Superwoman Schema and Relationship Satisfaction Among Black Women in the United States: The Mediating Role of Relationship Attachment
Speaker: Dr. Shemeka Thorpe
Dr. Shemeka Thorpe is an award-winning sexuality educator, researcher, and international speaker. Her research focuses on the sexual well-being of Black women using Black feminisms and sex-positive frameworks. Dr. Thorpe is an Assistant Professor in Health Promotion at the University of Kentucky. She holds two degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro—a Bachelor’s in Human Development and Family Studies and a Doctorate in Community Health Education— and a Masters in Family and Child Sciences from Florida State University. Dr. Thorpe has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles in journals in the field of sexology, psychology, and public health. In 2023, Buzzfeed listed her as one of the top 20 Black sexologists you should follow. She has been featured on numerous podcasts as well as online magazines and blogs such as Cosmo, Elite Daily, The New York Times, and Essence. Dr. Thorpe aims to make research relevant to Black communities by translating sex science in meaningful and tangible ways.
This workshop explores how the Superwoman Schema (SWS) a culturally specific coping framework that captures strength, emotional suppression, and caregiving affects Black women’s relationship satisfaction. Using research findings from a study of 288 Black women, we will examine how insecure attachment styles, particularly avoidant and anxious attachment, mediate the relationship between SWS and relational outcomes. We will also explore how partner race and gender may shape these dynamics. Together, we will discuss how societal expectations and internalized schemas influence how Black women connect with partners and experience intimacy. Participants will leave with strategies for identifying and addressing these relational patterns to foster healthier, more fulfilling relationships.