Multicultural Psychology

EXTERNAL–INTERNAL CONTROL J. B. Rotter’s seminal work on external–internal control has stimulated much theoretical and empirical work in personality psychology, in general and multicultural psychology, in particular. Rotter described external- internal control as a general personality trait of attribu- tion ... [full story]

EUGENICS TODAY Following World War II, Western scientists and lead- ers were faced with the atrocities of the Holocaust. Coupled with anti-Semitism and various social preju- dices, eugenics’ progressive goals had become ideo- logical mechanisms of mass genocide. Many earlier ... [full story]

HISTORY OF EUGENICS In The Republic, Plato described selective breeding of the ruling caste of a utopian state, a passage often cited as the first endorsement of eugenics. However, the term eugenics was not coined until 1869, when Sir Francis ... [full story]

CONCEPTUAL BASIS OF EUGENICS Genetics is the study of the structure and function of genes. Genes are sections of helically structured deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which makes up chro- mosomes. From within cellular nuclei, genes provide instructions for producing proteins essential ... [full story]

EUGENICS Eugenics, from Greek roots eu- (meaning “good”) and gen- (“birth” or “family”), is often translated as “well- born.” Eugenics is the application of genetic studies to the improvement of the human species—genetic manipulation to produce so-called better human beings. ... [full story]

CULTURAL RELATIVISM Such examples of social change and cultural diversity demonstrate the need for cultural relativism, the con- cept that different groups are best understood within the social context of their own cultural expectations. A key factor associated with ethnocentrism ... [full story]

ETHNIC MARKERS How is ethnocentrism socially reproduced? In the case of the Rwandan massacres, media propaganda was instrumental in increasing ethnic tension between the Tutsi and Hutu. The social construction of in- group identification is also commonly reinforced through community ... [full story]

ETHNIC CLEANSING Two of the most infamous ethnic conflicts of the 20th century took place in Rwanda in 1994 and Bosnia- Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. In the Bosnian conflict, political leaders exploited religious, cultural, and linguistic differences to rally ... [full story]

POWER RELATIONSHIPS Social status and power relationships are continuously negotiated within every culture; however, those who hold more authority are able to maximize their status and advance a particular agenda. For example, by nat- uralizing socioeconomic and status differences and ... [full story]

ETHNOCENTRISM’S ROOTS Historically, ethnocentrism was associated with European expansion and colonization across the globe, and was often conflated with racism. Within the context of White European ethnocentrism, culturally based biases were often assumed to be grounded within the laws of ... [full story]

ETHNOCENTRISM Ethnocentrism is broadly defined as an interpretive framework based on the perception that one’s own ethnic or cultural group (in-group) is superior to other groups (out-groups). The concept of ethnocentrism was developed by sociologist W. G. Sumner in 1906 ... [full story]

ETHNOCENTRIC MONOCULTURALISM Ethnocentric (valuing of one’s ethnic/cultural group over others) monoculturalism (belief in one “right” culture) is an unconscious or conscious overvaluation of one’s own cultural beliefs and practices, and simul- taneous invalidation of other cultural worldviews. In application, ethnocentric ... [full story]

COMPUTERS, TECHNOLOGY, DATA GATHERING, AND RESEARCH Computers and technology can serve many useful purposes in ethnic research. Computers can be pro- grammed to interact in the language, idiom, dialect, and vernacular of the ethnic member. Computers can help overcome some ... [full story]

ADAPTING MEASURES IN CROSS-CULTURAL RESEARCH It is often the practice of psychological researchers to have some method to quantify what they are doing. With quantification, subsequent research can add, change, and correct the data. Questionnaires, inventories, and surveys are frequently ... [full story]

ETHNIC RESEARCH The psychological study of ethnic behavior draws from many disciplines. The psychologist involved in ethnic research obtains information and data from such fields as ethnology, sociology, anthropology, social psychology, medicine, and social work. In their guidelines for research ... [full story]

NATIVE AMERICAN YOUTH When compared with other minority youth, Native American adolescents are more likely to suffer a vari- ety of health concerns (diabetes, suicide, tuberculosis, fetal alcohol syndrome) and are at higher risk for living in poverty, being unemployed, ... [full story]

ASIAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER YOUTH Asian American youth are similar to Hispanics in that they are exposed to issues of immigration and accul- turation; however, their experiences are also very dif- ferent. Asians as a group tend to be more diverse, coming ... [full story]

AFRICAN AMERICAN YOUTH Most African American youth come from families that have been in the United States for generations, as descendants of slaves. In the early and mid-20th cen- tury, this history created survival responses to dis- crimination that encouraged ... [full story]

ETHNIC MINORITY YOUTH LITERATURE The literature on ethnic minority youth is vast but has many methodological flaws. Most discussions are based on a European American, middle-class refer- ence that neglects the experiences of minorities. When there is discussion of minority ... [full story]

MEASUREMENT AND CULTURALLY COMPETENT RESEARCH ISSUES Culturally competent and responsive measures with validity research studies must be conducted on minority and limited-English-speaking populations. Important explanatory research variables include life- long impact of discrimination and socioeconomic sta- tus, culture, immigration, and ... [full story]

ALASKA NATIVE AND AMERICAN INDIAN ELDERS In 2000, there were 259,663 Alaska Native and American Indian elders in the United States, and this group is expected to grow by a little over 1.5%. American Indian elders come frommore than 550 ... [full story]

NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER ELDERS There were 43,802 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander elders in the United States according to the 2000 Census. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are a relatively young population, with only 5% of the population ... [full story]

ASIAN AMERICAN ELDERS There are 861,725 Asian American elders, the fastest- growing group fueled by immigration. Asian American elders in the United States were composed of 29% Chinese, 21% Filipino, 20% Japanese, 9% Korean, 8% Vietnamese/Cambodian, 1% Hmong, and 12% ... [full story]

HISPANIC AND LATINO AMERICAN ELDERS By the year 2030, Hispanic American elderly will be the largest minority elderly group in the United States. Of all races’ elders segments, Hispanic American elders are projected to grow most rapidly, from 1.5 million ... [full story]

AFRICAN AMERICAN ELDERS The number of African American elders in the United States is predicted to grow from 2.9 million in 2000 to 8.6 million in 2050. The slave health deficit and cumulative lifelong disadvantage remain for elderly AfricanAmericans and ... [full story]

ETHNIC MINORITY ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS Ethnic minority elderly individuals include five ethnic populations in the United States: African Americans; Alaska Natives and American Indians; Asian Americans;Hispanics andLatinos; and Pacific Islander Americans. Elderly is defined as the age of eligibility for social ... [full story]

ETHNIC IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT MEASURES: MULTIGROUP ETHNIC IDENTITY MEASURE The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) is a survey measure of ethnic identity. It was developed for use with adolescents and young adults. It can be used with adults, but it is not appropriate for children. The original measure, ... [full story]

ETHNIC IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT MEASURES: CROSS RACIAL IDENTITY SCALE The Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS) is a 40-item self-administered scale developed to measure racial identity attitudes of people in the United States. More specifically, each identity type measured in the CRIS ... [full story]

ETHNIC IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT MEASURES: BICULTURAL INVOLVEMENT SCALE The bicultural involvement questionnaire (BIQ) is a 33-item self-report measure used to assess cultural orientation. The measure generates scores for individ- uals’ independent association with each of the two cultures, their degree of ... [full story]

PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES The AVS has been shown to produce reliable scores with coefficient alphas of .81 and .82 in two separate studies. The AVS has also provided evidence as to the stability of scores with a test–retest reliability estimate (two ... [full story]

ETHNIC IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT MEASURES: ASIAN VALUES SCALE Developed to provide a more complete understanding of the acculturation process in Asian American popu- lations, the Asian Values Scale (AVS) assesses the degree to which individuals adhere to traditional Asian values (e.g., ... [full story]

White Ethnic Identity Development Measures A body of research also exists on measuring ethnic identity development among European Americans. These assessments, typically described as  White racial identity measures, are based on the premise that European Americans undergo a developmental process ... [full story]