The United States

The Content of Our Character concerns the American black community and focuses only on the United States.

College Campuses

A particularly nasty manifestation of racial tension particular to the post Civil Rights Movement era occurs on college campuses, according to Steele.

Seeing for Innocence

Blacks and whites "see for innocence" when they look for ways to play the innocent victim against the attacks of the other.

Race-Holding

Race-holding occurs when blacks use their racial identity to protect themselves from racial vulnerabilities. Race-holding has the negative consequence of holding back black development.

Recomposed Selves

A recomposed self is created when an identity is destroyed or non-existent and must be created from elements common to the experience of a community. Steele believes that blacks often recompose their identities around the wrong elements in their collective experience.

White Guilt

The guilt whites have over their knowledge of the...