UNDERSTANDING BLACK-FAMILY FUNCTIONING - A HOLISTIC PERSPECTIVE

This article contends that, in order to enhance knowledge of the funct ioning of African American families, a holistic perspective must be in corporated by analysts and researchers. This holistic approach is base d primarily on the theoretical formulation, offered by Dr. W.E.B. Du B ois in his paper, ''The Study of the Negro Problem,'' which was presen ted at the 1898 meeting of the American Academy of Political land Soci al Science. We contrast the holistic perspective with the conventional or ''deficit'' treatment of African American families in policy discu ssions and the research literature. We also briefly examine several co nceptual frameworks (such as systems, developmental, ecological, aad c ultural) that.contribute to enhancing our knowledge of Black family li fe. Moreover, we underscore the importance of examining the separate a nd combined effects of factors at the societal, community, family, and individual levels on Black family structure and functioning. We also illustrate how the interdisciplinary nature of the holistic approach i ncreases new insights into the functioning of African American familie s. Finally, we attempt to show how a holistic emphasis on strengths an d resilience can enhance the identification of public policies and pro grams that are likely to strengthen the functioning of African America n families.