perpetual stage of dissociative denigration of the self concept and the aggressive projection of this violent internalization onto the self-concept of other Black or Brown beings. The colonized mind. “Cross (1991) stated that “anti-Blacks loath other Blacks; they feel alienated from them and do not see Blacks or the Black community as potential or actual sources of personal support” (p. 191). Typically this stage occurs when someone does not realize that they have been raised with White westernized ideologies, because it is so embedded in their culture. Cross (1991) said that “persons have frequently been socialized to favor a Eurocentric cultural perspective” (p. 193)”

 

• The encounter stage, where the Black or Brown being is no longer able to reconcile their subjective experience with objective reality. The process of identity death and reconstitution of the self concept to one that exists outside of the negative attachments forced upon it by society. The process of the decolonization of the mind. “People in the encounter stage must work around, slip through, or even shatter the relevance of their ideology and worldview. At the same time, others must provide some hint of direction in which to point the person to be re-socialized or transformed (Cross, 1991). Cross (1991) pointed out that the encounter “need not to be negative” (p. 197) for the event to have impact and steer a person towards Nigrescence. What matters is that the encounter has a personally significant impact to be the catalyst to spur change in their thinking.”

 

From Fanons’ concept of decolonization, to the process of indigenization and transplantation offered by Wynter, to the idea of reckoning racial realities submitted by Derrick Bell, they all touch on the same idea that the reconstitution of the self concept to one that is more aligned with the worthy and progressive ideal begins in the mind. It requires exposing the conditions of their experience to themselves in order to see society as a destructive entity to their subjective existence. 

 

• The immersion-emersion stage, where the process of decolonizing the mind takes the form a continued building up of a positive or cleansed self concept. The total uprooting from the indigenized self by the introduction of concepts and theories that better align them with value systems that support a worthy and progressive ideal for “The Self”. "The immersion-emersion stage of Nigrescence addresses the most sensational aspect of Black identity development, for it represents the vortex of psychological Nigrescence (Cross, 1991). Cross (1991) said that “immersion is a strong powerful dominating sensation that is constantly energized by rage [at White people and culture], guilt [at having once been tricked into thinking Black ideas], and developing a sense of pride [in one’s Black self, Black people, and Black culture]” (p. 203). Cross (1991) stated that “a paradox conversion is that while rebelling against the larger society, the new convert may willingly conform to the demands for Black organizations” (p. 205)."

 

• The Internalization stage identifies a transitional period in the process of “nigrescence” or developing a positive self concept, where the Being is settling into the identity that is detached from the negative attachments of indoctrination and colonization. It is the point in which the Being has accepted the subjective truths of their experience and have reconciled them with objective reality, and has obtained a more accurate vantage point of the oppressively hegemonic society they exist within. This stage is where the Being has moved from the adherence to "group think" to a more autonomous form of "double conscience" thinking. "Internalization encompasses a transition period where one is working through the challenges and problems of a new identity (Cross, 1991). During this time people move away from how others view them to how they view themselves. Cross (1991) stated “the internalization marks the point of dissonance resolution and reconstruction of ones steady state personality and cognitive style” (p. 220). As a result they embrace what it means to be Black and have Black self-love that they exude into the universe. Most importantly, “Black identity functions to fulfill the self protection, social anchorage, and bridging needs of the individual” (p. 220)." 

 

• Internalization-commitment is where the Being has come to fully accept the mechanism of hegemonic control, detached from the negative attachments that are forced upon the self concept through indoctrination and colonization. It is where the being has developed enough of a positive self concept where they can navigate creating a longterm goal and path to seeking a worthy and progressive ideal for themselves, and hopefully their respective communities. "Internalization-commitment focuses on the long-term interest of Black affairs over an extended amount of time (Cross, 1991). Cross (1991) explained that “consequently other than to repeat what has already been said about internalization a more differential look at internalization-commitment awaits the results of future research” (p. 220)."

 

This being, a short and reductive examination of the concept of nigrescence and the development of a positive self concept, further understanding and exploration is required to determine the details of the building blocks and the dynamics in which they can be employed within the collective society, for those who it resonates with. I hope this supports the realization and actualization of a healthier view of the self and an accurate view of society, along with a pathway to obtaining a worthy and progressive ideal. 

Ritchey, K. (2014). Black Identity Development. The Vermont Connection, 35(1). https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/tvc/vol35/iss1/12

 

Cross, W. E., Jr. (1995). The psychology of nigrescence: Revising the Cross model. In J. G. Ponterotto, J. M. Casas, L. A. Suzuki, & C. M. Alexander (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural counseling (pp. 93–122). Sage Publications, Inc.