Psychological Science: Taking White Racial Emotions Seriously—Revisiting the Costs of Racism to White Americans

Spanierman, Lisa B.; Clark, David F.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-75232-3_8

Cited by 16 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…For White people, this can include an inaccurate sense of self based on a false sense of superiority. Building on this scholarly tradition, researchers have investigated the affective psychological costs of racism to White individuals, such as White guilt and an irrational fear of POC; patterns across these costs emerge to describe within-group differences among White people including individuals who are blatantly racist and insensitive to people who are antiracist and empathic toward POC (Spanierman & Clark, 2021).…”

Section: Racism Conceptualizations In Psychologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting the gaze from racism to healing from racism: A systematic review of selected psychology journals from 1992 to 2022.

Neville,

Monette,

Lewis

et al. 2024

American Psychologist

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Using a decolonial approach, we provided a narrative review of the research on racism in psychology and conducted a systematic review of the top five psychology journals publishing research on racism and mental health to identify trends in racism research over time and the research gaps. We examined 372 articles on racism published between 1992 and 2022: American Psychologist, Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, Journal of Black Psychology, Journal of Counseling Psychology, and The Counseling Psychologist. Based on our review, we found that published research examining racism has steadily increased over the past 3 decades, with the greatest spikes in 2021 and 2022. The largest increase was in studies focused on People of Color’s experiences with racism. The overwhelming majority of the articles were empirical (86.3%) and most of these studies (87.5%) employed cross-sectional designs. We identified corollary topics by racial/ethnic group, prevalent research designs, and the emergence of strength-based and healing approaches to address racism’s impact. There were general racial and ethnic differences in trends, with research on various People of Color groups focused on the harmful effects of racism and research on White populations focused on Whiteness and level of awareness of racism. We conclude with recommendations to enhance the content and methodological rigor of future research while also suggesting policy implications to support advancements in this critical area of study.

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Section: Racism Conceptualizations In Psychologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting the gaze from racism to healing from racism: A systematic review of selected psychology journals from 1992 to 2022.

Neville,

Monette,

Lewis

et al. 2024

American Psychologist

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“…In addition to their training and experience level, a review of literature outside the field of psychotherapy suggests that therapists' cultural comfort in discussing anti-Black racism with Black clients may be predicated on their experience of racialized emotions-that is, emotions tied to one's racial beliefs, identities, ideologies, and socialization (Bonilla-Silva, 2019). White therapists, for instance, may experience a range of emotions rooted in racism (e.g., White fragility) or antiracism (e.g., moral outrage), depending on their racial identity formation (Spanierman et al, 2015). Depending on their own racial identity formation (Cross & Vandiver, 2001), Black therapists may also experience a range of emotions tied to what it means to be Black, including apathy, self-loathing, disdain for White people, or more positive feelings such as pride, selfacceptance, and inclusivity.…”

Section: Therapists' Cultural Comfort and Racialized Emotionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“How could I not bring it up?”: A multiple case study of therapists’ comfort when Black clients discuss anti-Black racism in sessions.

Bartholomew¹,

Pérez‐Rojas²,

Bledman³

et al. 2023

Psychotherapy

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Anti-Black racism is often overlooked in predominantly White spaces such as psychotherapy. This pervasive disregard and dehumanization reflects the perpetuation of ongoing racial trauma that can influence the psychological health of Black people seeking psychotherapy. Therapists, therefore, ought to be equipped and comfortable to have conversations about anti-Blackness and anti-Black racism in sessions, though evidence suggests they are often uncomfortable discussing race and racism in practice. To understand therapists' comfort when clients discuss anti-Black racism, we used a multiple case study approach to interview five practicing clinicians (two White, two Black, one biracial Asian and White). Within-case analysis elicited a sense of participants' personal experiences of being comfortable, and at times less so, when clients discussed having endured anti-Black racism. Cross-case analysis led to the identification of four themes: (a) Beyond Acknowledgment, (b) Drawing Personal Awareness into the Moment, (c) Engaging with One's Own Emotional Responses, and (d) I Am versus I Should: Proactive and Reactive Comfort. These findings are discussed within the scope of multicultural competence, multicultural orientation, and the value of cultural comfort when clients' discuss anti-Black racism. Clinical Impact StatementQuestion: This study was guided by the central question: What is the experience of therapists' cultural comfort when clients express anti-Black racism in session? Findings: Our findings demonstrate therapists' experiences of comfort when discussing clients' experiences of anti-Black racism during sessions include a sense of knowledge about anti-Blackness and anti-Black racism as well as intrapersonal engagement with one's own emotional reactions as a provider and both proactive and reactive comfort responses. Meaning: These qualitative data, collected via multiple case study, offer insight for therapists about clinicians' perceptions of being comfortable and the value of doing so when so often anti-Blackness is disregarded socially and in psychotherapy. Next Steps: As this qualitative data reflects participants' experiences of being comfortable with clients' discussing anti-Black racism, researchers should endeavor to understand the relationship between therapists' cultural comfort and psychotherapy outcome for Black clients who endure anti-Blackness and anti-Black racism and discuss such experiences during treatment. This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.Editor's Note. Rayna D. Markin served as the action editor for this article.-JO

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“…In particular, we draw on Eng and han's (2000) take on racial melancholia as a productive rather than pathological way of making sense of the loss and alienation that impact a racially minoritized person's sense of identity and belonging as a result of the pressures of assimilation to Whiteness. We take a specific interest in the cultural function and signification of what one popular online blogger called "the weary weaponizing of White women's tears" (Ajayi, 2017) alongside suggestions of a "White melancholia" (Cheng, 2000;hübinette & Räterlinck, 2014;Spanierman & Cabrera, 2015). Anne Cheng's (2000) work is instructive for understanding the deep imbrication between race and melancholia.…”

Section: Melancholia and White Feminine Emotionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The potential misapplication of racial melancholia to Whiteness-i.e., White melancholia-is partly due to the idea that Whiteness experiences mourning as a result of racial loss. White melancholia is defined as an affective condition growing out of a fear of loss of racial dominance, paired with a romanticization of Whiteness as an innocent and magnanimous force (hübinette & Räterlinck, 2014;Spanierman & Cabrera, 2015). As these authors suggested, in White melancholia, Whites presumably introject elements of the other that they fear losing; as a result, White fears lead them to identify with the other.…”

Section: Whiteness and Melancholiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Sometimes Leaving Means Staying: Race and White Teachers’ Emotional Investments

Leonardo

Gamez-Djokic

2019

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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Emotional praxis is not a phrase usually associated with teaching and teacher education. Yet when race enters educational spaces, emotions frequently run high. In particular, Whites are often ill-equipped to handle emotions about race, either becoming debilitated by them or consistently evading them. Without critically understanding the relationship between race and emotions—or, simply, racialized emotions—teachers are unprepared to teach one of the most important topics in modern education. This chapter addresses this gap in education and teacher training by surveying the philosophical, sociological, and burgeoning literature on emotion in education to arrive at critical knowledge about the function and constitutive role it plays in discourses on race. Specifically, the argument delves into white racial emotions in light of the known fact that most teachers in the United States are White women. This means that our critical understanding of emotion during the teaching and learning interaction entails appreciation of both its racialized and gendered dimensions, and attention to both race and gender becomes part of emotional praxis. Finally, the essay ends with a proposal for an intersubjective race theory of emotion in education.

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Psychological Science: Taking White Racial Emotions Seriously—Revisiting the Costs of Racism to White Americans

Cited by 16 publications

References 33 publications

Shifting the gaze from racism to healing from racism: A systematic review of selected psychology journals from 1992 to 2022.

Shifting the gaze from racism to healing from racism: A systematic review of selected psychology journals from 1992 to 2022.

“How could I not bring it up?”: A multiple case study of therapists’ comfort when Black clients discuss anti-Black racism in sessions.

Sometimes Leaving Means Staying: Race and White Teachers’ Emotional Investments

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