No Pain, No Gain? An Exploration of the Strong Black Woman Schema, Psychological Pain Tolerance and Psychological Pain Experiences

Abstract

The super humanization of Black American women poses ongoing threats to their well-being. Black women attempt to navigate hardship by relying on the Strong Black Woman (SBW) schema deemed a cultural tool to ward off pain. While the SBW schema is a cultural tool that has supported Black women for generations, it has also posed deleterious effects to their psychological well-being. Given the complex nature of the SBW schema, extent literature calls for future research to explore the function of this schema in Black women’s lives today. With this in mind, the current dissertation explored the SBW schema, psychological pain tolerance (PPT), psychological pain experiences, and thriving. First, the conceptual study introduced the association between the SBW schema and PPT given the schema’s perceived association to endurance. Then authors discuss psychological distress as a precursor to psychological pain and reflect on the SBW role in psychological pain experiences. Following this, authors used a Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) to empirically explore different quantitative profiles of African American women based on endorsement of the SBW schema and PPT. Findings showcase important within group differences, shedding light on the complex function of the SBW schema.