Marginality, Identity and Behaviour in the American Negro: a Functional Analysis

An attempt at a definition of marginality (Marg) in functional terms with special reference to its descriptive & explanatory usefulness in relation to the behavior of certain segments of the US Negro pop observed in Baltimore. Marg as a signif soc phenomenon for US Negroes is recent. As caste restraints were relaxed, there appeared an increasing N of persons to whom the term marginal might be applied in the sense that they seem to be on the advancing 'edge' or 'margin' of their own S-cul group as it was in contact with representatives of the surrounding powerholding white society. Such an individual is characterized by incomplete acceptance by members of his own group & the larger group & by whatever personal conflicts accompany such lack of acceptance. While psychol'al problems secondary to lack of secure acceptance by any group are most obvious in those individuals characterized as marginal, there is some evidence that these problems are ubiquitous among US Negroes. Factors contributing to Negro Marg are soc visibility & caste restraints, status mobility & aspiration level, status mobility & reference groups, & person identity. The newly explicit consequences of the caste system as it is changing appear to be dysfunctional in certain respects for both the minority & majority groups. Though other soc factors are also important, there is some evidence that a r exists between reported Negro personal & soc disorg & enforced caste restraint. These rates are interpretable as consequences of the 'limited caste system' even though they may reflect sampling & assessment problems related to the general social structure. Marg as a state functions for the US Negro on at least 2 levels. Initially it provides a status for those who are in the process of extending the caste boundaries. This process is characterized by inadequate identification & distorted perception of available reference groups, poorly defined soc boundaries, the paucity of workable techniques for achieving status mobility, & the consequent problem in personal identity formation. Secondly, it is possible that we will eventually witness the evolution of an individual whose empathic insights into the minority, marginal & majority societies will result in unique creativity. Such a person may be regarded as a S-cul synthesizer &, as such, an essential ingredient of Marg viewed as a process. Modified AA.