Even The Rat Was White Summary

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Abstract
This paper discusses black psychology and offers insights on black identity. It explains the need to lean towards the black radical school of thought as opposed to the traditional school of thought. Furthermore, this paper will explain the connection between the history of black psychology and black identity.













Karenga (2010) defines psychology as “the human science that systematically studies behavior in its relationship to the complexity of mental, emotional, physical and environmental factors which shape it“(pg.298). Within the study of psychology there exists a history of an interest in the psychological differences between Black and White people. In his book, Even the Rat was White, African American psychologist Robert …show more content…

This sense of empowerment was gained through the establishment of independence from European organizations and structures dominating the field of psychology. Black psychology as a discipline allowed for the empowerment of African Americans within the field of psychology through its ability to evaluate the Black psyche from an African American perspective. Karenga (1993) argues for the inclusion of Black Psychology in Black studies programs and dedicates a chapter to the discipline in his Introduction to Black Studies text. Among his discussion of Black psychology he identifies the traditional school, the reformist school and the radical school as the three schools of thought to Black Psychology. Each school is a reflection of the changes in approach taken by Black psychologists in their efforts to examine and assess the African American …show more content…

While it asserts to change white attitudes it does so without offering alternatives for correcting problems. - Kenneth Clark, Mamie Phipps Clark, William Grier and Price Cobbs Reformist School - This school of thought places emphasis on confronting public policies that maintain and support institutional racism.
While it advocates for a Black Psychology perspective it also combines it with traditional Eurocentric psychological methodology. - Charles Thomas, Joseph White, and William Cross Radical School - This school of thought places emphasis on an African worldview analysis as essential to understanding the psychology of people of African descent. (Karenga, 2010) presents that Black psychologists who subscribe to the Traditional school of thought recognize the need for a change in the attitudes pertaining to the psychological assessment of African Americans however still utilize Eurocentric

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