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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

apartheid determining factors, psychological implications, perceived racism

College

David O. McKay School of Education

Department

Counseling Psychology and Special Education

Abstract

Experiences of racism adversely influence multiple aspects of psychological well-being, and individuals vary in their successful coping to mitigate those consequences. Recent research (van Dyk, 2008) has suggested religiosity and inter-racial forgiveness as two positive ways of coping, and my project will address the following question: “To what degree does forgiveness mediate spirituality and perceived racism separately as a buffer against the adverse effects on personal well-being?” It is my hypothesis that inter-racial forgiveness and spirituality will mediate the association of experiences of racism with psychological well-being of South Africans who report having experienced racism across their lives. Participants were a convenience sample recruited from three locations: Cape Town, Sandton, and the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. The participants recruited from Cape Town and Sandton were approached on the street in public areas and asked to participate in a brief survey. Participants recruited from the University of Johannesburg were students in an introductory psychology course who were emailed by the professor an anonymous survey link as an extra credit opportunity. The main criterion for participating in the study is that the participant was currently living in South Africa and from the continent of Africa. Approval for the study was obtained through Brigham Young University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) on April 3, 2013. Informed consent was obtained through a statement of informed consent.

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