Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training,
Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists
American Psychological Association
Approved as APA Policy by the APA Council of Representatives, August, 2002
Scope of Guidelines
This document is comprehensive but not exhaustive. We intend to reflect the
context and rationale for these Guidelines in multiple settings and situations, but also
acknowledge that we expect the document to evolve over time with more illustrative
examples and references. In the current document we will initially provide evidence for
the need for multicultural guidelines with an overview of the most recent demographic
data on racial/ethnic diversity in the United States, and the representation of racial/ethnic
minorities in education and psychology. We then discuss the social and political
developments in the United States and the profession of psychology that provide a
context for the development of the Guidelines, and the fundamental principles on which
we base the Guidelines. Each Guideline is then presented, with the first two Guidelines
designed to apply to all psychologists from two primary perspectives: (a) knowledge of
self with a cultural heritage and varying social identities; and (b) knowledge of other
cultures. Guidelines # 3–6 address the application of multiculturalism in education,
training, research, practice, and organizational change.
While these Guidelines have attempted to incorporate empirical studies of
intergroup relations and ethnic identity, professional consensus, and other perceptions and experiences of ethnic and racial minority groups, it is beyond the scope of this
document to provide a thorough and comprehensive review of all literature related to
race, ethnicity, intergroup processes, and organizational development strategies to
address multiculturalism in employment and professional education contexts. Rather,
we have attempted to provide examples of empirical and conceptual literature relevant to
the Guidelines where possible.
