Date of Award

Fall 12-1-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Liz O'Laughlin

Second Advisor

Kevin Bolinskey

Third Advisor

Veanne Anderson

Abstract

Racial discrimination has been tied to adverse mental and physical health outcomes among African Americans. In the face of this adversity, African Americans have developed strategies for coping with everyday experiences of discrimination. One such coping method is based on the concept of John Henryism. The folktale of John Henry tells the story of an African American steel-driver racing against a steam-powered drill to clear a path for trains through a mountain. Although John Henry wins the race, he later dies due to exhaustion, ultimately passing with his hammer in his hand. The psychological concept of John Henryism (JH) refers to an active form of coping that involves generating agency or sense of control when faced with life stressors (Bronder et al., 2014). This coping mechanism is characterized by overcoming adversity through hard work and determination. Research on the impact of JH on coping with discrimination is mixed with one study suggesting that JH may be harmful to physical health but beneficial for mental health (Bronder et al., 2014). The present study sought to explore the potential protective influence of JH on the relationship between discrimination and mental health (i.e., depression, anxiety) and also explored possible gender differences in JH as well as the influence of racial pride and social connectedness as protective factors against the effects of racial discrimination. Participants included 101 African American individuals, ranging in age from 18-80, recruited via emails and social media. Results revealed no significant correlation between symptoms of anxiety and depression and the experience of discrimination; thus, it was not possible to explore the potential mediating influence of JH. Contrary to previous research, JH was not significantly correlated with experiencing discrimination. JH was associated with Centrality, considering being African American as salient to their self-concept. JH shared a positive correlation with one of the ideology subscales, such that those who reported greater JH also reported feeling that African Americans are an oppressed minority. Results did not yield any gender differences in report of JH or in correlations between JH and other study variables for female versus male participants. Further research including participants from a wider range of education and socioeconomical status (SES) backgrounds is suggested to explore possible gender differences in the experience of discrimination as well as strategies used to cope with discrimination.

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