Living in a society where African Americans are forced to consciously chance their performance to be successful in mainstream America causes anxiety which thus can lead up to suicide. In order to achieve and maintain mainstream success, middle-class African Americans are forced to have two different identities. Using the framework of W.E.B. Du Bois' double consciousness (1868) and Erving Goffman's face theory (1967), the purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of anxiety primarily in the late Leanita McClain. By analyzing McClain's performance, it provides the foundation to understanding why having two different identities causes strain for the individual which leads up to anxiety and the extreme cases suicide. By understanding the strains of having two identities, African Americans will experience less anxiety and no longer feel the need to construct another identity to achieve success in mainstream America.

Using a sociocultural analysis of race, gender, and economic class, the project focuses on several of McClain's articles and essay mentioned in A Foot in Each World. Qualitative data is recorded to identify the identity struggle McClain experienced. In addition, several novels, essays, and articles arguments are presented to support Leanita McClain's inability to maintain two separate identities.