Measuring Resistance in Black Women: The Resistance Modality Inventory

Abstract

The results of a factor analysis conducted on the Resistance Modality Inventory (RMI), an instrument created to measure the construct of psychological resistance, are presented in this paper. The sample was comprised of 206 ethnically diverse black women in the Northeast. A primary focus of this work is the relevance and application of the RMI when working with black women within clinical contexts. The terms black and African American are used interchangeably throughout to describe people of African descent (e.g., Africans, African Caribbeans, African Americans, and Latinos of African descent). Optimal Psychology provides the theoretical underpinnings of resistance theory and is defined and discussed.