Date
11-13-2025
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Jason Ward
Keywords
Strong Black woman, reframing, pressure, trauma, faith, ideology, strength, healing, vulnerability
Disciplines
Counseling
Recommended Citation
Garner, Debra Ann, "The Pressure to Endure: How Black Women over 50 Navigate the Dichotomy of Human Resilience and Supernatural Strength" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7596.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7596
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to discover how Black women over 50 interpret their life experiences in the face of pressure to be strong and faith filled. It explored the intersection of race, gender, age, and faith, specifically concerning older Black women and their interpretations of the impact of cultural and societal expectations. With data from ten interviews, this study examined how the women view the dichotomy of life as Strong Black faith-filled women who are inwardly self-silencing, suppressing, and who use other coping mechanisms through decades of lingering emotional trauma. From prior studies, the Strong Black Woman Schema (SBWS) was introduced as a phenomenon characterized by suppression and self-sacrifice, with the potential for mental and physical detriment (Volpe et al., 2023). This present study reports evidence of oxymoronic strength that, for some participants, inhibited recognition of deep-seated emotional wounds yet illustrates a trend of reframing strength from expected behavior to introspective growth shaped by their faith and lived experiences. The participants share a common commitment to God and recognize that authentic faith in God is the glue that holds them together. They have learned and are learning the power of expressing their emotions out loud and to reject guilt and shame. The results point to an evolution of identity that recognizes vulnerability is a key component of strength, the ability to be transparent and admit to emotional or physical weakness, without judgment or shame. The report also revealed that as the women grow in years, they are growing in faith, which provides courage to seek help and to reject the stereotypical notion of what it means to be a Strong Black woman.
