Neuroticism is a central personality trait in the education of psychology categorized by
anxiety, fear, moodiness, worry, envy, frustration, jealousy, and loneliness. An article found
in the Journal of Black Psychology titled “Role of Neuroticism and Coping Strategies in
Psychological Reactions to a Racist Incident among African American University
Students” describes a study of 562 African American university students coping with a
recent experience dealing with a racial, prejudice, or discriminating matter. The article
begins acknowledging, “Racial discrimination is a frequent experience for many African
Americans”. With situations as such, the article reveals that emotional reactivity to most
lead to psychological misery and distress. The major function of this study was analyzing
“personality traits in combination with coping strategies affect this relationship”. The
variables of the study included negative affect, positive affect, intrusive thoughts, and lack
of forgiveness. One highlight of the study was that the African American students’
“religious coping was positively associated with thought intrusions but was unrelated to all
other outcomes”. The students referred to knowing the African American history
pertaining to Christianity beliefs to support their reaction. This article is significant
because the study provides support for psychological theories accentuating the role of
personality characteristics in responding to racism. The article also concludes that the
study verified that neuroticism regulates the efficiency of specific coping strategies in
amending distress on certain outcome measures.
Role of Neuroticism and Coping Strategies in Psychological Reactions to a Racist Incident
Among African American University Students. Pearson, Matthew R., Derlega, Valerian J.,
Henson, James M., Holmes, Karen Y., Ferrer, Rebecca A., Harrison, Scott B. Journal of
Black Psychology, Feb 2014; vol. 40: pp. 81-111