Stress Balance and Emotional Life Complexes in Students in a Historically African American College

Abstract

Emotional complexes can be found within the constellation of emotional experiences occurring and recurring around particular existential conditions or psychological themes operant within the life of an individual. Data from a sample of 200 African American college students were used to describe the emotional complexes of racial discrimination, financial strain, and optimism–pessimism. The Emotology Q-Deck, based on the Q-sort method (Block, 1978), was used to assess emotional life through self-report ratings of 26 positive and 26 negative emotions. More comprehensive than the traditional focus on singular emotional states or traits, the focus on emotional life complexes provides a more realistic understanding of the challenges and necessities of promoting community mental health, emotional well-being, and healthy intergroup relationships through educational, socioeconomic, and cultural interventions.