The diversification of psychology: A multicultural revolution.

Abstract

T he National Multicultural Conference and Summit (NMCS) was held in January 1999 in Newport Beach, California. Hosted by the American Psychological Association's (APA's) Division 17, Counseling Psychology; Division 35, Society for the Psychology of Women; and Division 45, the Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues, the two-day series of keynote addresses, symposia, and forums brought together some of the most well-known multicultural scholars and practitioners in the field to (a) examine state-of-the-art issues in ethnic minority psychology; (b) facilitate difficult dialogues on race, gender, and sexual orientation; (c) forge multicultural alliances for political action and advocacy; and (d) develop strategies for multicultural organizational change. The events of the summit are considered historic and revolutionary for several reasons.First, the idea for the NMCS arose from the election of the first Asian American president of APA (Richard Suinn) and the realization that five other persons of color were elected presidents of their respective APA divisions (Divisions 17, 35, 36, 44, and 45). l As individuals were chosen for leadership positions, we were presented with a three-year window of opportunity to make a meaningful difference in ethnic minority issues in the profession of psychology. For many years, the members of Divisions 17, 35, and 45 have been influential in addressing issues of racism, sexism, heterosexism, and other forms of prejudice and discrimination. Each of us saw a clear need to spearhead change by bringing together outstanding psychologists who have worked in the areas of race relations, diversity, and multiculturalism. Never before in the history of APA has such a large number of multicultural experts been brought together to assess the current state of psychology with respect to its relevance to culturally different populations. In addition to the presenters, over 500 other psychologists and graduate students from throughout the nation attended the event.

Remembering race: White racial identity attitudes and two aspects of social memory.

“…Numerous approaches to multicultural counselor training have been proposed (see Reynolds, 1995), reflecting a growing concern to "understand culture and ethnicity factors in order to provide appropriate psychological services" (American Psychological Association, 1993, p. 45). This study offers partial support to those who argue that the mere acquisition of information about diverse racial and ethnic groups is not enough to ensure cultural competence (Ivey, Fouad, Arredondo, D'Andrea, 2000;Sue et al, 1999). The results reported here suggest that counselor trainees at lower levels of racial identity might be more apt to distort the information they are provided at the time of initial encoding.…”

An examination of the efficacy of conjoint behavioral consultation with diverse clients.

“…Diversity is defi ned as demonstrating characteristics that are unique or diff erent from the mainstream society, including those of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, parental educational level, language, and family stability, among others (Sue, Bingham, Porch-Burke, & Vasquez, 1999). In the present study, diversity factors that were investigated included socioeconomic status (household income of less than $15,000), family composition (fewer than two adults in the home), ethnicity (nonCaucasian), maternal education level (less than a high school edu cation), and language spoken in the home (nonEnglish.)…”

“…Moreover, all fi ve of the diversity factors investigated in this study have been identifi ed as social diff erences that challenge att empts to build collaborative relationships across educators, parents, and communities (Giles, 2002). When values, life experiences, and expectations of diverse families diff er in important ways from those of the educators who teach their children, communication and cooperation become more diffi cult to achieve (Sue et al, 1999).…”

Building a Solid Foundation for our Majors with the Introductory Psychology Course

“…Our individual lives and our professional field continue to become more internationally integrated (Lutsky et al, 2005;Sue, Bingham, Porché-Burke, & Vasquez, 1999), therefore global standards will become all the more imperative in two ways that have direct implications on our introductory psychology course. First, undergraduate coursework needs to prepare students for the globalized nature of their life and work.…”