First off let’s understand exactly what ethnic psychology is. Ethnic Psychology seeks to advance psychological science of culture, ethnicity, and race through the publication of empirical research, as well as theoretical, conceptual and integrative review articles that will stimulate further empirical research, on basic and applied psychological issues relevant to racial and ethnic groups that have been historically subordinated underrepresented, or underserved (Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. American Psychological Association).
Within Ethnic Psychology we share what is called an ethnic identity. Let’s start off by explaining what an identity is before we discuss ethnic identity. According to Erikson an identity is something
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We are fast becoming a multicultural, multiracial, and multilingual society. The recently released 2000 U.S. Census reveals that within several short decades, persons of color will become a numerical majority. These changes have been referred to as the “diversification of the United States” or literally the “changing complexion of society.” The need to become culturally competent in mental health practice has never been more urgent (Psychological treatment of Ethnic Minority Population. Council of National Psychological Associations for the Advancement of Ethnic Minority Interests).
The field of psychology was once only geared towards Europeans. It is now widespread and has come a long way, but still has so far to go. Ethnic Psychology is an open area for people of minority. Before the early 1990’s there was a shortage of minority psychology graduates. Many minorities did not have an interest in psychology because it was geared towards the European cultural and lack so much interest and information on minorities until
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The upsurge in racial and ethnic identity expedition is tenuous with minute confirmation of extensive identity development suggesting components of crisis or stress (Racial and Ethnic Identity Theory, Measurement and Research in Counseling Psychology: Present Status and Future Directions. Journal of Counseling Psychology).
Recently, there has been a new development as well as a revision of scales. There are four scales two of which have been recently revised.
The first one is The CRIS. The CRIS which stands for Cross Racial Identity Scale, this scale is said to serve as the best model of racial identity scale reinforcement. It is a 10-item Likert type scale measuring six identity types: three Pre-Counter types-Assimilation, Miseducation, and Racial Self-Hatred: one Immersion-Emersion type-Anti-White: and two Internalization types-Nationality and Multiculturalist. Five items measure each of the six types, and the CRIS includes 10 filler items for the control of bias responses (Racial and Ethnic Identity Theory, Measurement and Research in Counseling Psychology: Present Status and Future Directions. Journal of Counseling
Hud-Aleem, Raushanah, and Jacqueline Countryman. "Biracial Identity Development and Recommendations in Therapy." Psychiatry (Edgmont). Matrix Medical Communications. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
The conflict between race and ethnicity came up throughout the time I administered my questionnaires. In the questionnaires, many people questioned what they should respond to for the question which referenced their “race” or “ethnicity”. Some people saw it as a division and how the terms can be used as a negative term or a positive term to label a group of people.
Cuéllar, I., & Paniagua, F. A. (2000). Handbook of Multicultural Mental Health : Assessment and Treatment of Diverse Populations. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
It is pertinent to study the history of racial oppression when preparing to counsel a client from an ethnic minority if the counselor is from the majority culture. The problem is it would be difficult to examine the complete history and would be highly impossible especially in a short time. However, a therapist can gain knowledge of some of the essentials of history such as, religion, family structure, and background information. If the therapist or counselor is uncomfortable counseling these individuals he/or she can refer the client to someone who has more knowledge or has the same cultural background as the client. For instance, a therapist must become aware of the sociopolitical dynamics that form not only their clients’ views, but their own as well. Racial and cultural dynamics may interfere into the helping process and cause misdiagnosis, confusion, pain and reinforcement of biases and prejudices towards their client.
“Cultural competence is the ability to engage in actions or create conditions that maximize the optimal development of client and client systems” (Sue & Sue, 2013, p. 49). Multicultural competence includes a counselor to be aware of his or her biases, knowledge of the culture they are evaluating, and skills to evaluate a client with various backgrounds (Sue & Sue, 2013). Client assessment involves gathering information pertaining to the client’s condition. Making a culturally responsive diagnosis involves using the DSM-IV-TR axis (Hays, 2008). Following the axis backwards is ideal to discovering the client’s diagnosis, understanding the client’s ADDRESSING outline will help to come to a closer resolution for a diagnosis.
Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM). The MEIM (Phinney, 1992) is a broad measure of ethnic identity across three major dimensions (ethnic identity achievement, affirmation and belonging, ethnic behaviors). Fourteen items are rated on a 4-point scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree) to measure ethnic identity. A higher score on the MEIM represents a greater ethnic identity, while low scores indicate greater assimilation attitudes. For the analysis, the rating for each item will be scored and one total score will used to determine the level of ethnic identification between African Americans and European Americans. In the current study, alpha = .87. Sample items from the MEIM include, “I have a clear sense of my ethnic background and what it means for me,” “I have a lot of pride in my ethnic group” and “I am happy I
Cook, D. & Helms, J. (1999). Using race and culture in counseling and psychotherapy. Needham Heights, Massachusetts: A Viacom Company.
Comparing and contrasting models of identity development in people of color with racial identity models for whites, in Chapter 12 they address the issue of White identity development and discuss how it may impact clients of color. These specialists point out that while the Racial/ Cultural Identity Development model in people of color proves beneficial in our work as therapists, more attention should be devoted toward the White therapist's racial identity.
Ethnic identity is the sum total of group member feelings about those values, symbols, and common histories that identify them as a distinct group (Smith 1991). Development of ethnic identity is important because it helps one to come to terms with their ethnic membership as a prominent reference group and significant part of an individuals overall identity. Ethnic reference group refers to an individuals psychological relatedness to groups (Smith 1991). These reference groups help adolescents sense, reflect and see things from the point of their ethnic groups in which they actively participate or seek to participate.
Ethnicity significantly influences the formation of an individuals identity and experiences of belonging. Every cultural background has its own guide of morals and values which places expectations on each individual to follow. The various elements of a certain background influence family life and general structure, greatly influencing a persons formation of identity, and ways an individual may experience belonging. Other impacts that may have an effect on ethnicity for various people today include globalisation, increased mobility and migration.
What is identity? Identity is an unbound formation which is created by racial construction and gender construction within an individual’s society even though it is often seen as a controlled piece of oneself. In Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum’s piece, “The Complexity of Identity: ‘Who Am I?’, Tatum asserts that identity is formed by “individual characteristics, family dynamics, historical factors, and social and political contexts” (Tatum 105). Tatum’s piece, “The Complexity of Identity: ‘Who Am I?’” creates a better understanding of how major obstacles such as racism and sexism shape our self identity.
The model led to the development of an assessment instrument to measure the white racial identity. According to Helms, developing a healthy white identity requires transition through two phases, abandonment of racism, and definition of a non-racist white identity. The two phases are characterized by six distinct racial identity statuses that are equally distributed. They include autonomy, contact, disintegration, immersion/emersion, pseudo independence, and reintegration. I find this model detailed, informative and helpful in understanding the white racial identity (Derald Wing Sue,
Race and ethnicity are two terms that are constantly used in today’s society. Understanding these terms can help people to recognize that color of skin or color of hair does not define a person. These terms connect with history, social interaction, and the overall make up of a person. However America is constantly obsessed with labeling people by the way that they look or the way that they act. America seems to encourage the terms race and ethnicity and continue to divide people into categories. It is interesting to comprehend these terms because they are not going to disappear any time soon. Race and ethnicity are apart of America’s history and will be a part of the future.
Burke, P.J. & Stets, J.E. (2000). Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory. Social Psychology Quarterly 63(3), 224-237
The Purpose of this research paper is to explore the possibilities in virtual reality that helps with education. Is it possible to use virtual reality in the educational system? What does it bring to the table that conventional teachings do not? What other devices are coming to the market that can be used? In this paper we will also be looking at few examples of virtual reality video games that are now used in the glass room or are about to be.