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1 results

  • Chapter 13 - Wearing a Mask in Love: Implications for Covering and Infidelity in Black Relationships

  • from Part IV - Sex and Intimacy
  • Edited by Yamonte Cooper, El Camino College, Torrance, California, Erica Holmes, Antioch University, Los Angeles
  • Book:
    Black Couples Therapy
    Published online:
    27 July 2023
    Print publication:
    10 August 2023, pp 293-316

  • Summary

    This chapter explores infidelity in Black committed relationships. Research indicates that the instability of Black relationships is directly related to the effects of racial trauma that Black men and women continue to endure. Due to the emotional and psychological wounds caused by systemic oppression, internalized stereotypes, and other factors, Black men and women often wear a mask, ultimately suppressing their authentic selves. A sociological phenomenon called covering is discussed to frame, expand, and make meaning of the ways Black men and women in relationship have learned to survive and protect themselves from further emotional bruising. A case study using Narrative Therapy addresses covering while attending to the language used to shape a couple’s reality. Discovering an alternative solution to other possibilities expands the couple’s sense of self and other to ultimately redefine their story.