African Self-Consciousness, Misorientation Behavior, and a Self-Destructive Disorder: African American Male Crack-Cocaine Users

Abstract

Addiction to substances is among the self-destructive disordersfound in the Azibo nosology. It is theorized that underlying these disorders is psychological misorientation that results from a distortion in African Self-Consciousness (ASC). To explore ASC and the relationship between it and misorientation behavior for a population of 101 African American males suffering from crack-cocaine addiction, the ASC scale and a background questionnaire measuring misorientation behaviorwere administered, andfactorand chi-square analyses were conducted. The results ofafactor analysis of the ASC scale yielded twofactors and indicated that there may be some distortion inASCfor this population. Chi-square analyses revealed no significant difference in misorientation behavior between the first and fourth quartile groups created on the two factors. Chi square analyses conducted on the total sample classified into three ASC orientation groups (incorrect ASC orientation, ASC orientation unclear, ASC orientation correct); however, they did yield significant differences in misorientation behavior Results are discussed in terms of Kambon 's (1992) African personality theory, the Azibo nosology (Azibo, 1989, in press), and psychodynamics perhaps characteristic of this population.