The Sankofa effect: Divergent effects of thinking about the past for blacks and whites

Abstract

Time perspective theory has traditionally focused on the individual level assessment of how thinking about time influences emotion and behavior. In this chapter, we extend this individual-level approach by proposing that emotion, behavior, and cognitive processes are also influenced by a collective representation of time that is attached to both individuals and their groups. Specifically, marginalized groups with an historical narrative of prejudice and discrimination may benefit from integrating personal and collective pasts into the present and future, a process called Sankofa. To capture Sankofa processes, we propose the development of a collective time perspective measure. Two experiments are reported that show Blacks engage in Sankofa processes more than Whites, and that a past orientation mediates psychological outcomes for Blacks. Finally, we discuss how Sankofa processes may be limited when facing psychological threats. Time perspective is discussed as a source of psychological threat as well as a process for coping with it.