Abstract
This paper explores unconscious maternal messages of endangerment for Black men living in US urban environments. Using qualitative methodology, the author intensively interviewed five Black men and their mothers to explore “the talk” from the men’s and their mother’s perspectives. Findings from the data revealed that mothers communicated endangerment messages to their sons that (1) taught them how to safely master a threatening and racist environment by using a double consciousness, (2) served as communications between mothers and sons about intergenerational trauma and strength, and (3) finally, created physically and emotionally safe connections between mothers and sons. Men also heard their mothers encourage a false self as a way to manage threats in their environment, and while this protected them, they also had to learn to suppress important parts of themselves. Clinicians treating Black men must be mindful of the psychological benefits and costs of these messages on their clients.
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Acknowledgements
This paper would not have been possible without the guidance and mentorship of Dr. Joan Berzoff. I am also grateful for the support of Dr. Jennifer Tolleson, Dr. Annie Lee Jones, Dr. Mead Goedert, Dr. Michelle Piotrowski, Kevin Mahon, Pheobe Cirio and the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute.
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Hawkins, H. Maternal Love in the Warzone: Exploring How Mothers Socialize Black Sons to Manage Racism. Clin Soc Work J 51, 283–293 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-023-00870-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-023-00870-6