A behavioral-analytic interpretation of Black women’s loneliness

Abstract

Some studies in the field of Sociology highlight how the experiences generated by the intersection of race and gender generate unique experiences that make up what has been called “Black women’s loneliness”. In summary, Black women report the feeling that they are neglected by men who, in general, prefer to have sexual-affective relationships with White women. This phenomenon is also related to parental abandonment, and the absence of interactions considered significant with other people, being described as feeling “insignificant”. The present study aimed to interpret the “Black women’s loneliness”. To do that, we focused on the possible ontogenetical determinants of this loneliness and highlighted the importance of cultural variables, in this case, racism and patriarchy, to the understanding of such a phenomenon. From a behavioral-analytic perspective, loneliness can be seen as a lack of social reinforcers. It can result from the interruption of the possibility of reinforcement (extinction), as in the abandonment of the father or partner, or from the failure to meet the reinforcement criterion, as in the case of neglect. Although the feeling of loneliness is familiar to every human being, this analysis seeks to highlight social contingencies that selectively establish this feeling in Black women: historical contingencies (sexist and racist cultural practices), in which aversive stimuli are paired with these women, generating escape or avoidance from the possible partners, or the interruption of relationships that were reinforcing. We highlight four topics that can help analyze the determinants of Black women’s loneliness: power, rules, relational frames, and coercion. The behavioral analysis of “power” points out that Black women do not have equitable access to reinforcers and punishers. Since the power is generally in the “hands” of White men, they can use this power to generate rules of conduct about how different individuals must behave to receive reinforcement. These rules are facilitating conditions for sexual-affective neglect to acquire relevant functions in establishing the feeling of loneliness. The rules established in our society by the “powerful” relate being a woman to being a wife, behaving in a certain way, being considered attractive and desirable, etc. Black women have been given a range of negative attributes. It can be said that, as Black women are considered the opposite of White women, and White women are coordinated with fragility, purity, being a good wife, and being beautiful, by derivation, Black women would be considered strong, impure, bad wives, and ugly. All these frames will influence the feeling of loneliness Black women experience. Finally, Goldiamond’s analysis of coercion seems to be an adequate tool in analyzing Black women’s loneliness. The power imbalance, determined by race and gender, erodes the possibility of genuine choices for the less favored parties (i.e., Black women and other oppressed groups). There is a lot to be done by behavior analysts in constructing a more equitable society, one where gender and race (among other social markers) are not determinants of differentiated opportunities for accessing reinforcers.