Kevin Camarillo

May 9, 2014
PSY 382
Final Examination

Question 1
Throughout time, African American fathers have had a rough time raising their children.
There has been all sorts of influences that have affected their parenting decisions and sometimes
the decision was made for them by a third party. Events such as the enslavement of the African
Americans, Maafa, the Jim Crow era, Civil Rights movement, events that moved to
desegregation, Urban Deterioration, and lastly the war of drugs all effected the decision making
of the parents of the African American children. The historical circumstances on black fathering
influenced the actions, condition, decisions, behaviors, and the response of the African American
fathers.
The first circumstance that impacted black fathering was Maafa and the enslavement of
African Americans coming to the United States. After the first Africans arrived in South Carolina
more slaves began to arrive shortly. Later in the years the first black baby was born in Virginia
soon after slavery was introduce in Massachusetts. Once the colonies were establish laws and
statutes were set in place for parental responsibilities. These new laws did not extend to the white
men who fathered black babies. This was difficult because if a white man fathered a white baby
the white mother could go to court and get support from the father, but in the case of a black
baby the white father was not held accountable for supporting his black baby. Slave owners
would see slave families as profit. They would breed African men and women like live stock and
they would assume that these families were happy because they would sing in the field and work
hard all day. African men and women were raised to work hard in the field and nothing more.
These day to day traumatic expediences affected the family. African fathers had little control
over themselves much less their partners and children. There was evidences despite the harsh
conditions African fathers were actively and directly involved in their families. In addition,

African fathers would risk punishment in order to keep his family together. Slave owners would
keep them together to get them to work harder. Over the course of 220 years enslavement
impacts African families included raising children of different people, watching public beatings
and humiliation within families, and becoming dependent on white oppression for survival of the
family.
The second circumstance that impacted black fathering was the Jim Crow era and the
reconstruction. despite the harsh violent oppression by the Ku Klux Kan and other white
supremacist organization African families lived in two head households. Black fathers and
mothers worked hard to keep the family together. Black families were quickly put back to
enslavement due to the Jim crow laws. This affected African fathers because it made it hard for
them to support their families because of lack of education, unemployment, the social control,
and ongoing white hostilities. Most families were forced to move which lead to the Kansas
Exodus and the Great Migration both these movements were next for African families to seek for
a better life, But most often it just lead to nightmares. For the African families only African
women were given domestic work while black fathers were left unemployed. Soon after the
Great Depression hit the United states and Black fathers and mothers were left with even more
unemployment compared to white families, but soon after the start of the World War two the
demand for black labor went up this cause many African fathers to migrate to the north and south
looking for jobs. This cause uneven ratios which caused overpopulated housing. Which began to
cause all sorts of troubles within the African families.
The third circumstance that affected the fathering of African fathers was the Civil Rights
era and desegregation. During this era tension was high between races. As whites were thriving,
African families were struggling with housing, employment , political representation, and

inadequate education. With all the hostilities black family life was harsh, but the family support
was strong within black communities. The roles of the black fathering has always remain the
same, they had to provided for their family most often they would live in two headed households.
Sometimes the fathers had to be unseen because black mothers would get government aid and if
they found out they could lose the aid if the father was in the household. This led to the family
becoming disorganized which was caused by unemployment, father absent homes, and welfare
dependency. The absent father household held many youth to search for the family connection
which led to development of gangs.
The last historical circumstance that affected black fathering was the war on drugs and
urban deterioration. With the lack of black male leadership roles in the communities many youth
had turn to create gangs to feel the sense of family, protection and survival. Without having a
mature father figure that would guide and give direction to younger generation many of them
would go on and commit crimes. Due to lack of education, lack of job skills, and lack of
employment many young males would seek to street crime as a form of making money to
provided for their families. Although Jim Crow law are no longer enforced, a new law was
created to oppress African fathers and males. The war on drugs, that imprison black males who
had small amount of drugs rather then imprisoning the people who distribute the drugs. Later,
many African males are controlled my the legal system which created a major problem because
the law of enslavement is gone, but African fathers are still enslave to this day.
The historical circumstance that impacted black fathering has been effecting them from
when they first reached the new world til today with the war on drugs. The historical
circumstances on black fathering influenced the actions, condition, decisions, behaviors, and the
response of the African American fathers. The presents of the black father has always been their

and when it was not they were off looking for a way to provided fro their families.

Question 2
The father figure in a African American community is very important. The term father
figure refers to men who are not biological father to the family, but they take on the roles of the
fathers and the responsibilities of the father. Studies on the effects of father absents on young
men have been studies and showed results, Whereas the impact of fathers on young women have
just started emerging. Fathers should have a position effect on their daughter. Like the selfesteem of the daughter, but when the father is absent then the effects could be detrimental. There
are numerous effects of father absence on the development of African American daughters.
One of the effects that a fathers absence has on their daughters is that the daughter
becomes unmotivated, promiscuous, and eager to seek male attention. The effect of the absence
father could be alter or have a different outcome if the father absence could be cause by death,
divorce, or separation. Most often the fathers are seen as absence or are uninvolved with their
family. This style of fathering have been set back til the time that slavery was present where
fathers where sometimes forced out of their own families. Some fathers are less absent than
others. Father figures is much more then jut a name in a African American community.
Sometimes father figures could be relatives or family friends. Social interactions with the father
figure may help develop positive self-concepts. Often people outside the African American
community get confused on the role of the father figure because they base it on the traditional
roles of fathering. Whereas the role of father is different when it comes to the interaction of the
father and the African American daughter.
Another effect that the father has on the African American daughters is that girls much
like boys need attention from the father to maintain their self-esteem and sense of beauty. Black
fathers work on breaking the traditional gender roles that both a Black female and male have. For

example, female subordination and male dominance. Both these ideals are important for the
development of a womans life. African American daughters look up to their father in order to
get a sense of that a men values in a women. The absence of the biological father could be very
harmful on the lives of their daughters and will have a negative effect on the overall development
of the of their children more specially the daughters.
In addition, the absences of the father can also cause another type of negative effect on
the daughter, like girls who are raised without a father may incline toward men who do not
embody what they would like in a man. Girls who do not have contact with their biological
father especially during her adolescence years might have difficulty forming relationships with
men. This is caused because the daughter and fathers do not bond together to form a father and
daughter relationship which is set up as a model for the girl's future relationships with men.
The fathers absence can sometimes be better then having a father presence,but not
involved because it could have a negative effect on the daughter's sexual relationship. The
socialization of the family is influence on the womans responsiveness about sexual relationship.
Young females especially females in her adolescent years that grow up in a fatherless home are
more likely to engage in promiscuous sexual acclivity, have low self-esteem, have abortions,
cohabitant, have unwanted pregnancies or become pregnant before marriage, and experience
having difficulties forming and maintaining romantic relationships with men. The health of
African American daughter's have become a concern because of varies forms of sexually
transmitted diseases. The absences of the father causes females to seek males attention and
sometimes they have sexual relationship with men and they catch disease. The rate of females
catching disease getting higher for African American females compared to their counter partner.
Girls with absent fathers grow up without the day by day experience of attentive, caring and

loving interaction with a man. Without having the continuous sense of being valued and loved
the young girl does not thrive in life, but rather have her emotional development stopped. In the
field of dating compare to white females African American Females dated more when the father
was absent. Both races experiences the same results which is they both have low self-esteem.
The reason that both races had different results is because in the white house hold the father has
to be presents and he is a the bread winner and in the eyes of society is is not normal seeing a
white father being absent compared to a black father it is seen as normal for a father to be absent.
Another effect that father absence has on the development of African American
daughters is daughters are at a special risk for early sexual activity and teen pregnancy. A father
presence influence the sexual behavior of the daughter. The American family structure does not
solely fit the nuclear or extended model, but instead combines several models that encompass the
totality of the family. Fathers whether biological,peripheral, or a father figure are present in the
black community and have an impact on both the male and females.
There are numerous effects of father absence on the development of African American
daughters. The daughters are the ones that need the mot guidance from the father because the
relationship that the father has with the daughter is the stepping stone for the daughters
relationships with men. It effects her whole prospective on what is expected from her and how
she should carry herself. It is also important because it effects their self-concepts and selfesteem. Which could affect their sexual relationship. The absence of a father has a major effect
on the development of a African American daughters.

Question 4
The children who are in the foster care system face many challenges. Form the day to day
interaction with parents to the condition that they live in all affect them. Therapeutic work with
the African American males in the foster care system is multifaceted. The clinicians have the job
to look out for the kids that are being placed in the foster care. The clinicians must assess not
only the need of the children but also the needs and capabilities of the children parents and often
the other kids in the household. There are several tasks that are essential for working with
African American boys and adolescents in therapy as part of their foster care. They included
facilitating growth, providing stability, building, a safe, trusting therapeutic environment, and
modeling openness.
The first task that is essential for therapy with African American males in foster care is
facilitating growth. Because the lives of many African American children are in the foster
system, it is normal for them to be moved to numerous families. Their emotional and
psychological development are often negatively affected by these events. Thats why it is
important to asses the foster child so people are aware where he is on his individual and social
development. One way that therapeutic affected and influence the youth in the foster care
system is its capabilities to influence how they see themselves in terms of gender and ethnic
identity. It also serves as they see how they enter a relationship as well as sustain a close
relationship throughout their lives. Adolescents in the foster care system often struggle with the
tension of belong to a family and being a independent person. This is made even more
complicated because the foster children does not develop the self- confidence that other children
do. The nest which all kids belong, is a place where they know that no matter what they will
always be loved. This is not true to foster children, they fear that they can be unloved by a foster

family because the nest that they belong to is not the nest that they were born from. They also
struggle with forging healthy ethnic identities in the face of societal forces that is directly and
indirectly under this process. The African American male would be in a sea of influence from the
neighbors, friends, and family of the children to the media that is around him. One way of
facilitating identity is by telling the foster child why he was placed in the foster care system.
This could be done by simply telling him the story. Sometimes the story could be harsh because
the parents abuse him, were arrested or abandon them. The foster parent will need to help the
foster child how to cope with these feeling so that he can not perpetuate feelings of shame,
inevitable doom, or denial.
The second task that is essential for therapy with African American males in foster care
is providing stability. Foster children, more specifically African American youth experience
more out of home placement and often move around a lot. These movements may also have
involved trauma. Having a sable house can stop foster youth from developing durable
relationships with parents, siblings and significant people. Having a stable home helps foster
youth to develop self-esteem and help reach out to other people to build relationship. This could
be done by created a time where the child can express how he feels. Most often the schedule
meeting can not happen in a office. The foster parent have to take the time to create a stable
environment where they can talk to the foster child, by creating weekly schedule meeting and by
being on time could help build trust between the foster parent and foster child.
The next task that is essential for therapy with African American males in foster care is
building safe trusting therapeutic environment. safe trusting therapeutic environment is important
when fostering children especially African American foster children because it provides two
outcomes. Most often foster children do not now how long they will be with the foster parents or

foster services so they are mistrustful of others. In addition, some of the relationship that they
have had in the pass has been abusive or neglectful. That is why with working with African
American boys the clinicians have to work harder to build relationships so that therapeutic
encounters can be trusted as a place where their experiences will be honored. The foster boys
will open up about their lives and their perception about current concerns if they feel like they
can trust you. Emphatically can be a credible resource, unlike the other ethnic groups, African
Americans need more time to trust the clinician. The second reason is in many case, the person
helping the foster child is from another ethnic group so some of the ideas and preservative might
be different and sometimes they can not relate.
The last task that is essential for therapy with African American males in foster care is
modeling openness. Openness is a quality that could help many of the males in the foster system.
The term openness is used in a number of ways. Openness could be used as a tool to build trust.
Openness can also be seen in that the clinician wants to learn more about the child then the file
itself. It could also mean, that the clinicians willingness to understand the prescriptive and their
problems. The clinicians need to show the foster boy that they are willing to change and the
sessions can be flexible. For example, a boy not willing to talk in the office could be because he
feels unconformable so the clinician can walk with him so he can feel more conformable.
Openness could be a coping mechanism or it could be a skill for learning from new experiences.
Young African Americans often feel uncomfortable expressing their emotions. Like other boys in
other ethnic groups Young African American boys have been socialized to repress their emotions
expect anger. It is difficult for them to express emotion like fear, abandonment, loneliness, regret,
and depression. In addition, they also lack positive emotions. They feel this way because they see
it as uncool or shows weakness. They will not display these emotion if they feel like they are

going to be judge as being unmanly and childish. By having the clinician help them out with
expressing their emotion they have a better chance of developing deeper, more authentic
relationships. Self-disclosure and modeling during the session can facilitate this learning process
while also enriching the therapeutic bond.
There are several tasks that are essential for working with African American boys and
adolescents in therapy as part of their foster care. They included facilitating growth, providing
stability, building, a safe, trusting therapeutic environment, and modeling openness. These tasks
are meant to help the foster children because they experience a lot of pain in their lifes. They
need to feel like they are loved and needed. In addition, they need a person who has openness
which is a person that is not going to judge the foster child. Lastly, they need a home that is
going to be stable.

Question 5
Working with African American males is different from working with any other social group
because they have a number of influences. Throughout their lives African American males
interact with others in relationships that range from casual to intimate and those duration can
span from minutes to decades. These males are influenced by internal as well as external
environmental factors. There are a number of suggestions made for clinicians who are working
with African American men and boys.
The first suggestion made for clinicians who are working with African American men and
boys is to not treat client like they are different. Clinicians need to examine the views they have
of their clients because most often the client will exhibit some short of emotion like fear,
frustration, or any other negative emotion. The client need to reflect on their views of black
males by asking a couple of questions. One being, to ask them selves what do they see when they
see a picture of a black man, father, or adolescent. The second one is what does the clinicians
think of the underrepresentation of black males and their views on black father in higher
education and employed. The next one being, what are their perspective when it comes to black
males in the juvenile and criminal justice system. Lastly, the question that clinicians must ask
them self's is if their perspective will affect their ability to work with black males. These
questions are important to the clinicians because most often the black males exhibit difficulty
working together with the clinicians and often blame the clinicians if the therapy doe not work.
Sometimes the fails of the therapy is because the clinician does not commit to the client. Many
problems therapist encounter working with back males are caused by therapist preconceptions
about the black male clients ability to benefit from psychotherapy.
Another suggestion made for clinicians who are working with African American men and

boys is the therapists needs to understand the stress the Client is having. A major contributing
factor in may problems among African American boys and men is they often find it difficulty
showing their emotion in therapy because of the stress they deal with. Although everyone deals
with stress on the daily basis, African Americans deal with extra stress. African American males
deal with a extra layer of stress that is causes by the day to day encounter. Stress that is cause by
them dealing with ethnic bias and indirectly to a variety of personal and social consequence of
bias. Therapy needs to be effective when dealing with black males because effective therapy
helps these males become comfortable with the range of emotion they experience. In addition,
they must learn to mange their emotions correctly so their emotions will not lead to neglect,
abuse, cut-offs, or other destructive resolution of interpersonal conflict. To simplify we explain
that black males must develop emotional maturity. Emotion maturity is when a person can
recognize their own emotions though good and bad events. African Americans have a hard time
expressing their emotion they learn to suppress their emotions. One of the few emotions they
openly express is anger.
The next suggestion made for clinicians who are working with African American men
and boys is make them fee like they are in a safe environment. The fear of being judge or
misunderstood is one of the main reasons why African American males do not seek for help
when it comes to personal or relationship therapy. Therapist working with African American
males must be understanding because they have a negative portray of them in the media and
must make extra effort to have compassion for them. They must also, have respect for their
intelligence, dignity, and an awareness of their historical background. The success of the therapy
hang on the therapists ability to connect with the client.
The last suggestion made for clinicians who are working with African American men and

boys is to help the males to get their life together by helping them find ways that they could help
themselves. In clinical work they observe men that are doing what they should be doing for
them selves, their family, and their communities. Then there is the men who are not doing what
they are suppose to be doing. So there was a series of questions that could help them get back on
track with their lives. The first one is finding good support networks such as healthy
relationships with people that are in his life. The next one is finding community bonds and
obligations such as a job or other responsibilities. After, they have to find connections to others
through faith or affiliation groups like church. The second question is being accountable to others
like their own children, family,friends, neighbor or people in the community. They have to have
openness to criticism and suggestions by not being defensive. They also have to acknowledge the
support of others when they want to help him. Finally, accept ones obligation to other like the
people who came before them.
African American males deal with all sorts of stress and injustice that affect their daily
lives. In the beginning the client might not open up because they have learned to oppress their
emotions, But if done correctly it will help them. These males are influenced by internal as well
as external environmental factors. There are a number of suggestions made for clinicians who
are working with African American men and boys. By using all the suggestions, Therapeutic
could help African American male live a very happy life and get them connected with other
people.