In an ever-reaching attempt to explain every single life occurrence with science, it seems we often forget that even the most logical of explanations does not necessarily make certain aspects of human behavior forgivable. So can years of slavery explain the negative aspects of black behavior seen today?

In Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing, social scientist Joy DeGruy Leary proposes that today's African Americans are psychologically scarred by the oppression of their ancestors, leading to the inherently afrocentric behaviors that blacks presently display.


In an ever-reaching attempt to explain every single life occurrence with science, it seems we often forget that even the most logical of explanations does not necessarily make certain aspects of human behavior forgivable. So can years of slavery explain the negative aspects of black behavior seen today?

In Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing, social scientist Joy DeGruy Leary proposes that today's African Americans are psychologically scarred by the oppression of their ancestors, leading to the inherently afrocentric behaviors that blacks presently display.

Much like war vets duck and cover at the sound of backfiring engines, Leary theorizes that both positive and negative African American tendencies can be explained by the years of ingrained behaviors displayed by enslaved ancestors, from verbal acknowledgement of others to the age-old skin color debate.

According to Leary, years of racism has taken quite the toll on the black psyche, rearing its ugly head through health, relationship, and aesthetical issues – poor dietary choices, family dysfunction, and the perceived notion that fairer-skinned individuals have a higher likelihood of success. However, by waiting for others to solve our problems, she asserts, blacks will not be relieved of this mental onus any time soon. Black healing, therefore, must start from within.



A number of problems arise from making such broad claims, however. As a people – not a black people, but a people in general – we constantly seek a number of excuses to pawn off errant behavior, as if it might somehow grant us automatic retribution for even our most flawed characteristics. It seems as though the minute a psychologist coins a term for a mental behavior, something morally abhorrent is suddenly received with undue sympathy, removing the offender of most, if not all, responsibility for his or her actions.

So what about those who seem to have risen above this Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome? The ones who have found themselves successful in life, love, and everything in between? Are they the lucky ones? Were their ancestors less enslaved? Moreover, does "having PTSS" absolve one of any sins? I'm more interested in finding out what we'd label the behaviors of our counterparts – not the ones with white privilege (Post Traumatic Master Syndrome? Ha.), but those just like misfortunate blacks, the downtrodden whites that we all seem to forget exist when we give our two cents about the mentally, physically, and socially unhealthy blacks that are apparently the only problems crowding our streets.

Though Leary attempts to provide some explanation for stereotypical "black" behaviors, I do find it comforting that she is careful to not use her research as an attempt to make excuses for common black stereotypes. She seems to be well aware that just as an abusive spouse is not completely absolved of his/her acts due to an abusive family history, having a sense of clarity behind perceivably innate behaviors will not suddenly change African American mindsets for the better.

It is therefore up to us to use her theory, whether we agree with it or not, to create a positive impact on our lives and others' – in layman's terms, please, let's not go from blaming it on the alcohol to blaming it on the PTSS. Leary's study can be just the impetus needed for the next generation of blacks to serve as the influential figures behind a slowly breaking – but breaking nonetheless - behavioral pattern.