1st Edition

Racial Identity Theory Applications to Individual, Group, and Organizational Interventions

Edited By Chalmer E. Thompson, Robert T. Carter Copyright 1997
    302 Pages
    by Routledge

    302 Pages
    by Routledge

    Racial identity theories have been in the psychological literature for nearly thirty years. Unlike most references to racial identity, however, Thompson and Carter demonstrate the value of integrating RACE and IDENTITY as systematic components of human functioning. The editors and their contributors show how the infusion of racial identity theory with other psychological models can successfully yield more holistic considerations of client functioning and well-being. Fully respecting the mutual influence of personal and environmental factors to explanations of individual and group functioning, they apply complex theoretical notions to real-life cases in psychological practice.

    These authors contend that race is a pervasive and formidable force in society that affects the development and functioning of individuals and groups. In a recursive fashion, individuals and groups influence and, indeed, nurture the notion of race and societal racism. Arguing that mental health practitioners are in key, influential positions to pierce this cycle, the authors provide evidence of how meaningful change can occur when racial identity theory is integrated into interventions that attempt to diminish the distress people experience in their lives. The interventions illustrated in this volume are applied in various contexts, including psychotherapy and counseling, supervision, family therapy, support groups, and organizational and institutional environments.

    This book can serve the needs and interests of advanced-level students and professionals in all mental health fields, as well as researchers and scholars in such disciplines as organizational management and forensic psychology. It can also be of value to anyone interested in the systematic implementation of strategies to overcome problems of race.

    Contents: Introduction. C.E. Thompson, R.T. Carter, Race, Socialization, and Contemporary Racism Manifestations. C.E. Thompson, R.T. Carter, An Overview and Elaboration of Helms' Racial Identity Development Theory. C.E. Thompson, Facilitating Racial Identity Development in the Professional Context. C.E. Thompson, Part I: Applying Racial Identity Theory to Individual Psychotherapy and Dyadic Supervision. C.A. Grace, Clinical Applications of Racial Identity Theory. N. Ochs, White Counselor and White Client: The Case of Mrs. Ames. D.A. Cook, L.P. Hargrove, The Supervisory Experience. R.T. Carter, Race and Psychotherapy: The Racially Inclusive Model. C.E. Thompson, Part II: Applying Racial Identity Theory to Group and Family Interventions. A.M. Regan, J.S. Huber, Facilitating White Identity Development: A Therapeutic Group Intervention. G.V. Gushue, E.I. Sicalides, Helms' Racial Identity Theory and Bowen's Family Systems Model: A Case Study. L.C. Powell, M. Barry, G.Y. Davis, Facing Reality in Urban Schools: Using Racial Identity Theory in Family Group. S.E. Kirkland, A.M. Regan, Organizational Racial Diversity Training. C.E. Thompson, Part III: Applying Racial Identity Theory to Organizational and Institutional Interventions. C. Cooper, C.E. Thompson, Managing Corporate Racial Diversity. C.E. Thompson, C. Falls, A. Berrian, It Takes a Whole Village to Raise a Child. R.T. Carter, E. Gesmer, Applying Racial Identity Theory to the Legal System: The Case of Family Law. C.P. Alderfer, Embedded Intergroup Relations and Racial Identity Development Theory. C.E. Thompson, Epilogue: Race, Socialization, and Contemporary Racism Manifestations Revisited.

    Biography

    Chalmer E. Thompson, Robert T. Carter

    "Dwight Atkinson, in his book Scientific Discourse in Sociohistorical Context, undertakes an extremely ambitious project: an attempt to integrate quantitative/linguistic, rhetorical, and historical analyses of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 1675-1975 into a single, coherent account. By all criteria, Atkinson has been fully successful in this endeavor. This book provides detailed descriptions of the history of the Royal Society itself; changes in the rhetorical structure and contexts of PTRS texts; and changes in the salient linguistic characteristics of texts across historical periods. Then, in the concluding chapters, Atkinson integrates these three perspectives, providing us with the most complete account of a scientific journal to date. At the same time, Atkinson provides us with a convincing illustration of how complementary research methodologies can be synthesized to investigate the complex ways in which linguistic, rhetorical, and historical factors are intertwined in the historical evolution of scientific discourse."

    Douglas Edward Biber
    University of Northern Arizona

    "As an educator rather than a psychologist or psychotherapist, I found this volume to be remarkably accessible. While it is conceptually intelligent and certainly substantive, the portraits of real lives and real dilemmas accompanied by reflective critique and descriptions of practice, provide avenues for understanding human behavior and interaction that are educative to us all."
    A. Lin Goodwin
    Teachers College Columbia University

    "With this book, Chalmer E. Thompson and Robert T. Carter fill a critical niche in psychological literature. A timely and comprehensive source, this anthology places racial identity theory at the center of psychological applications. This text is an essential resource for every practitioner working with multicultural populations."
    Lillian Comas-Diaz, PhD
    Editor in Chief, Cultural Diversity and Mental Health, Executive Director, Trans