Beyond Double Consciousness: Bonsai Theory, Reconstructed Self Theory, and the Sociology of Internalized Structural Constraint

• In Event: Joint Roundtables: Social Psychology Section and Sociology of Emotions Section
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 7 - Theory

Abstract

W.E.B. Du Bois’s concept of double consciousness identified the psychic dimensions of racial bifurcation, yet sociology has not fully theorized the mechanisms through which structural constraint becomes internalized as patterned ways of perceiving possibility, agency, and self. This theoretical paper advances an analytic framework for understanding how racialized social structures shape identity formation and self-concept among Black Americans.
Drawing on the sociology of knowledge, Du Boisian theory, and structural approaches to inequality, the paper introduces two conceptual models developed in the author’s recent work, Liberated Mind: A Guide to Black Clarity (2026). Bonsai Theory conceptualizes systemic racism as a structuring container that limits developmental trajectories while normalizing the constraints it produces. Reconstructed Self Theory extends social constructionist insights by proposing that if the self is socially formed under conditions of racial hierarchy, it may also be intentionally reconfigured through processes of critical reflection and disciplined identity revision.
The paper argues that structural inequality persists not only through institutional arrangements but through the internalization of constraint into everyday cognitive and interpretive processes. By specifying the micro-level mechanisms through which racialized environments shape perception, evaluation, and identity construction, the framework contributes to social psychological debates on self-formation, agency, and the relationship between structure and meaning-making.

Author

• Timothy D. Goler, Norfolk State University