his brochure is for college students of color and others who are considering additional education and a career in psychology. In this brochure, we talk about specific things that you can do RIGHT NOW to get your future psychology career and education on track for success! We provide you with some tips on how to find and keep a mentor. We describe many subfields and careers in psychology. And, for those of you who are uncertain if you will have the desire or money to go on to graduate school after college, we talk about other options of things you can do after college that will strengthen your psychology career. We also provide you with the names and sources of other information resources.
So why is there a need for a brochure with this type of information? Because our nation-especially its communities of color-desperately needs more people of color who are either psychologists or engaged in careers in psychology. By the middle of the 21st Century, it is expected that people of color will make up more than 50 percent of the nation's population. But currently, only 5 to 6 percent of all psychologists are persons of color.
Despite their relatively small numbers, psychologists of color do exciting work in every major subfield of psychology. Some are involved in work that affects all segments of the nation's population. Many are involved with issues related to the behaviors and needs of persons and communities of color. Here are just a few examples.
Some psychologists of color are interested in the effectiveness of psychology's traditional tools for determining what kind of psychological or behavioral problem a person has and what is the best treatment for that problem. These psychologists seek to develop tools and techniques that are tailored to the cultural behaviors and worldviews of persons of color. Examples of psychologists engaged in this kind of research are: Stanley Sue, an Asian American psychologist who directs the National Research Center on Asian American Mental Health in Los Angeles; Lillian Comas-Diaz, a Latina psychologist who edits a journal on multicultural mental health; and Nancy Boyd-Franklin, an African American psychologist, who is on the faculty of Rutgers University where she is an expert on group and family therapy with African Americans.
Psychologists of color are some of the leading researchers on the development of identity among persons of color. For example, African American psychologist William Cross has identified the major stages that African Americans go through in developing a positive Black identity. African American psychologists Thomas Parham and Janet Helms (1990) have developed a test on racial identity attitudes. Martha Bernal, a Latina psychologist, has studied ethnic identity in Mexican American children (1993), and Richard Suinn, an Asian American psychologist, has studied identity among Asians living in the United States and in other countries (1992, 1995). Also, Dr. Suinn was elected to serve as the 1999 President of the American Psychological Association.
Tony Strickland (1991, 1995), an African American psychologist in Los Angeles, does path-breaking research on ethnic group differences in the effects of psychoactive drugs on behavior and on the brain.
Psychologists of color often seek to solve real problems in communities of color. For example, in response to the disproportionately large numbers of children of color in special education classes, African American psychologist Asa Hilliard III, who is a professor at Georgia State University, conducted research that led California to ban placement in such classes based solely on an IQ score. Currently, American Indian psychologist Joseph Trimble (1990, 1992) of Western Washington University studies substance abuse and develops programs for preventing alcohol abuse among American Indian youth.
There is plenty of exciting work in psychology. And the talents and interests of psychologists of color will be in exceptionally high demand during the 21st century. That is why we believe it is important that more students of color choose a career in psychology now!
