This study examined the concept of successful aging using an ethnographic grounded-theory approach. Seventy-seven Japanese American older adults participated in focus groups. Participants perceived successful aging as optimal functioning in the following areas: Physical health, psychological health, cognitive functioning, socialization, spirituality, and financial security. The content of each dimension represents both culture-specific and culturally-universal elements. This new multidimensional model of successful aging was compared to Rowe and Kahn's (The Gerontologist 37:433-440, 1997) and Phelan et al.'s frameworks (Journal of the American Geriatric Society 52:211-216, 2004) of successful aging. The model of successful aging generated from this study appears to be more comprehensive than existing models and incorporates sociocultural experiences.

The purpose of this survey was to examine the extent to which community psychology has committed itself to one of its original missions: to foster cultural relativity and diversity. Content analyses were conducted of all articles published in the American Journal of Community Psychology, Community Mental Health Journal, and the Journal of Community Psychology from the journals' inception through 1985. Of all articles published, 13% furthered the goals of cultural diversity, and 86% did not. Further breakdown revealed that 5.5% of the articles were on a single U.S. ethnic minority group, 5% compared an ethnic minority group(s) to Whites, 2% were on an international cultural group, and .5% compared two or more ethnic minority groups to each other. Compared to CMHJ, a higher proportion of articles published in AJCP and JCP were devoted to cultural diversity. Greater attention has been given to the study of Blacks and Hispanics/Puerto Ricans than to Asian Americans or Native Americans. For all journals combined, there was an overall increase in the proportion of articles devoted to cultural diversity and ethnicity over time. Still, 5% to 11% was considered short of the proportion of ethnic minorities in the United States (over 20%), leading the researchers to conclude that progress has been made, but more needs to be done.

In this article, six faculty and students of color who participated in a panel discussion at a symposium during the National Multicultural Conference and Summit of 2003 talk about the barriers they encountered and continue to encounter in their graduate training and places of employment. They also discuss strategies they found to be effective, enhancing, and positive and suggest other possibilities. The contributors describe their relationships with dominant-group and minority peers and talk about how issues of social class, disability, and sexual orientation as well as color have been part of their experience.