This paper evaluates models of positive mental health for their applicability to blacks and describes three studies that examined self-esteem, locus of control, and commitment to social change as critical dimensions of effective functioning and mental health among blacks. The first study examined racial differences in self-evaluation by subjecting black and white students to a memory task and having them evaluate themselves. No racial differences were found in self-evaluation, but blacks' responses to feedback suggested that blacks, more than whites, may rely on cues from the social environment. The second study explored associations between social commitment, self-esteem, and psychosocial competence among black adolescents. A complex pattern of relationships was found among the three variables; based on this pattern, two models for describing black coping styles were developed. The third study investigated how locus of control predicts political activism among black undergraduate students in a predominantly white university. A somewhat paradoxical effect was found in that more activist blacks felt personally responsible for what happened to them individually but saw the external system as a major determinant of what happens to blacks generally. (Author/MJL)