Role Models

Our youth may face challenges when attempting to identify appropriate role models because of the dilemma that African American youth face related to their relative exclusion and inclusion in American society. African American youth may be excluded from certain aspects of society because of their race, but included in other areas because of their status as Americans. The confusion and anger that may result from this dilemma may complicate African American youth’s ability to identify role models in their environment. Adolescents of color were significantly less likely to have role models than white adolescents. Inner-city African American youth lacked role models, in part, because they reported a general “mistrust of other as potential resources for knowledge, skills, and social support. Previous research with African American adolescents has indicated that adolescents with role models tend to have more positive psychosocial outcomes than adolescents without models. African American male adolescents without male role models engaged in more problem behavior than their counterparts with role models. Having a role model was associated with fewer aggressive behavior and fewer anxieties and depressive symptoms among African American adolescents. Findings suggest that having a role model can predict more positive psychosocial outcomes among African American youth.