Date

6-17-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Sarah Walsh

Keywords

African American inherited land, heirs' property, African American family dynamics, Uniform Partition of Heirs' Property Act (UPHPA), family conflict, tenants in common

Disciplines

Counseling | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore the lived experiences of African American heirs’ property owners in the Southeastern United States. Bowen’s Family Systems Theory (BFST) and the Theory of Resilience and Relational Load (TRRL) are the lens through which these experiences are viewed. Each theory provides applicable concepts that guide the query with the participants as they share their interpretations of the phenomenon. Furthermore, the study seeks to understand the biopsychosocial aspects of the interpersonal relationships that family members confront when addressing issues of co-tenancy as owners of inherited land. This hermeneutic phenomenological study employed a hybrid approach to data analysis. The inductive, evidence-informed codes and the deductive, theory-constructed codes provided a comprehensive foundation for the emergent themes that captured participants’ experiences in tangible, practical ways. This study extends empirical research by engaging the heirs’ property owners in sharing their personal feelings and emotions about family dealings with the land. The study makes an original contribution to the current literature by addressing the family dynamics of African American heirs’ property owners through a theoretical lens.

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