invisible

The history of racial inequality in the US is a part of the background for identity development of all men, but African-American men have a unique struggle in this context. Slavery, overt/covert racism, negative stereotyping, and ongoing oppression can create a deep sense of cultural mistrust, beliefs that one’s worth and abilities are overshadowed by stereotypes, and sensitivity to subtle acts of racism. These are elements of “invisibility syndrome” (Franklin, 1999). This work was originally created to address the experience of African-American men, but has been expanded to Asian-American and Latin-American men as well. “The invisibility syndrome evolves when persons feel that they live in a radicalized or depersonalized context in which who they are as a genuine person, including their individual talents and unique abilities, is overshadowed by stereotyped attitudes and prejudice that others hold about them.” (Franklin, 2006, p118). 
People that experience invisibility syndrome often have a daily experience of feeling like that are being discriminated against, often in very subtle acts that are perceived as racially motivated. The “invisibility” is that one’s being is not seen, only one’s skin color, and all ideas attached to it are. The energy required to deal with all of these interactions can be exhausting, and can reinforce propositions such as “black people have to work twice as hard as white people to get ahead.” It can interfere with goal development, sense of accomplishment, and motivation for success and relationship. At worst it can lead to depression, a distortion of how one exists in the world, and intense anger.